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Petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid

/pə.ti a pə.ti l‿wa.zo fɛ sɔ̃ ni/
proverb★Intermediate— slow and steady progress leads to success◆proverb
◆ What It Really Means
Steady, incremental progress leads to success over time.
¶ Literal Meaning
A bird builds its nest little by little.
Literal Breakdown
petit à petitlittle by little+l'oiseauthe bird+fait son nidbuilds its nest
◇ Mental Image
The image of a bird carefully and patiently constructing its nest piece by piece.
◈ When to Use
A teacher might say this to students who are struggling with a difficult project, encouraging them to take it step by step.
◉ Cultural Note
This proverb reflects the French cultural value of patience and perseverance, often used to motivate and reassure.
informal

This proverb emphasizes that steady, incremental progress over time leads to significant achievements, much like how a bird builds its nest one piece at a time.

Avec de la patience, petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid.

With patience, little by little, the bird builds its nest.

Ne t'inquiète pas, petit à petit, on y arrivera.

Don't worry, little by little, we'll get there.

💡

This proverb is often used to encourage perseverance and to highlight the value of consistent effort.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

pas à pasphrase
step by step
graduellementphrase
gradually

💡Pro Tip

Usage in Encouragement

This proverb is often used to reassure someone that progress, though slow, is still progress.

⚡Gold Rule

Literal vs. Figurative

While the phrase literally describes a bird building a nest, its figurative meaning is about steady progress in any endeavor.

📖Word Origin

The phrase originates from the observation of birds building their nests gradually, piece by piece, which serves as a metaphor for steady progress in human endeavors.

📝Usage Notes

This proverb is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts to encourage patience and persistence in achieving long-term goals.

Word Breakdown

petit à petit
little by little
phrase
+
l'oiseau
the bird
phrase
+
fait son nid
builds its nest
phrase
Dictionnaire Français-Anglais

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