Why do I need to know couper la poire en deux?
Because if you’re looking for a lighthearted way to suggest a compromise to a tough audience, this might be the perfect phrase for you.
What does it mean?
Couper la poire en deux – usually pronounced koo-pay lah pwar ahn duh (listen here) – translates literally to ‘to cut the pear in two’ or ‘to cut the pear in half.’
The expression actually means to compromise in the middle or to share something equitably.
In English, there is unfortunately not a fruit related expression for compromising, but you could say ‘meet halfway’ or ‘split down the middle’ to translate this French idiom into English.
Interestingly enough, when the Wall Street Journal best-selling English-language book “Never Split the Difference” was translated into French, the new title became “Ne jamais couper la poire en deux.”
This expression first appeared during the 1880s in the literary field, referencing a famous artwork.
Use it like this
Nous avons pu couper la poire en deux en acceptant de faire chacun huit heures de route, de sorte qu’aucun de nous ne doive en faire plus que l’autre.– We were able to meet halfway by agreeing to each drive eight hours on the road trip, that way neither of us would have to do more than the other.
Pourquoi ne pas essayer de couper la poire en deux sur l’appartement ? Je peux vivre sans machine à laver, si tu peux vivre sans balcon. Qu’est-ce que tu en penses ? – Why don’t we try to compromise on the apartment? I can live without a washing machine, if you can live without a balcony. What do you think?
