French Expression of the Day: Encore un que les anglais n’auront pas
Finished a delicious French meal? It might be time to mention the English.
Why do I need to know encore un que les anglais n’auront pas?
Because who wouldn’t want to celebrate finishing a delicious plate of food?
What does it mean?
Encore un que les anglais n’auront pas – roughly pronounced ahn-core uhn kuh layz ahn-glay nor-ohn pah – translates precisely to “another one that the English will not have.”
You probably won’t hear any French millennials using this old-fashioned French expression, it is certainly might be more likely to come out of the mouth of a grandparent or a great-aunt.
Nevertheless - the history of it is quite interesting, particularly considering the “anglais” (English) part can be interchangeable with other countries that have invaded France at some point in history.
The expression is mostly said (in a joking way) to commemorate the end of a good meal. Originally, it was used to celebrate the fact that everyone managed to finish their plates without the soldiers from *insert country to have invaded France* taking the food off their table.
You might hear other variations of this expression, like “Encore un que les allemands n’auront pas” (another one that the Germans will not have) or the even older (dating back to the 1870s and the Franco-Prussian wars) expression, “Encore un que les prussiens n’auront pas” (another one that the Prussians will not have).
Sometimes, the phrase might be “les boches” instead of the Germans, Prussians or English. However, you should be aware that this is a pejorative term for a German soldier, so perhaps not the most friendly version of the expression.
Use it like this
En se levant de table, Simone a pris son assiette et a dit “encore un que les Anglais n'auront pas.” – As she stood up from the table, Simone took her plate and said “and another one that the English won’t have.”
Après la guerre franco-prussienne de 1870, les Français avaient plusieurs expressions pour se moquer des Allemands, comme "encore un que les Allemands n'auront pas." – After the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, the French came up with several expressions to poke fun at Germans, like “another one that the Germans won’t have.”
READ ALSO The French phrases you will need for France v England footballer banter
Comments
See Also
Why do I need to know encore un que les anglais n’auront pas?
Because who wouldn’t want to celebrate finishing a delicious plate of food?
What does it mean?
Encore un que les anglais n’auront pas – roughly pronounced ahn-core uhn kuh layz ahn-glay nor-ohn pah – translates precisely to “another one that the English will not have.”
You probably won’t hear any French millennials using this old-fashioned French expression, it is certainly might be more likely to come out of the mouth of a grandparent or a great-aunt.
Nevertheless - the history of it is quite interesting, particularly considering the “anglais” (English) part can be interchangeable with other countries that have invaded France at some point in history.
The expression is mostly said (in a joking way) to commemorate the end of a good meal. Originally, it was used to celebrate the fact that everyone managed to finish their plates without the soldiers from *insert country to have invaded France* taking the food off their table.
You might hear other variations of this expression, like “Encore un que les allemands n’auront pas” (another one that the Germans will not have) or the even older (dating back to the 1870s and the Franco-Prussian wars) expression, “Encore un que les prussiens n’auront pas” (another one that the Prussians will not have).
Sometimes, the phrase might be “les boches” instead of the Germans, Prussians or English. However, you should be aware that this is a pejorative term for a German soldier, so perhaps not the most friendly version of the expression.
Use it like this
En se levant de table, Simone a pris son assiette et a dit “encore un que les Anglais n'auront pas.” – As she stood up from the table, Simone took her plate and said “and another one that the English won’t have.”
Après la guerre franco-prussienne de 1870, les Français avaient plusieurs expressions pour se moquer des Allemands, comme "encore un que les Allemands n'auront pas." – After the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, the French came up with several expressions to poke fun at Germans, like “another one that the Germans won’t have.”
READ ALSO The French phrases you will need for France v England footballer banter
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.