Definite articles for parts of the body

AnnieA1Kwiziq 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.
Asked 6 years ago
GruffKwiziq team member
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!
AnnieA1Kwiziq community member
Merci, ça devient plus clair pour moi maintenant.

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.

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