Перевод: с английского на все языки

со всех языков на английский

French can use

Толкование Перевод

1 use

1. [juːz] гл.
1) использовать, пользоваться, применять, употреблять

to use one's brains / wits — "шевелить мозгами"

to use widely — широко применять, широко использовать

Let's use paper plates for the picnic. — Давайте возьмем в поход бумажные тарелки.

Here, you can use this box as a table to rest the papers on. — Послушай, ты можешь использовать эту коробку как столик для хранения бумаг.

May I use your name? — Могу я на вас сослаться?

She used the candlestick as a paperweight. — Она использовала подсвечник вместо пресс-папье.

Syn:

employ 2., utilize

2) (из)расходовать, использовать

They use 10 tons of coal a month. — Они расходуют 10 тонн угля в месяц.

Syn:

consume, expend, utilize

Ant:

conserve, waste

3) обращаться, обходиться (с кем-л. / с чем-л.)

He thinks himself ill used. — Он считает, что с ним плохо обошлись.

They used the prisoners cruelly. — Они жестоко обращались с заключенными.

Syn:

treat 2.

4)

а) принимать, употреблять внутрь (о порошках, таблетках, алкоголе и т. п.)

б) амер.; нарк. употреблять наркотики

5) ( used to) [juːstə] иметь обыкновение, привычку делать (что-л.) в прошлом

I used to see him often. — Раньше я часто его встречал.

There used to be a house here. — Раньше здесь стоял дом.

She used to have long hair. — Раньше у неё были длинные волосы.

We used to go to Wales every summer. — Раньше мы каждое лето ездили в Уэльс.

Did you use to sing or play an instrument? — Ты раньше пел или играл?

That didn't use to be the case. — Раньше такого не было.

He didn't use to snore. — Раньше он не храпел.

•

- use up

Gram:

[ref dict="LingvoGrammar (En-Ru)"]used to[/ref]
2. [juːs] сущ.
1) употребление, применение, использование

to make use of — пользоваться, использовать.

to put smth. to good use — найти хорошее применение чему-л.

constant use — постоянное использование

Do you have any use for this old paper? — Вам зачем-нибудь нужна эта старая газета?

He is excellent in the use of the French language. — Он прекрасно говорит по-французски.

Perhaps she had only made use of him as a convenient aid to her intentions. (T. Hardy) — Возможно, она всего лишь использовала его как удобное подспорье для осуществления своих намерений.

- be out of use
- fall out of use
- daily use
- emergency use
- extensive use
- external use
- internal use
- official use
- practical use
- wide use
Syn:

employment, application

2) эк. потребление

- pay per use

Syn:

consumption

3)

а) способность или право пользования (чем-л.)

He lost the use of his eyes. — Он потерял зрение.

to put to use — использовать, воспользоваться

He put the use of his house at my disposal. — Он предложил мне пользоваться своим домом.

The visitors were denied use of the library. — Посетителям не разрешили воспользоваться услугами библиотеки.

б) юр. управление имуществом по доверенности; доход от управления имуществом по доверенности

4) назначение, цель

a tool with many uses — инструмент, применяемый для различных целей

5) польза, толк

to be of use — быть полезным

to be of no use — быть бесполезным

Is there any use? — Стоит ли?

I have no use for it разг. — мне это совершенно не нужно; я этого не выношу

What's the use of arguing? — К чему спорить?

Is there any use in trying again? — Имеет ли смысл сделать еще одну попытку?

What's the use of worrying? — Какой прок от того, что вы будете волноваться?

It was of no earthly use to us. — Для нас это оказалось совершенно бесполезным.

Can I be of any use to you? — Могу ли я быть чем-нибудь вам полезен?

He made good use of his spare time. — Он с пользой проводил своё свободное время.

6) обыкновение, привычка

Long use has reconciled me to it. — Я примирился с этим благодаря давнишней привычке.

Syn:

habit I, usage, wont 1.

7)

а) традиция, обычай

The painter followed the religious use and wont of his time. — Художник следовал религиозной традиции и обычаю своего времени.

Syn:

custom 1.

б) рел. чин, ритуал

8) предпочтение, расположение, склонность (к чему-л.)

He had no use for modern art. — Ему совершенно не нравилось современное искусство.

Syn:

liking

••

- have no use for

Англо-русский современный словарь > use
2 use

use

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. noun

2. transitive verb

3. auxiliary verb

4. Phrasal Verbs

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. noun

   a. ( = act of using) utilisation f

• care is necessary in the use of chemicals il faut prendre des précautions quand on utilise des produits chimiques

► for + use

• directions for use mode m d'emploi

• for your (own) personal use à votre usage personnel

• to keep sth for one's own use réserver qch à son usage personnel

• for use in case of emergency à utiliser en cas d'urgence

• for general use à usage général

• for use in schools à l'usage des écoles

• for external use only à usage externe► in use [machine] en service ; [word] usité

• the machine is no longer in use la machine n'est plus utilisée► to come into use

• these machines came into use in 1975 on a commencé à utiliser ces machines en 1975► out of use

• to go out of use tomber en désuétude► to make good use of sth [+ time, money] faire bon usage de qch ; [+ opportunity, facilities] tirer parti de qch

► to put to use [+ money, equipment] utiliser ; [+ knowledge, experience] mettre à profit

• to put sth to good use [+ time, money] faire bon usage de qch ; [+ opportunity, facilities] mettre qch à profit

   b. ( = way of using) it has many uses cela a de nombreux usages

• I've no further use for it je n'en ai plus besoin

   c. ( = usefulness) utilité f

• this tool has its uses cet outil a son utilité

• he has his uses il est utile par certains côtés

• oh, what's the use? (inf) à quoi bon ?

► to be of use être utile (for sth, to sth à qch) ( to sb à qn)

• is this (of) any use to you? est-ce que cela peut vous être utile ?

