French Expression of the Day: La langue de Molière
Why a 17th-century playwright is still relevant to your struggles to learn French.
Why do I need to know la langue de Molière?
Because it's used in lots of contexts that having nothing to do with theatre or history.
What does it mean?
It means 'the language of Molière', but really it means French and it's a very frequently used synonym for the French language.
Molière (real name Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) is France's most famous and revered playwright. His plays, written in the 1650s, 60s and 70s and can be a touch inaccessible for French learners but his themes - hypocrisy, corruption and power - have certainly stood the test of time.
And his reputation in France is such that la langue de Molière has come to simply mean the French language and is used in a wide variety of contexts.
In 2023, France marked 350 years since the playwright's death.
Use it like this
ll compose et écrit des textes dans la langue de Molière - He composed and wrote lyrics in French
La langue de Molière devient langue officielle dans cet état et est enseignée dans les écoles - French became the official language and was taught in schools
40 pourcent des chansons diffusées à la radio française doivent être chantées dans la langue de Molière - 40 percent of songs on French radio must be sung in French
Synonyms
The formal designation of the French language is la langue française or simply française, but French also has some poetic descriptions for other languages.
La langue de Shakespeare - English (anglais)
La lange de Goethe - German (allemand)
La langue de Cervantès - Spanish (espagnol)
La langue de Dante - Italian (italien)
Comments
See Also
Why do I need to know la langue de Molière?
Because it's used in lots of contexts that having nothing to do with theatre or history.
What does it mean?
It means 'the language of Molière', but really it means French and it's a very frequently used synonym for the French language.
Molière (real name Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) is France's most famous and revered playwright. His plays, written in the 1650s, 60s and 70s and can be a touch inaccessible for French learners but his themes - hypocrisy, corruption and power - have certainly stood the test of time.
And his reputation in France is such that la langue de Molière has come to simply mean the French language and is used in a wide variety of contexts.
In 2023, France marked 350 years since the playwright's death.
Use it like this
The formal designation of the French language is la langue française or simply française, but French also has some poetic descriptions for other languages.
La langue de Shakespeare - English (anglais)
La lange de Goethe - German (allemand)
La langue de Cervantès - Spanish (espagnol)
La langue de Dante - Italian (italien)
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.