Example: J'ai beau essayer, je ne comprends toujours pas cette règle.
Definition
"Avoir beau" is a French expression used to indicate making an effort or trying to do something in vain, often followed by an action that does not achieve the desired result. For example, 'J'ai beau essayer' means 'I try in vain' or 'I keep trying but to no avail.'
The phrase "avoir beau" literally means 'to have beautiful' in French, but its idiomatic use dates back to the Middle Ages. It evolved to express futile effort, as if one could 'have beauty' or 'have good reason' but still fail. Did you know that despite its literal sense, "avoir beau" always conveys frustration over unsuccessful attempts?
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"Avoir beau" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 119 commonly used expressions.
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