• can I be (of) any use? puis-je me rendre utile ?► to be no use ne servir à rien

• he's no use as a goalkeeper il est nul comme gardien de but

• there's no use you protesting (inf) inutile de protester

• it's no use, he won't listen (inf) ça ne sert à rien, il ne veut rien entendre

   d. ( = ability to use, access) usage m

• to have the use of a garage avoir l'usage d'un garage

• he gave me the use of his car il m'a laissé me servir de sa voiture

• to have lost the use of one's arm avoir perdu l'usage d'un bras

2. transitive verb

   a. ( = make use of) [+ object, tool] se servir de, utiliser ; [+ force] utiliser ; [+ opportunity] profiter de ; [+ method] employer ; [+ drugs] prendre

• are you using this? vous servez-vous de ceci ?

• the money is to be used to build a new hospital l'argent servira à construire un nouvel hôpital

• I don't use my French much je ne me sers pas beaucoup de mon français

• he said I could use his car il a dit que je pouvais me servir de sa voiture

• he wants to use the bathroom il veut aller aux toilettes

• use your eyes! sers-toi de tes yeux !

• I feel I've just been used j'ai l'impression qu'on s'est servi de moi

   b. ( = use up) utiliser (tout)

• have you used all the paint? avez-vous utilisé toute la peinture ?

3. auxiliary verb

• what did he use to do on Sundays? (inf) qu'est-ce qu'il faisait (d'habitude) le dimanche ?

• I used to swim every day j'allais nager tous les jours

• things aren't what they used to be les choses ne sont plus ce qu'elles étaient

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

✦ Lorsque use est un nom, le se final se prononce s: ju:s, lorsque c'est un verbe, il se prononce z: ju:z, sauf dans les expressions use to ou used to, où se et sed se prononcent s et st: ju:s, ju:st.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

4. Phrasal Verbs

► use up [ju:zˈʌp]

separable transitive verb

[+ food] finir ; [+ one's strength, resources] épuiser ; [+ money] dépenser

* * *
1. [juːs]
noun

1) [U] ( act of using) (of substance, object, machine) emploi m, utilisation f (of de); (of word, expression, language) emploi m, usage m (of de)

the use of force — le recours à la force, l'usage de la force

the use of something as/for something — l'emploi or l'utilisation de quelque chose comme/pour quelque chose

for the use of somebody —

for use by somebody — (customer, staff) à l'usage de quelqu'un

for my own use — pour mon usage personnel

to make use of something — utiliser quelque chose

to put something to good use —

to make good use of something — tirer bon parti de quelque chose

while the machine is in use — lorsque la machine est en service or en fonctionnement

external use only — usage externe

a word in common ou general use — un mot d'usage courant

out of ou no longer in use — [machine] ( broken) hors service; ( because obsolete) plus utilisé; [word, expression] plus en usage

worn with use — râpé par l'usage

this machine came into use in the 1950s — cette machine a fait son apparition pendant les années cinquante

the new system comes into use next year — le nouveau système entrera en service l'année prochaine

2) [C] ( way of using) (of resource, object, material) utilisation f; ( of term) emploi m

she has her uses — elle a son utilité

to have no further use for something/somebody — ne plus avoir besoin de quelque chose/quelqu'un

3) ( right to use)

to have the use of — avoir l'usage de [house, car, kitchen]; avoir la jouissance de [garden]

to let somebody have the use of something — permettre à quelqu'un de se servir de quelque chose

to lose/still have the use of one's legs — perdre/conserver l'usage de ses jambes

with use of — avec usage de [kitchen]

4) ( usefulness)

to be of use — être utile (to à)

to be (of) no use — [object] ne servir à rien; [person] n'être bon à rien

to be (of) no use to somebody — [object] ne pas servir à quelqu'un; [person] n'être d'aucune utilité à quelqu'un

what use is a wheel without a tyre? — à quoi sert une roue sans pneu?

what's the use of crying? — à quoi bon pleurer?

oh, what's the use? — oh, et puis à quoi bon?

it's no use asking me — inutile de me demander
2. [juːz]
transitive verb

1) ( employ) se servir de, utiliser [object, car, room, money, tool]; employer, utiliser [method]; employer [word, expression]; profiter de, saisir [opportunity]; faire jouer [influence]; avoir recours à [blackmail, force, power]; utiliser [knowledge, talent]

to use something/somebody as something — se servir de quelque chose/quelqu'un comme quelque chose

to use something for something/to do — se servir de or utiliser quelque chose pour quelque chose/pour faire

to be used for something/to do — servir à quelque chose/à faire, être utilisé pour quelque chose/pour faire

use your head ou loaf! — (colloq) fais marcher un peu ta cervelle! (colloq)

I could use (colloq) a drink! — j'aurais bien besoin d'un verre!

2) (also use up) ( consume) consommer [fuel, food]; utiliser [water, leftovers]

3) ( exploit) péj se servir de [person]

4) ( take habitually) prendre [drugs]
3.
used past participle adjective [car] d'occasion; [crockery] sale

Phrasal Verbs:

- use up

English-French dictionary > use
3 French provinces and regions

Both traditional pre-Revolution regions and modern administrative regions usually take the definite article as in l’Alsace, la Champagne etc.:

I like Alsace

= j’aime l’Alsace

Champagne is beautiful

= la Champagne est belle

For names which have a compound form, such as Midi-Pyrénées or Rhône-Alpes, it is safer to include the words la région:

do you know Midi-Pyrénées?

= connaissez-vous la région Midi-Pyrénées?

In, to and from somewhere

There are certain general principles regarding names of French provinces and regions. However, usage is sometimes uncertain ; doubtful items should be checked in the dictionary.

