Example: Il faut mettre les choses au clair avant la réunion demain.
Definition
"Mettre les choses au clair" means to clarify a situation or make things clear, especially by explaining or resolving misunderstandings. It involves ensuring that all parties understand facts or intentions clearly, often before an important event or decision.
Translations
To clear things up
Aclarar las cosas
De zaken ophelderen
Aclarir les coses
Die Dinge klarstellen
Etymology
The phrase "mettre les choses au clair" literally translates to 'put things in the clear' in French. It combines 'mettre' (to put), 'les choses' (the things), and 'au clair' (in the clear or light). The expression figuratively means to shed light on a matter, much like turning on a light to see something clearly.
Learn to use this expression actively
"Mettre les choses au clair" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
Would you like to not only understand these expressions, but also remember them and use them actively? Create a free account and select French as the language you want to learn.
To clear things up