This property-related phrase has a surprising military history.
Why do I need to know pied-à-terre?
Whether you're buying a second home in France or simply looking for a place to stay during your visits, you may hear this French expression.
What does it mean?
The French expression pied-à-terre, roughly pronounced pyay dah tair (listen here), literally translates to "a foot on the ground". In reality, it means "a small second home" or "a place to stay while away from your main home".
The phrase is quite widely used in English too, and has the same meaning (unlike some French phrases which find their way into the English language but undergo a subtle change of meaning, like rendez-vous).
It usually refers to a property that someone keeps for convenience rather than as their primary residence. For example, someone who lives in the countryside might have a pied-à-terre in a city for work or weekend trips.
Originally, trumpets were used to communicate orders to cavalry troops, and one particular call signalled the end of a drill or military exercise. It told soldiers they could poser pied à terre - literally, put a foot on the ground by dismounting from their horses.
During the 19th century, the expression gradually took on a more figurative meaning. Since dismounting often marked the end of a day's journey, poser pied à terre came to evoke the idea of stopping somewhere for the night. By 1841, pied-à-terre had entered the dictionary to describe a temporary place to stay.
There is a mandatory liaison between pied and à. The normally silent d is pronounced as a -t sound before the following vowel. When referring to a temporary home or second residence, the expression is written pied-à-terre, with hyphens. However, when describing the physical act of getting off a horse or putting your foot on the ground, it is written pied à terre, without hyphens.
If you're on a cycle path you might see a sign instructing you to mettez à pied à terre - put a foot on the ground - which means you need to dismount, usually because you are approaching a crossing or a pedestrian space.
Use it like this
Ils ont acheté un pied-à-terre à Paris. - They bought a small apartment in Paris.
Je cherche un pied-à-terre pour mes déplacements professionnels. - I'm looking for a place to stay when I travel for work.
Cet appartement lui sert de pied-à-terre pendant la semaine. - He uses this apartment as a base during the week.