For in and to, with feminine names and with masculine ones beginning with a vowel, use en without the definite article:

to live in Burgundy

= vivre en Bourgogne

to go to Burgundy

= aller en Bourgogne

to live in Anjou

= vivre en Anjou

to go to Anjou

= aller en Anjou

For in and to with masculine names beginning with a consonant, use dans le:

to live in the Berry

= vivre dans le Berry

to go to the Berry

= aller dans le Berry

For from with feminine names and with masculine ones beginning with a vowel, use de without the definite article:

to come from Burgundy

= venir de Bourgogne

to come from Anjou

= venir d’Anjou

For from with masculine names beginning with a consonant, use du:

to come from the Berry

= venir du Berry

Regional adjectives

Related adjectives and nouns exist for most of the names of provinces and regions. Here is a list of the commonest:

These adjectives mean of X, as in the following ( where alsacien stands for any of them):

an Alsace accent

= un accent alsacien

Alsace costume

= le costume alsacien

the Alsace countryside

= les paysages alsaciens

Alsace traditions

= les traditions alsaciennes

Alsace villages

= les villages alsaciens

These words can also be used as nouns, meaning a person from X ; in this case they are written with a capital letter:

a person from Alsace

= un Alsacien

an Alsace woman

= une Alsacienne

the people of Alsace

= les Alsaciens mpl

Big English-French dictionary > French provinces and regions
4 can *****

I [kæn]
modal aux vb cannot, can't neg could cond and pt

1) (be able to) potere

I'll tell you all I can — ti dirò tutto quello che posso

she was as happy as could be — più felice di così non poteva essere

she can be very annoying — lei a volte è molto fastidiosa, lei riesce ad essere molto fastidiosa

he can do it if he tries hard — è capace di farlo se si sforza

they couldn't help it — non potevano farci niente

I can't or cannot go any further — non posso andare oltre

2) (know how to) essere capace di, sapere

I can speak French — so parlare francese

can you speak Italian? — parli italiano?

I can swim/drive — so nuotare/guidare

he can't swim/drive — non sa nuotare/guidare

3) (may) potere

can't I come too? — non posso venire anch'io?

could I have a word with you? — potrei parlarti un attimo?

can I use your telephone? — posso usare il tuo telefono?

4)

(expressing disbelief, puzzlement) how could you lie to me! — come hai potuto dirmi una bugia!

she can't possibly marry that creep! fam — non è possibile che sposi quell'essere!

you can't be serious! — scherzi?

this can't be true! — non può essere vero!

what can he want? — cosa può mai volere?

they can't have left already! — non è possibile che siano già partiti!

5)

(expressing possibility, suggestion etc) they could have forgotten — potrebbero essersene dimenticati

he could be in the library — può darsi che sia in biblioteca, potrebbe essere in biblioteca

I could have cried/screamed! — mi sarei messo a piangere/urlare!

6)

(not translated) can you hear me? — mi senti?

I can't see you — non ti vedo
II [kæn]
1. n

(container: for foodstuffs) scatola, (for oil, water) latta, (esp Am: garbage can) bidone m

a can of peas — una scatola di piselli

a can of beer — una lattina di birra

to carry the can Brit fam — prendere la colpa

2. vt

(food) inscatolare

English-Italian dictionary > can *****
5 Illnesses, aches and pains

Where does it hurt?

where does it hurt?

= où est-ce que ça vous fait mal? or (more formally) où avez-vous mal?

his leg hurts

= sa jambe lui fait mal

( Do not confuse faire mal à qn with the phrase faire du mal à qn, which means to harm sb.)

he has a pain in his leg

= il a mal à la jambe

Note that with avoir mal à French uses the definite article (la) with the part of the body, where English has a possessive (his), hence:

his head was aching

= il avait mal à la tête

English has other ways of expressing this idea, but avoir mal à fits them too:

he had toothache

= il avait mal aux dents

his ears hurt

= il avait mal aux oreilles

Accidents

she broke her leg

= elle s’est cassé la jambe

Elle s’est cassé la jambe means literally she broke to herself the leg ; because the se is an indirect object, the past participle cassé does not agree. This is true of all such constructions:

she sprained her ankle

= elle s’est foulé la cheville

they burned their hands

= ils se sont brûlé les mains

Chronic conditions

Note that the French often use fragile (weak) to express a chronic condition:

he has a weak heart

= il a le cœur fragile

he has kidney trouble

= il a les reins fragiles

he has a bad back

= il a le dos fragile

Being ill

Mostly French uses the definite article with the name of an illness:

to have flu

= avoir la grippe

to have measles

= avoir la rougeole

to have malaria

= avoir la malaria

This applies to most infectious diseases, including childhood illnesses. However, note the exceptions ending in -ite (e.g. une hépatite, une méningite) below.

When the illness affects a specific part of the body, French uses the indefinite article:

to have cancer

= avoir un cancer

to have cancer of the liver

= avoir un cancer du foie

to have pneumonia

= avoir une pneumonie

to have cirrhosis

= avoir une cirrhose

to have a stomach ulcer

= avoir un ulcère à l’estomac

Most words in -ite ( English -itis) work like this:

to have bronchitis

= avoir une bronchite

to have hepatitis

= avoir une hépatite

When the illness is a generalized condition, French tends to use du, de l’, de la or des:

to have rheumatism

= avoir des rhumatismes

to have emphysema

= avoir de l’emphysème

to have asthma

= avoir de l’asthme

to have arthritis

= avoir de l’arthrite

One exception here is:

to have hay fever

= avoir le rhume des foins

When there is an adjective for such conditions, this is often preferred in French:

to have asthma

= être asthmatique

to have epilepsy

= être épileptique

Such adjectives can be used as nouns to denote the person with the illness, e.g. un/une asthmatique and un/une épileptique etc.

French has other specific words for people with certain illnesses:

someone with cancer

= un cancéreux/une cancéreuse

If in doubt check in the dictionary.

English with is translated by qui a or qui ont, and this is always safe:

someone with malaria

= quelqu’un qui a la malaria

people with Aids

= les gens qui ont le Sida

Falling ill

The above guidelines about the use of the definite and indefinite articles in French hold good for talking about the onset of illnesses.

