Get prepared to find out everything you want to know about the basic French saying "Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué". It includes a complete explanation of what it mean and how you can use it in everyday life with an audio example. Not to mention the cool informations we added like slow pronunciation audio, dialogue example, synonyms and more!
Translation : Don't claim victory too soon
Literal meaning : You shouldn't sell the bear's skin before killing the bear
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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.)
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