This French expression comes in handy when delegating tasks.
Why do I need to know ce n’est pas la mer à boire?
Because if someone is dragging their feet with something you know will only take a few minutes, you could whip out this French expression.
What does it mean?
Ce n’est pas la mer à boire – roughly pronounced suh nay pah la mare ah bwar (listen here) – translates as ‘it is not the sea to drink’.
It basically means ‘it’s not impossible’. A parent might say this (in a frustrated tone) to their child if they’re dragging their feet over a simple task.
The expression dates back to the 17th century and it comes from the French writer Jean de La Fontaine. The poet used the metaphor of someone having to drink all of the water in the sea to illustrate the difficulty of a task.
For a long time, people used the phrase in the affirmative c’est la mer à boire, when discussing insurmountable challenges.
More recently, it is mostly used in the negative sense, usually in response to someone complaining about a simple job or task.
Use it like this
Cela ne te prendra pas une éternité. Il suffit de commencer maintenant. Ce n’est pas la mer à boire. – It won’t take you forever. Just start now. I’m not asking the impossible.
Tu te plains de faire la vaisselle ? Ce n’est pas la mer à boire ! – You’re complaining about washing the dishes? It’s not that much to ask!