French has no general equivalent of to get. However, where English can use catch, French can use attraper:

to catch mumps

= attraper les oreillons

to catch malaria

= attraper la malaria

to catch bronchitis

= attraper une bronchite

to catch a cold

= attraper un rhume

Similarly where English uses contract, French uses contracter:

to contract Aids

= contracter le Sida

to contract pneumonia

= contracter une pneumonie

to contract hepatitis

= contracter une hépatite

For attacks of chronic illnesses, French uses faire une crise de:

to have a bout of malaria

= faire une crise de malaria

to have an asthma attack

= faire une crise d’asthme

to have an epileptic fit

= faire une crise d’épilepsie

Treatment

to be treated for polio

= se faire soigner contre la polio

to take something for hay fever

= prendre quelque chose contre le rhume des foins

he’s taking something for his cough

= il prend quelque chose contre la toux

to prescribe something for a cough

= prescrire un médicament contre la toux

malaria tablets

= des cachets contre la malaria

to have a cholera vaccination

= se faire vacciner contre le choléra

to be vaccinated against smallpox

= se faire vacciner contre la variole

to be immunized against smallpox

= se faire immuniser contre la variole

to have a tetanus injection

= se faire vacciner contre le tétanos

to give sb a tetanus injection

= vacciner qn contre le tétanos

to be operated on for cancer

= être opéré d’un cancer

to operate on sb for appendicitis

= opérer qn de l’appendicite

Big English-French dictionary > Illnesses, aches and pains
6 be

'bi: ɡi:
( abbreviation) (Bachelor of Engineering; first degree in Engineering.) licenciatura en Ingeniería

be vb

1. ser

Michael is very tall Michael es muy alto

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal Lisboa es la capital de Portugal

sugar is sweet el azúcar es dulce

Napoleon was Corsican Napoleón era corso

my father is an architect mi padre es arquitecto

my mother is from Bristol mi madre es de Bristol

what time is it? It's 3 o'clock ¿qué hora es? Son las tres

June 17th is Elena's birthday el 17 de junio es el cumpleaños de Elena

who is it? It's me ¿quién es? Soy yo

this exercise is difficult este ejercicio es difícil

the house was built 50 years ago la casa fue construida hace 50 años

he was attacked by a dog le atacó un perro

2. estar

how are you? I'm fine ¿cómo estás? estoy bien

David is very happy David está muy contento

I'm tired estoy cansado

his wife's pregnant su mujer está embarazada

we were worried about you estábamos preocupados por ti

where is Pauline? ¿dónde está Pauline?

the milk is on the table la leche está en la mesa

how far is it? ¿a qué distancia está?

what day is it today? ¿qué día es hoy? / ¿a qué día estamos?

3. tener

how old are you? I'm 16 ¿cuántos años tienes? tengo 16 años

I'm cold tengo frío

she's hungry tiene hambre

you're right tienes razón

4. costar / valer / ser

how much is it? ¿cuánto cuesta? / ¿cuánto vale? / ¿cuánto es?

the tickets are £15 each las entradas valen 15 libras cada una

5. hacer

it's sunny hace sol

it's hot hace calor

it was cold hacía frío

6. haber

there are a lot of people hay mucha gente

how many children are there? ¿cuántos niños hay?

there was an explosion hubo una explosión

El pasado de be es was o were y el participio pasado es been; el gerundio se escribe being

Se usa también para construir el tiempo verbal llamado present continuous que indica una acción que está pasando en estos momentos

what are you doing? ¿qué estás haciendo? / ¿qué haces?

I'm reading a magazine estoy leyendo una revista

look, it's snowing mira, está nevando

be sustantivo femenino: name of the letter b, often called be largaor grande to distinguish it from v 'be' also found in these entries: Spanish: A - abasto - abate - abismo - abotargarse - abreviar - abrirse - absoluta - absoluto - abultar - abundar - aburrir - aburrirse - acabose - acariciar - acaso - acertar - achantarse - acometer - acostada - acostado - acostumbrar - acostumbrada - acostumbrado - acreditar - activa - activo - adelantar - adelantarse - adentro - adivinarse - admirarse - adolecer - aferrarse - afianzarse - aficionada - aficionado - afligirse - agonizar - agotarse - agradecer - agua - ahogarse - ahora - aire - ajo - ala - alarmarse - alcanzar - alegrarse English: aback - abate - about - absent - accordance - account for - accountable - accustom - acquaint - action - addicted - address - adequate - adjust - admit - affiliated - afford - afraid - agenda - agree - agreement - ahead - air - airsick - alert - alive - alone - along - aloof - alphabetically - always - am - ambition - amenable - amusing - anathema - annoyance - anomaly - anxious - apologetic - appal - appall - are - arm - around - arrears - as - ashamed - aspire - assert

be

tr[biː]

intransitive verb (pres 1ª pers am, 2ª pers sing y todas del pl are, 3ª pers sing is; pt 1ª y 3ª pers sing was, 2ª pers sing y todas del pl; pp been)

1 (permanent characteristic) ser

■ she's clever es inteligente

■ he's blind es ciego

■ I'm deaf soy sordo

2 (essential quality) ser

■ diamonds are hard los diamantes son duros

3 (nationality) ser

■ John's English John es inglés

■ they are Japanese son japoneses

4 (occupation) ser

■ he's an engineer es ingeniero

■ we are both teachers los dos somos profesores

5 (origin) ser

■ they are from York son de York

6 (ownership) ser

■ it's my pencil es mi lápiz

7 (authorship) ser

■ this painting is by Botero este cuadro es de Botero

8 (composition) ser

■ this cupboard is oak este armario es de roble

9 (use) ser

■ this product is for tiles este producto es para baldosas

10 (location) estar

■ Whitby is on the coast Whitby está en la costa

11 (temporary state) estar

■ your supper's cold tu cena está fría

■ how are you? ¿cómo estás?

