Languages › French Revenons à Nos Moutons French expressions analyzed and explained Share Flipboard Email Print John Duncan/EyeEm/Getty Images French Vocabulary Pronunciation & Conversation Grammar Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Team Updated on February 06, 2019 Expression: Revenons à nos moutons. Pronunciation: [reu veu no(n) ah no moo to(n)] Meaning: Let's get back to the subject at hand. Literal translation: Let's come back to our sheep Register: normal Variations: revenons-en à nos moutons, retournons à nos moutons Etymology The French expression revenons à nos moutons, which is a common expression, is from La Farce de Maître Pathelin, a medieval play written by an unknown author. The eponymous protagonist of this 15th-century comedy deliberately misleads a judge by bringing two cases before him — one relating to sheep and the other to sheets. The judge is very confused and attempts to get back to the case about sheep by repeatedly saying mais revenons à nos moutons. Since then, (mais) revenons à nos moutons has meant "let's get back on track / back to the subject at hand/back on topic." Example Nous pouvons parler de ça demain ; pour le moment, revenons à nos moutons. We can talk about that tomorrow; for right now, let's get back to the subject at hand. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Team, ThoughtCo. "Revenons à Nos Moutons." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/revenons-a-nos-moutons-1371368. Team, ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). Revenons à Nos Moutons. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/revenons-a-nos-moutons-1371368 Team, ThoughtCo. "Revenons à Nos Moutons." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/revenons-a-nos-moutons-1371368 (accessed June 4, 2023). copy citation