Learning french: avoir l’oreille fine and other ear-related expressions

MASTER THE TRICKY PRONUNCIATION OF THIS PHRASE Have you ever heard the phrase, avoir l’oreille fine?  If you listen closely, you might catch someone saying it during an orchestra concert, a

guided tour of a religious temple, or a hearing test. We will take a look at how to use it in everyday French and teach you even more ear-related expressions.  WHAT DOES AVOIR L’OREILLE FINE

MEAN? Fin(e) has several meanings in French: end, thin, light, dainty, astute, totally. You could say this phrase literally translates as: to have a fine ear. It is used to describe someone

who has very good hearing or a situation which requires you to listen closely. In English we might say that a person has a sharp or well-trained ear. You might also hear a variation of this

expression, which is: avoir l'ouïe fine - to have keen hearing, or to have a fine-tuned sense of hearing.  Read also: France's 100% santé reform boosts hearing aid sales and

enhances healthcare accessibility A similar but unrelated expression is: faire la fine bouche, literally, to do the thin mouth. Originally, the expression was faire la petite bouche (to do

the small mouth) and meant to be picky with food. It evolved to fine bouche and today, generally means: to be picky. HOW DO YOU SAY AVOIR L’OREILLE FINE? Oreille can be tricky to pronounce

for English speakers but it could be broken down phonetically as: aw-rae-yeu. The combination of -ille usually creates a sort of Y sound in French, like in the words une paille (a straw), or

la veille (the day before).  Once you have mastered oreille, you can then try oreiller (pillow). The pronunciation of fin(e) changes depending on whether it is masculine or feminine.  In

this case, the feminine adjective (fine) is agreeing with the feminine noun (une oreille), so it is pronounced: fee-n.  WHEN DO YOU SAY AVOIR L’OREILLE FINE? This phrase can describe

someone’s outstanding sense of hearing: It can also be said in any situation that requires someone to listen closely: It is often used in a musical context, to describe someone who can

detect fine aural details: Read also: ‘Chanter comme une casserole’: our French expression of the week TO WHOM DO YOU SAY AVOIR L’OREILLE FINE? It is considered neutral language and can be

used with friends, colleagues and strangers. MORE EAR-RELATED FRENCH EXPRESSIONS? Listen out for these other related phrases: * Avoir l'oreille basse - To be sad and disappointed * Se

faire tirer l’oreille - To take a lot of persuading * Tendre l’oreille - To prick up one’s ears * Prêter l’oreille à quelqu’un/quelque chose - To listen to/lend an ear to someone or

something * Avoir l'oreille de quelqu'un - To have someone’s attention - be a confident * Avoir l’oreille musicale - To have an ear for music * Avoir l’oreille absolue - To have

perfect pitch * Être tout ouïe - To be all ears * Être à l'écoute - To listen out for/keep an ear to the ground Read also: 11 French expressions using the word mouth