■ you're a bit deaf today estás un poco sordo hoy

■ prawns are cheap today las gambas están bien de precio hoy

12 (age) tener

■ Philip is 22 Philip tiene 22 años

13 (price) costar, valer

■ a single ticket is £9.50 un billete de ida cuesta £9.50

14 tener

■ he's hot/cold tiene calor/frío

■ we're hungry/thirsty tenemos hambre/sed

■ she's in a hurry tiene prisa

■ he's right tiene razón

auxiliar be + pres part

1 (action in progress or near future) estar

■ it is raining está lloviendo

■ he's working está trabajando

■ the train is coming viene el tren

■ I am going on Thursday iré el jueves

■ she's meeting Mr Broddle tomorrow se reunirá con el señor Broddle mañana

auxiliar to be + past participle

1 (passive) ser

■ she was arrested at the border fue detenida en la frontera, la detuvieron en la frontera

■ he's hated by everybody es odiado por todos, todos lo odian

■ he was discharged fue dado de alta, lo dieron de alta

■ the house has been sold la casa ha sido vendida, la casa se ha vendido, han vendido la casa

■ he was given a clock le dieron un reloj

■ thirty children were injured treinta niños fueron heridos, treinta niños resultaron heridos

■ the two areas of the town are divided by a wall las dos zonas de la ciudad están divididas por un muro

auxiliar be + to + inf

1 (obligation) deber, tener que

■ you are not to come here again no debes volver aquí

■ you are to do as I say tienes que hacer lo que yo te diga

1 (future)

■ the King is to visit Egypt el Rey visitará Egipto

phrase there is / there are

1 hay

■ there's some wine in the bottle hay algo de vino en la botella

■ there are two policemen following us hay dos policías que nos siguen

■ is there much traffic ¿hay mucho tráfico?

1 había

■ there was no money no había dinero

■ there were twenty five candles on the cake había veinticinco velas en la tarta

■ were there many people? ¿había mucha gente?

phrase there will be

1 habrá

■ there will be snow in the mountains habrá nieve en las montañas

phrase there would be

1 habría

■ there would be time to see the castle habría tiempo para ver el castillo

■ if Mike came, there would be ten of us si viniera Mike, seríamos diez

\

SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALL

to be about to «+ inf» estar para + inf, estar a punto de + inf

■ the train is about to arrive el tren está a punto de llegar

to be or not to be ser o no ser

be ['bi:] v, was ['wəz, 'wɑz] ; were ['wər] ; been ['bɪn] ; being ; am ['æm] ; is ['ɪz] ; are ['ɑr] vi

1) (expressing equality) : ser

José is a doctor: José es doctor

I'm Ana's sister: soy la hermana de Ana

2) (expressing quality) : ser

the tree is tall: el árbol es alto

you're silly!: ¡eres tonto!

3) (expressing origin or possession) : ser

she's from Managua: es de Managua

it's mine: es mío

4) (expressing location) : estar

my mother is at home: mi madre está en casa

the cups are on the table: las tazas están en la mesa

5) (expressing existence) : ser, existir

to be or not to be: ser, o no ser

I think, therefore I am: pienso, luego existo

6) (expressing a state of being) : estar, tener

how are you?: ¿cómo estás?

I'm cold: tengo frío

she's 10 years old: tiene 10 años

they're both sick: están enfermos los dos

be v impers

1) (indicating time) : ser

it's eight o'clock: son las ocho

it's Friday: hoy es viernes

2) (indicating a condition) : hacer, estar

it's sunny: hace sol

it's very dark outside: está bien oscuro afuera

be v aux

1) (expressing progression) : estar

what are you doing? -I'm working: ¿qué haces? -estoy trabajando

2) (expressing occurrence) : ser

it was finished yesterday: fue acabado ayer, se acabó ayer

it was cooked in the oven: se cocinó en el horno

3) (expressing possibility) : poderse

can she be trusted?: ¿se puede confiar en ella?

4) (expressing obligation) : deber

you are to stay here: debes quedarte aquí

he was to come yesterday: se esperaba que viniese ayer

be

v.

(§ p.,p.p.: was, were, been) = estar v.

(§pres: estoy, estás...) pret: estuv-•)

• ser v.

(§pres: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son) subj: se-

imp: er-

pret

fu-•)

biːˌ weak form bi
1.

1) (pres am, are, is; past was, were; past p been) intransitive verb [See notes at ser and estar]

Sense I

2)

a) (followed by an adjective)

she's French/intelligent — es francesa/inteligente

he's worried/furious — está preocupado/furioso

he's blind — es or (Esp tb) está ciego

he's short and fat — es bajo y gordo

he's so fat he can't get into his clothes any more — está tan gordo que ya no le cabe la ropa

these shoes are new — estos zapatos son nuevos

have you never had gazpacho? it's delicious! — ¿nunca has comido gazpacho? es delicioso!

the gazpacho is delicious, did you make it yourself? — el gazpacho está delicioso ¿lo hiciste tú?

she was very rude to me — estuvo or fue muy grosera conmigo

she's very rude — es muy grosera

be good — sé bueno

don't be silly! — no seas tonto!

b) ( talking about marital status)

Tony is married/divorced/single — Tony está or (esp AmL) es casado/divorciado/soltero

to be married to somebody — estar* casado con alguien

we've been married for eight years — llevamos ocho años casados

3)

a) (followed by a noun) ser*

she's a lawyer — es abogada

he's a Catholic — es católico

she was Prime Minister for 11 years — fue Primera Ministra durante 11 años

who was Prime Minister at the time? — ¿quién era Primer Ministro en ese momento?

it's me/Daniel — soy yo/es Daniel

if I were you, I'd stay — yo que tú or yo en tu lugar me quedaría

b) ( play the role of) hacer* de

I was Juliet in the school play — hice de Julieta en la obra del colegio

4)

a) ( talking about mental and physical states)

how are you? — ¿cómo estás?

