balais - Mot du Jour

years-old – French expression

Part of Courses About the Holidays | Halloween and La Toussaint

What does ” balais ” mean? How do you say ‘ years old ’ in French? How is it pronounced? How is it used in a French sentence? Listen to Anne, a French native say it at FrenchHour.com.

balais - brooms. In today’s French, the word balais is used to talk about someone’s age. It generally describes an older person, one with many balais - years of age. Careful though, it’s pretty familiar language, use it in the right context - with friends, colleagues, not at your job interview.

« Il n’a pas pu finir le marathon. Mais il avait au moins 83 balais, alors, chapeau quand même. »
“He couldn’t finish the marathon. But he was at least 83, so ‘Hats off’ to him anyway.”

Try using this expression at least 3 times today.