Example: Il s'en faut de peu pour que le projet réussisse.
Definition
"Il s'en faut de peu" is a French expression used to indicate that only a small amount or margin is lacking for something to happen or be achieved, as in the phrase 'Il s'en faut de peu pour que le projet réussisse,' meaning the project almost succeeded but just fell short.
Translations
It was a close call
Por poco
Het scheelde maar weinig
Ha anat de poc
Es war knapp
Etymology
The expression "Il s'en faut de peu" originates from French, combining the phrase 'il s'en faut' meaning 'it lacks' or 'it is missing' with 'de peu' meaning 'a little' or 'a small amount.' This idiomatic phrase succinctly conveys the idea of narrowly missing or almost achieving something.
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"Il s'en faut de peu" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 119 commonly used expressions.
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It was a close call