Vocapedia
Log inTry for Free

Looking up...

Explore

  • Words of the Year
  • Recent Lookups
  • Community Collections
  • How to Say

Dictionaries

  • English
  • Vietnamese
  • Japanese
  • Chinese
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Korean
  • German
  • Hindi
  • Italian

MY LEARNING

  • My Dictionary
  • My Collections
  • Reviews

Resources

  • Learning Resources
  • How It Works
  • Study Guides
  • Language Tips
  • FAQ
  • Getting Started
  • For Individuals
  • For Teachers

Community

  • Forum
  • Blog
  • Help Center
  • Partnerships

About

  • About Vocapedia
  • Contact Us
  • Feedback

Legal

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
  • GDPR Compliance
© 2026 Vocapedia. All rights reserved.

les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières

/le pə.ti ʁɥi.so fo le ɡʁɑ̃d ʁi.vjɛʁ/◆proverb
small contributions accumulate to create something significant

Chaque petit don compte : les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières.

Every small donation counts: small contributions accumulate to create something significant.


◆ What It Really Means
Small, consistent efforts or contributions, when accumulated over time, can lead to significant results or achievements.
¶ Literal Meaning
Small streams make large rivers.
Literal Breakdown
les petits ruisseauxsmall streams+fontmake or create+les grandes rivièreslarge rivers
◇ Mental Image
The mental picture of small streams flowing together to form a large river, symbolizing the accumulation of small efforts leading to significant outcomes.
◈ When to Use
A teacher might use this proverb to encourage students to keep practicing small, daily tasks, as these will eventually lead to mastery of a subject.
◉ Cultural Note
This proverb is a reflection of the French cultural value of perseverance and the belief that consistent, small efforts are the key to long-term success.
general

This proverb emphasizes that small, consistent efforts or contributions, when accumulated over time, can lead to significant results or achievements.

En épargnant quelques euros chaque mois, les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières.

By saving a few euros each month, small contributions accumulate to create something significant.

Grâce à des efforts quotidiens, les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières.

Thanks to daily efforts, small contributions accumulate to create something significant.

This proverb is often used to encourage persistence and to highlight the value of incremental progress.

Synonyms

petites gouttes font les grandes rivièrespetites économies font les grandes fortunes

Related Phrases

petites gouttes font les grandes rivièresproverb
small drops make big rivers
petites économies font les grandes fortunesproverb
small savings make great fortunes

Pro Tip

Usage in Context

This proverb is often used to motivate people to keep making small, positive contributions, as these will eventually lead to significant outcomes.

Gold Rule

Cultural Context

The proverb is deeply rooted in French culture and is often used to inspire perseverance and patience in achieving long-term goals.

Word Origin

The proverb originates from French folklore and reflects the idea that small streams eventually form large rivers, symbolizing the power of accumulation.

Usage Notes

This proverb is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts to encourage perseverance and to emphasize the importance of small, consistent actions.

Word Breakdown

les petits ruisseaux
small streams
phrase
+
font
make or create
verb
+
les grandes rivières
large rivers
phrase
Dictionnaire Français-Anglais

Learning Progress

Track your learning journey!

• Save words to build your vocabulary

• Monitor your daily streak

• Get personalized review reminders

• See words learned statistics

Log in to access advanced features and track your progress!

Go to Dashboard →

Words of the Year

The most notable words that defined each year. Discover the vocabulary that shaped our world.