magne-toi
The English phrase 'shake a leg' can be translated into French as magne-toi.
This phrase is used to tell someone to get busy, get going or be productive.
Meaning: get busy, get going, be productive (verb)
Which one should you use?
While magne-toi is a common way to tell someone to hurry up, it is more forceful and blunt than the phrase dépêche-toi.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form magne-toi is informal and should be used with friends, family or people you know well.
How does it change in a sentence?
magne-toi is the imperative command form for the singular 'tu' (informal 'you'). To say 'shake a leg' to a group of people or to someone you use formal address with, use magnez-vous.
Did you know?
- While 'shake a leg' in English refers to a body part, the French magne-toi focuses entirely on the verb of movement. There is no linguistic connection to legs or limbs in the French expression.
- If you are in a very rush-heavy environment like a professional kitchen, you might hear the shortened magne ! without the reflexive pronoun. This strips the phrase down to its most aggressive and urgent form.
- To express the opposite of magne-toi in a similarly informal way, a French speaker might say traîne-toi, which literally tells someone to 'drag themselves' along.
Examples in context
- Magne-toi.Shake a leg.This sentence shows how to use magne-toi as a command.Tatoeba #11153412 by lbdx, translation #3723736 by CM
- Est-ce que vous pourriez vous dépêcher, s'il vous plaît ?Could you please hurry up?
- Allez, on se bouge !Come on, let's shake a leg!
- Il faut te grouiller sinon nous allons rater le bus.You need to hurry up, or we'll miss the bus.
- Tu devrais te magner si tu veux attraper le dernier train.You should hurry up if you want to catch the last train.
- Magne-toi, on va être en retard !Shake a leg, we are going to be late!
- Magne-toi un peu pour finir ce travail.Get moving a bit to finish this work.
Example conversation
Hugo is moving slowly while getting ready to leave the house.
- ManonHugo, magne-toi, le train part bientôt !Hugo, shake a leg, the train is leaving soon!
- HugoJ'arrive, j'ai juste besoin de mes clés.I'm coming, I just need my keys.
- ManonDépêche-toi, tu es trop lent aujourd'hui.Hurry up, you are too slow today.
- HugoD'accord, je suis prêt, on y va.Okay, I'm ready, let's go.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