I'm much better — estoy or me encuentro mucho mejor

she's pregnant/tired — está embarazada/cansada

I'm cold/hot/hungry/thirsty/sleepy — tengo frío/calor/hambre/sed/sueño

she has been ill — ha estado enferma

he's dead — está muerto

b) ( talking about age) tener*

how old are you? — ¿cuántos años tienes?

I'm 31 — tengo 31 años

Paul was four last Monday — Paul cumplió cuatro años el lunes pasado

he's a lot older/younger — es mucho mayor/menor

our house is over 100 years old — nuestra casa tiene más de 100 años

c) (giving cost, measurement, weight)

how much is that? - that'll be $15, please — ¿cuánto es? - (son) 15 dólares, por favor

they are $15 each — cuestan or valen 15 dólares cada una

two plus two is four — dos más dos son cuatro

how tall/heavy is he? — ¿cuánto mide/pesa?

Jim's over six feet (tall) — Jim mide más de seis pies

Sense II

5)

a) (exist, live)

I think, therefore I am — pienso, luego existo

to be or not to be — ser o no ser

to let something/somebody be — dejar tranquilo or en paz algo/a alguien

her husband-to-be — su futuro marido

b) ( in expressions of time)

don't be too long — no tardes mucho, no (te) demores mucho (esp AmL)

I'm drying my hair, I won't be long — me estoy secando el pelo, enseguida estoy

how long will dinner be? — ¿cuánto falta para la cena?

c) ( take place) ser*

the party is tomorrow — la fiesta es mañana

6) (be situated, present) estar*

where is the library? — ¿dónde está or queda la biblioteca?

where are you? — ¿dónde estás?

what's in that box? — ¿qué hay en esa caja?

who's in the movie? — ¿quién actúa or trabaja en la película?

he's here for two weeks — va a estar aquí dos semanas

how long are you in Chicago (for)? — (colloq) ¿cuánto (tiempo) te vas a quedar en Chicago ?

7) (only in perfect tenses) ( visit) estar*

I've never been to India — nunca he estado en la India

have you been to the exhibition yet? — ¿ya has estado en or has ido a la exposición?

2.

v impers

1)

a) (talking about physical conditions, circumstances)

it's sunny/cold/hot — hace sol/frío/calor

it's cloudy — está nublado

it was three degrees below zero — hacía tres grados bajo cero

it's so noisy/quiet in here! — qué ruido/silencio hay aquí!

I have enough problems as it is, without you... — yo ya tengo suficientes problemas sin que tú encima...

b) ( in expressions of time) ser*

it's three o'clock — son las tres

it's one o'clock — es la una

it was still very early — todavía era muy temprano

it's Wednesday today — hoy es miércoles

hi, Joe, it's been a long time — qué tal, Joe, tanto tiempo (sin verte)

c) ( talking about distance) estar*

it's 500 miles from here to Detroit — Detroit queda or está a 500 millas de aquí

2)

a) (introducing person, object) ser*

it was me who told them — fui yo quien se lo dije or dijo, fui yo el que se lo dije or dijo

b) (in conditional use) ser*

if it hadn't been o had it not been for Juan, we would have been killed — si no hubiera sido por Juan or de no ser por Juan, nos habríamos matado

3.

v aux

1) to be -ing

a) ( used to describe action in progress) estar* + ger

what was I saying? — ¿qué estaba diciendo?

she was leaving when... — se iba cuando...

how long have you been waiting? — ¿cuánto (tiempo) hace que esperas?, ¿cuánto (tiempo) llevas esperando?

b) ( with future reference)

he is o will be arriving tomorrow — llega mañana

when are you seeing her? — ¿cuándo la vas a ver or la verás?

she'll be staying at the Plaza — se va a alojar en el Plaza

2) (in the passive voice) ser* [The passive voice, however, is less common in Spanish than it is in English]

it was built in 1903 — fue construido en 1903, se construyó en 1903, lo construyeron en 1903

she was told that... — le dijeron or se le dijo que...

it is known that... — se sabe que...

3) to be to + inf

a) ( with future reference)

I'm to be met at the airport by Joe — Joe me irá a buscar al aeropuerto

the dessert is (still) to come — todavía falta el postre

if a solution is to be found... — si se quiere encontrar or si se ha de encontrar una solución...

b) ( expressing possibility)

what are we to do? — ¿qué podemos hacer?

he wasn't to know — no tenía cómo saberlo

it was nowhere to be found — no se lo pudo encontrar por ninguna parte

c) ( expressing obligation) deber* + inf, tener* que + inf, haber* de + inf

tell her she's to stay here — dile que debe quedarse or tiene que quedarse aquí, dile que se quede aquí

you are not to tell Carol! — no debes decírselo a Carol!

am I to understand that... ? — ¿debo entender que... ?

I'm not to be disturbed! — que nadie me moleste!

4) ( in hypotheses)

what would happen if she were o was to die? — ¿qué pasaría si ella muriera?

5)

a) (in tag questions)

she's right, isn't she? — tiene razón, ¿no? or ¿verdad? or ¿no es cierto?

so that's what you think, is it? — de manera que eso es lo que piensas

b) (in elliptical uses)

are you disappointed? - yes, I am/no, I'm not — ¿estás desilusionado? - sí (, lo estoy)/no (, no lo estoy)

she was told the news, and so was he/but I wasn't — a ella le dieron la noticia, y también a él/pero a mí no

I'm surprised, are/aren't you? — estoy sorprendido, ¿y tú?/¿tú no?

