Mourir moins bête

Mourir moins bete
Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

Informal French Expression

Meaning to learn something new
Literally to die less stupid
Register informal
Pronunciation French sound files [moo reer mweh(n) beht]
IPA   [mu ʀiʀ mwɛ̃ bɛt]

Usage notes: The informal French expression mourir moins bête is a somewhat macabre way of talking about learning something. With each new piece of information, you become less stupid, which obviously means that you’ll eventually die less stupid. The closest English equivalent is "you learn something new every day."

Par exemple…

Ce site vous aidera à mourir moins bête.   This site will teach you some things.
Une explication intéressante, je vais mourir moins bête !   Interesting explanation, you learn something new every day!

Variation: se coucher moins bête ce soir – literally, "to go to bed less stupid tonight"

 Related lessons

 Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

Mourir moins bête

  Lawless French Files:  

Stay up to date with Lawless French

Questions about French?

 Visit the Progress with Lawless French Q+A forum to get help from native French speakers and fellow learners.

More Lawless French

 Subscribe to my twice-weekly newsletter.

Support Lawless French

  This free website is created with love and a great deal of work.

If you love it, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation.

Your support is entirely optional but tremendously appreciated.

3 Responses

  1. auguste_gusteau 2 February 2016 / 6:04

    Would je vais mourir moins bête si il me tue ! be understood in the French language?
    I really hope so!

    • lkl 2 February 2016 / 9:06

      Not really. Mourir moins bête isn’t about a personal goal, but rather an acknowledgment that you’ve learned something.

      Also, “s’il me tue” is not used idiomatically like “if it kills me” is in English. The French equivalent of that is “si je dois y laisser ma peau.”

      • auguste_gusteau 2 February 2016 / 12:01

        Aww that’s a shame. But yes thank you for the kind explanation.

        Looks like “I’m going to die less stupid if it kills me” can only possibly be appreciated by English-French bilinguals. Quel dommage !

Leave a Reply