A1 Idiom Informal

Être à la bourre

To be in a hurry/late

Significado

To be running behind schedule or to be late.

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Contexto cultural

In social settings, being 10-15 minutes late is often expected (the 'quart d'heure de politesse'). However, saying you are 'à la bourre' suggests you've exceeded even that grace period. While understood, Quebecers might more frequently use 'être en retard' or other local expressions, though 'à la bourre' has gained ground due to French media. In modern French startups, 'à la bourre' is almost the standard way to describe project delays, reflecting a more relaxed, 'cool' office culture.

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Sound like a local

Say 'Chuis grave à la bourre' to sound exactly like a Parisian teenager or young professional.

⚠️

The 'Drunk' Trap

Never forget the 'à la'. If you say 'Je suis bourré', people will think you've had too much wine!

Significado

To be running behind schedule or to be late.

🎯

Sound like a local

Say 'Chuis grave à la bourre' to sound exactly like a Parisian teenager or young professional.

⚠️

The 'Drunk' Trap

Never forget the 'à la'. If you say 'Je suis bourré', people will think you've had too much wine!

Teste-se

Complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb 'être'.

Désolé, nous ___ à la bourre !

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: sommes

We use 'être' with 'à la bourre'. For 'nous', the form is 'sommes'.

In which situation is it appropriate to say 'Je suis à la bourre'?

Choose the best context:

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: Meeting your best friend for a movie

This is an informal idiom used for casual social situations.

Complete the dialogue.

A: Tu arrives quand ? B: J'arrive ! Je suis ___.

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: à la bourre

The fixed phrase is always 'à la bourre'.

Which sentence means 'I am behind on my work'?

Select the correct option:

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: Je suis à la bourre sur mon travail.

We use the preposition 'sur' to indicate what we are behind on.

🎉 Pontuação: /4

Recursos visuais

Lateness Levels

Formal
Avoir du retard To have a delay
Neutral
Être en retard To be late
Informal
Être à la bourre To be running late

Banco de exercicios

4 exercicios
Complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb 'être'. Fill Blank A1

Désolé, nous ___ à la bourre !

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: sommes

We use 'être' with 'à la bourre'. For 'nous', the form is 'sommes'.

In which situation is it appropriate to say 'Je suis à la bourre'? situation_matching A1

Choose the best context:

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: Meeting your best friend for a movie

This is an informal idiom used for casual social situations.

Complete the dialogue. dialogue_completion A1

A: Tu arrives quand ? B: J'arrive ! Je suis ___.

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: à la bourre

The fixed phrase is always 'à la bourre'.

Which sentence means 'I am behind on my work'? Choose A2

Select the correct option:

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: Je suis à la bourre sur mon travail.

We use the preposition 'sur' to indicate what we are behind on.

🎉 Pontuação: /4

Perguntas frequentes

3 perguntas

Yes, it's a bit too casual. Use 'Je suis désolé d'être en retard' instead.

Usually yes, but you can say a project or a train is 'à la bourre' in very casual speech.

The opposite is 'être en avance' (to be early). There is no informal idiom for being early that is as common as 'à la bourre'.

Frases relacionadas

🔗

être charrette

specialized form

To be overwhelmed by a deadline.

🔗

être à la ramasse

similar

To be completely out of it or very behind.

🔄

être en retard

synonym

To be late.

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