Definite articles for parts of the body

Annie H.A1Kwiziq community member

Definite articles for parts of the body

Having read the lesson about using the definite article when referring to parts of the body, why does the idiom for "taking to one's heels" translate as "nous avons pris nos jambes à notre cou"? as in the practice lesson "la main dans le sac" posted on Facebook recently.

This question relates to:French lesson "Notre/nos/votre/vos/leur/leurs = our/your/their (French Possessive Adjectives)"

Asked 7 years ago

Like0Answer2

GruffNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq

Hi Annie - when referring to a person's own body parts in French, you would usually use the definite article but there are some exceptions: Special cases when you use mon/ma/mes/etc with parts of the body (French Possessive Adjectives)">Special cases when you use mon/ma/mes/etc with parts of the body (French Possessive Adjectives)">Special cases when you use mon/ma/mes/etc with parts of the body (French Possessive Adjectives)">Special cases when you use mon/ma/mes/etc with parts of the body (French Possessive Adjectives)

Hope that helps!

Like17 years ago

Annie H.A1Kwiziq community member

Merci, ça devient plus clair pour moi maintenant.

Like07 years ago

Annie H. asked: