How to Say “Long Story Short” in French

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pour faire court
/puʁ fɛʁ kuʁ/
The English phrase "long story short" is translated into French as pour faire court.
Pour faire court is a phrase used to skip unnecessary details and get quickly to the main point of a story. It is typically placed at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a summary or the final outcome of a lengthy explanation.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the preposition pour (for/to), the verb faire (to make/do) and the adjective court (short).

Which one should you use?

Bref is an informal interjection used to mean "anyway," "in short," or "to cut a long story short." In contrast, en bref is a more formal way to signal that you are summarizing a point.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

While pour faire court is common in speech, en bref is a more formal way to signal that you are summarizing a point. In casual conversation, speakers often drop the surrounding words and simply use Bref to transition to the conclusion of a story.

How do you pronounce it?

/puʁ fɛʁ kuʁ/

Did you know?

  • The word court in pour faire court is a homonym for the French word for 'court' as in a royal palace or a tennis court, though they are spelled the same.
  • In French, bref can be used not just to summarize a story, but as a dismissive way to end a conversation or signal that the speaker is bored with the current level of detail.
  • The word court in the phrase shares the same Latin ancestor, curtus, as the English word 'curt', which means rudely or abruptly brief.

Examples in context

  • Pour faire court, il a épousé son premier amour.
    To make a long story short, he married his first love.
    This sentence shows how to use pour faire court to introduce the final outcome of a story.
    Tatoeba #573359 by sacredceltic, translation #63798 by CM
  • Pour faire court, elle est sur la No Fly List et nous pourrions avoir été suivis jusqu’ici par un drone.
    Long story short, she’s on the No Fly List and we might have been followed here by drone.
    Tatoeba #2445201 by gillux, translation #2444468 by fenfang557
  • Pour faire court, je suis arrivé en retard à la réunion à cause d'un problème de transport.
    Long story short, I arrived late to the meeting due to a transportation issue.
  • Bref, j'ai finalement décidé de déménager à Paris.
    Long story short, I finally decided to move to Paris.
  • En résumé, elle a échoué à son examen malgré tous ses efforts.
    Long story short, she failed the exam despite all her efforts.
  • En deux mots, le projet a été un énorme succès.
    Long story short, the project was a huge success.
  • Pour faire court, j'ai raté mon train.
    Long story short, I missed my train.
  • 1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Chloé and Nathan are catching up at a café.

  1. Chloé

    Alors, comment s'est passé ton voyage ?
    So, how was your trip?
  2. Nathan

    C'était compliqué, mais pour faire court, c'était génial.
    It was complicated, but long story short, it was great.
  3. Chloé

    Je suis contente de l'entendre, Nathan.
    I'm glad to hear that, Nathan.
  4. Nathan

    Et toi, quoi de neuf ?
    And you, what's new?

Sources

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Carlos Troy
Carlos TroyHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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