[biː] (present am, is or are pt was or were pp been)
1. INTRANSITIVE VERB

1) (linking nouns, noun phrases, pronouns) ser

he's a pianist — es pianista

he wants to be a doctor — quiere ser médico

Monday's a holiday — el lunes es fiesta

two and two are four — dos y dos son cuatro

it's me! — ¡soy yo!

it was me — fui yo

who wants to be Hamlet? — ¿quién quiere hacer de or ser Hamlet?

you be the patient and I'll be the doctor — tú eres el enfermo y yo seré el médico

if I were you... — yo en tu lugar..., yo que tú... *

2) (possession) ser

she's his sister — es su hermana

it's mine — es mío

3) (characteristics seen as inherent) ser

the sky is blue — el cielo es azul

it's (made of) plastic — es de plástico

they're English — son ingleses

he's tall — es alto

it's round/enormous — es redondo/enorme

she is boring — es aburrida

I used to be poor but now I'm rich — antes era pobre pero ahora soy rico

if I were rich — si fuera rico

I'm from the south — soy del sur

the book is in French — el libro es en francés
Use [estar] with past participles used as adjectives describing the results of an action or process:
it's broken — está roto

he's dead — está muerto

4) (changeable or temporary state) estar

it's dirty — está sucio

she's bored/ill — está aburrida/enferma

how are you? — ¿cómo estás?, ¿qué tal estás?

how are you now? — ¿qué tal te encuentras ahora?

I'm very well, thanks — estoy muy bien, gracias
In certain expressions where English uses [be] + adjective to describe feelings ([be cold]/[hot]/[hungry]/[thirsty]), Spanish uses [tener] with a noun:
I'm cold/hot — tengo frío/calor

my feet are cold — tengo los pies fríos

I'm hungry/thirsty — tengo hambre/sed

be good! — ¡pórtate bien!

you're late — llegas tarde
afraid, sleepy, right
5) (age)

"how old is she?" - "she's nine" — -¿cuántos años tiene? -tiene nueve años

she will be two tomorrow — mañana cumple dos años

when I'm old — cuando sea viejo

when I was young — cuando era joven

6) (=take place) ser

the meeting's today — la reunión es hoy

the service will be at St Ninian's Church — el oficio será en la iglesia de San Ninian

7) (=be situated) estar

Edinburgh is in Scotland — Edimburgo está en Escocia

it's on the table — está sobre or en la mesa

where is the Town Hall? — ¿dónde está or queda el ayuntamiento?

it's 5 km to the village — el pueblo está or queda a 5 kilómetros

he won't be here tomorrow — mañana no estará aquí

we've been here for ages — hace mucho tiempo que estamos aquí, llevamos aquí mucho tiempo, estamos aquí desde hace mucho tiempo

• here you are(, take it) — aquí tienes(, tómalo)

• there's the church — ahí está la iglesia

8) (impersonal use)

a) (referring to weather) hacer

it's hot/cold — hace calor/frío

it's too hot — hace demasiado calor

it's fine — hace buen tiempo

b) (referring to time, date etc) ser

it's eight o'clock — son las ocho

it's morning in New York now — en Nueva York ahora es por la mañana

wake up, it's morning — despierta, es de día

what's the date (today)? — ¿qué fecha es hoy?

it's 3 May or the 3rd of May — es 3 de mayo

it's Thursday today — hoy es jueves
But note the following alternatives with [estar]:
it's 3 May or the 3rd of May — estamos a 3 de mayo

it's Thursday today — hoy estamos a jueves

c) (asking and giving opinion) ser

is it certain that...? — ¿es verdad or cierto que...?

it is easy to make a mistake — es fácil cometer un fallo

is it fair that she should be punished while...? — ¿es justo que se la castigue mientras que...?

it is possible that he'll come — es posible que venga, puede (ser) que venga

it is impossible to study all the time — es imposible estar siempre estudiando

it is unbelievable that... — es increíble que...

it's not clear whether... — no está claro si...

it would be wrong for us to do that — no estaría bien que nosotros hiciésemos eso

d) (emphatic) ser

it's me who does all the work — soy yo quien hace todo el trabajo

it was Peter who phoned — fue Peter quien llamó

why is it that she's so successful? — ¿cómo es que tiene tanto éxito?, ¿por qué tiene tanto éxito?

it was then that... — fue entonces cuando...

9) (=exist) haber

there is/are — hay

what is (there) in that room? — ¿qué hay en esa habitación?

there is nothing more beautiful — no hay nada más bello

is there anyone at home? — ¿hay alguien en casa?

there were six road accidents here last year — el año pasado hubo seis accidentes de tráfico aquí

there must be an explanation — debe de haber una explicación

there being no alternative solution... — al no haber or no habiendo otra solución...

let there be light! — ¡hágase la luz!

there are three of us — somos tres

there were three of them — eran tres

after the shop there's the bus station — después de la tienda está la estación de autobuses

See:

THERE IS, THERE ARE in there

10) (=cost)

how much was it? — ¿cuánto costó?

the book is £20 — el libro vale or cuesta 20 libras

how much is it? — ¿cuánto es?; (when paying) ¿qué le debo? frm

11) (=visit)

has the postman been? — ¿ha venido el cartero?

he has been and gone — vino y se fue

I have been to see my aunt — he ido a ver a mi tía

have you ever been to Glasgow? — ¿has estado en Glasgow alguna vez?

I've been to China — he estado en China

12) (in noun compounds) futuro

• mother to be — futura madre or mamá f

• my wife to be — mi futura esposa

13) (in set expressions)

to be or not to be — ser o no ser

• been and * —

you've been and done it now! — ¡buena la has hecho! *

that dog of yours has been and dug up my flowers! — ¡tu perro ha ido y me ha destrozado las flores!

• you're busy enough as it is — estás bastante ocupado ya con lo que tienes, ya tienes suficiente trabajo

as things are — tal como están las cosas

be that as it may — sea como fuere

• if it hadn't been for..., if it hadn't been for you or frm had it not been for you, we would have lost — si no hubiera sido por ti or de no haber sido por ti, habríamos perdido

• let me be! — ¡déjame en paz!

• if that's what you want to do, then so be it — si eso es lo que quieres hacer, adelante

• what is it to you? * — ¿a ti qué te importa?

• what's it to be? — (in bar etc) ¿qué va a ser?, ¿qué vas a tomar?

