une vieille âme jeune

[jbdyer]

Bonjour!

A character in a book, describing what they're looking for in a partner, says they want "une vieille âme jeune." I know that jeune âme means young soul and vieille âme means old soul but I'm a bit confused over the wording of this - do they mean an old woman with a young soul, or a young woman with an old soul? Or something different?

Merci!

 

[tartopom]

To me the former.

 

[Locape]

Well, to me it means the latter. At least when I read it the first time, now I'm confused too! 'Une vieille âme, mais jeune' : an old soul, but young of age? Because if you say the contrary, 'une jeune âme vieille', for me it means an old woman with a young spirit/soul.

 

[Le Gallois bilingue]

There is the expression someone with an old head on young shoulders. I don’t know if that helps.

 

[jbdyer]

Thank you for your help everyone! What a confusing phrase.

 

[Topsie]

A character in a book, describing what they're looking for in a partner, says they want "une vieille âme jeune." ....

I suppose that would depend on the age bracket of partner they were looking for!
(But I understand it to mean an old soul)

 

[guillaume de manzac m]

Difference between "an old soul in a young body" and "a young soul in an old body" - sounds like the French phrase would like to have "le meilleur des mondes possibles" (Voltaire - Candide).