Introduction

French has long been the language of diplomacy, and it turns out, we’re diplomatic even when talking about getting older! Today, let’s look at the charming French expression « prendre de l’âge. »

What does it mean?

Prendre de l’âge literally means « to take on age. » It’s used to describe growing older, aging, but with a soft, gentle connotation. Rather than sounding negative, it suggests that time accumulates like a kind of richness, year after year.

A lovely comparison

The expression is often used to talk about wine, which prend de l’âge and improves with quality over time. The French even say:

« Vieillir comme le bon vin », to age like a good wine.

Aren’t we all, in our own way?

A universal feeling

Prendre de l’âge is inevitable. As children, we count down the days to our birthday with excitement, and then as adults, we almost dread it. Funny how that changes, isn’t it?

Where does the word « âge » come from?

(Word focus, nom masculin)

The word âge comes from the Latin aetas, which referred both to the duration of a life and to the idea of generation, youth as well as old age.

Today, it expresses the time lived by a person, a material, or a concept since its beginning. It can even refer to an entire era in history, like le Moyen Âge (the Middle Ages).

Your turn

And you, in your own language, how do you gracefully express the idea of growing older?

Crédits

Illustrations by @mildredegal, ideas by @mathilde_cdh, members of Le Trio Infernal
Les Mots de Lisa

See the original French post
Here’s the full carousel as originally shared, in French: