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Get ready to learn everything you want to know about the basic proverb "Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué". It includes a detailed guide of what it mean and how to use it in a conversation with an audio example. Not to mention the useful informations we added like synonym, slow pronunciation audio, dialogue example and more!
Translation : Don't claim victory too soon
Literal meaning : You shouldn't sell the bear's skin before killing the bear
Register : Neutral - Basic
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IPA : / il nə fo pa vɑ̃dʁə la po də luʁs‿ avɑ̃ də lavwaʁ tɥe /
The literal meaning is:
It means you shouldn't use something before being sure you own it. By extension: you shouldn't claim victory until you are sure that you have won. Even more broadly: you can't predict the future and you shouldn't skip the steps.
This saying comes from the middle ages and became popular a few centuries later thanks to Jean de La Fontaine in "L'Ours et les deux Compagnons." (Book V - Fable 2, 1668)
Imagine someone you know is planning how he/she will spend his/her money after winning the lottery. Then, you can use it as a reminder of not claiming victory too soon: "Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué." (You shouldn't sell the bearskin before killing it.)
↓ Example in a story with translation ↓
Finally, let's see an example in a parallel story with slow audio.
Le jour de l'examen
The day of the exam
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