French Phrase
Le samedi, je fais la grasse matinée.
Meaning
I sleep in on Saturday, staying in bed later than usual. The expression 'la grasse matinée' is idiomatic and conveys a relaxed, leisurely morning.
When to use
Use this sentence when talking about your weekend routine, describing how you like to spend Saturday mornings, or when comparing your habits to someone else's.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lesamedi,jefaislagrassematinée.
Definite article (Le)
Le is the masculine singular definite article used before a masculine noun like 'samedi'.
Day of the week (samedi)
Samedi means Saturday; days of the week are not capitalized in French.
Subject pronoun (je)
Je means 'I' and is placed before the verb.
Verb faire (fais)
Faire is an irregular verb; in the present tense, 'je fais' means 'I do/make'.
Idiomatic expression (la grasse matinée)
Literally 'the fat morning', it means to sleep in or stay in bed late, usually on a day off.
🗨In Conversation
Qu'est‑ce que tu fais le samedi ?
What do you do on Saturday?
Le samedi, je fais la grasse matinée.
On Saturday, I sleep in.
✕Common Mistakes
Le samedi, je fais dormir.
Use the idiom 'faire la grasse matinée' instead of trying to combine 'faire' with 'dormir'.
Les samedi, je fais la grasse matinée.
Days of the week are singular; use 'le samedi' (the Saturday) or 'les samedis' (Saturdays) depending on context.
Le samedi, je fais le grasse matinée.
The article must agree: 'la grasse matinée', not 'le grasse matinée' or 'la gras matinée'.
↔Alternatives
Le samedi, je dors tard.
On Saturday, I sleep late.
Le samedi, je reste au lit.
On Saturday, I stay in bed.
Le samedi, je profite d'une matinée tranquille.
On Saturday, I enjoy a quiet morning.
Cultural Tip
In French, 'faire la grasse matinée' is a casual, friendly way to say you’re enjoying a lazy morning, usually on a day off. It’s rarely used for weekdays because French work culture expects early starts. The phrase is informal, so keep it out of formal writing or business contexts.