Il y a belle lurette

[Crack1]

Il y a belle lurette que je ne t'ai pas vu.
I haven't seen you for a long time OR I haven't seen you for ages.

Do you use the words 'Il y a belle lurette' ?
Maybe it is old French.

[Frank]

Hi Crack,

Yup, "Il y a belle lurette" is an expression that means "for ages".

It's probably an old one, but we still use it from time to time.

Another one with the same meaning is "Il y a perpette". I like saying that one because "perpette" is fun to pronounce.

Oh another one: "Il y a un bail". Quite common, also.

Another one: "Il y a des plombes". Slang, but you might hear it a lot.

[Crack1]

Thanks Frank
Il y a belle lurette qu'elle ne se sert plus de machine à écrire.
I have difficulty in translating the above into English.
Please help me.

It is a very long time ago she used a typewriter

It has been ages since she used a typewriter.

[Frank]

Exactly, she hasn't used a typewriter for ages.

[Crack1]

1.Ça fait belle lurette que je l'ai rencontrée.
It has been ages since I've met her.

2.Ça fait belle lurette que j'ai vu mendiant.
It has been ages since I've seen a beggar.

Cet a été des âges ...
I hope my first and second sentences are fine.

My question is whether it is possible to replace the words 'belle lurette' with 'cet a été âges.

[Frank]

My question is whether it is possible to replace the words 'belle lurette' with 'cet a été âges.

No.

But "ça fait longtemps" would fit the bill, and it's more common than "belle lurette".