2. AUXILIARY VERB

1) (forming passive) ser

the house was destroyed by an earthquake — la casa fue destruida por un terremoto
The passive is not used as often in Spanish as in English, active and reflexive constructions often being preferred:
the box had been opened — habían abierto la caja

these cars are produced in Spain — estos coches se fabrican en España

it is said that... — dicen que..., se dice que...

he was killed by a terrorist — lo mató un terrorista

she was killed in a car crash — murió en un accidente de coche, resultó muerta en un accidente de coche frm

what's to be done? — ¿qué hay que hacer?

• it's a film not to be missed — es una película que no hay que perderse

• we searched everywhere for him, but he was nowhere to be seen — lo buscamos por todas partes pero no lo encontramos en ningún sitio

2) (forming continuous) estar

it's raining — está lloviendo

what are you doing? — ¿qué estás haciendo?, ¿qué haces?

don't distract me when I'm driving — no me distraigas cuando estoy conduciendo

he's always grumbling — siempre está quejándose

he was studying until the early hours — estuvo estudiando hasta la madrugada
Use the present simple to talk about planned future events and the construction to talk about intention:
they're coming tomorrow — vienen mañana

"it's a pity you aren't coming with us" - "but I am coming!" — -¡qué pena que no vengas con nosotros! -¡sí que voy!

will you be seeing her tomorrow? — ¿la verás or la vas a ver mañana?

will you be needing more? — ¿vas a necesitar más?

I shall be seeing him — voy a verlo

I'll be seeing you — hasta luego, nos vemos (esp LAm)
The imperfect tense can be used for continuous action in the past:
he was driving too fast — conducía demasiado rápido
for, since
3) (verb substitute)

a)

he's older than you are — es mayor que tú

he isn't as happy as he was — no está tan contento como antes

"he's going to complain about you" - "oh, is he?" — -va a quejarse de ti -¿ah, sí?

"I'm worried" - "so am I" — -estoy preocupado -yo también

"I'm not ready" - "neither am I" — -no estoy listo -yo tampoco

"you're tired" - "no, I'm not" — -estás cansado -no, ¡qué va!

"you're not eating enough" - "yes I am" — -no comes lo suficiente -que sí

"they're getting married" - "oh, are they?" — (showing surprise) -se casan -¿ah, sí? or -¡no me digas!

"he isn't very happy" - "oh, isn't he?" — -no está muy contento -¿ah, no?

"he's always late, isn't he?" - "yes, he is" — -siempre llega tarde, ¿verdad? -(pues) sí

"is it what you expected?" - "no, it isn't" — -¿es esto lo que esperabas? -(pues) no

"she's pretty" - "no, she isn't" — -es guapa -¡qué va!

b) (in question tags)

he's handsome, isn't he? — es guapo, ¿verdad?, es guapo, ¿no?, es guapo, ¿no es cierto?

it was fun, wasn't it? — fue divertido, ¿verdad?, fue divertido, ¿no?

she wasn't happy, was she? — no era feliz, ¿verdad?

so he's back again, is he? — así que ha vuelto, ¿eh?

you're not ill, are you? — ¿no estarás enfermo?

3. MODAL VERB
(with infinitive construction)
1) (=must, have to)

you're to put on your shoes — tienes que ponerte los zapatos

he's not to open it — no debe abrirlo, que no lo abra

I am to do it — he de hacerlo yo, soy yo el que debe hacerlo

I am not to speak to him — no tengo permiso para hablar con él

I wasn't to tell you his name — no podía or debía decirte su nombre

2) (=should) deber

he is to be congratulated on his work — debemos felicitarlo por su trabajo

am I to understand that...? — ¿debo entender que...?

she wrote "My Life", not to be confused with Bernstein's book of the same name — escribió "Mi Vida", que no debe confundirse con la obra de Bernstein que lleva el mismo título

he was to have come yesterday — tenía que or debía haber venido ayer

he is to be pitied — es digno de lástima

3) (=will)

the talks are to start tomorrow — las conversaciones darán comienzo mañana

her house is to be sold — su casa se pondrá a la venta

they are to be married in the summer — se casarán en el verano

4) (=can)

these birds are to be found all over the world — estos pájaros se encuentran por todo el mundo

little traffic was to be seen — había poco tráfico

you weren't to know — no tenías por qué saberlo

5) (expressing destiny)

this was to have serious repercussions — esto iba a tener serias repercusiones

they were never to return — jamás regresaron

it was not to be — no quiso el destino que así fuera

6) (in conditional sentences)

you must work harder if you are to succeed — debes esforzarte más si quieres triunfar

if it was or were to snow... — si nevase or nevara...

if I were to leave the job, would you replace me? — si yo dejara el puesto, ¿me sustituirías?
BE
"Ser" or "estar"?
You can use "ser": ► when defining or identifying by linking two nouns or noun phrases:
Paris is the capital of France París es la capital de Francia
He was the most hated man in the village Era el hombre más odiado del pueblo ► to describe essential or inherent characteristics (e.g. colour, material, nationality, race, shape, size {etc}):
His mother is German Su madre es alemana
She was blonde Era rubia ► with most impersonal expressions not involving past participles:
It is important to be on time Es importante llegar a tiempo
Está claro que is an exception:
It is obvious you don't understand Está claro que no lo entiendes ► when telling the time or talking about time or age:
It is ten o'clock Son las diez
It's very late. Let's go home Es muy tarde. Vamos a casa
He lived in the country when he was young Vivió en el campo cuando era joven ► to indicate possession or duty:
It's mine Es mío
This is your responsibility Este asunto es responsabilidad tuya ► with events in the sense of "take place":
The 1992 Olympic Games were in Barcelona Los Juegos Olímpicos de 1992 fueron en Barcelona
"Where is the exam?" - "It's in Room 1" "¿Dónde es el examen?" - "Es en el Aula Número 1" NOTE: Compare this usage with that of estar (see below) to talk about location of places, objects and people.
You can use "estar": ► to talk about location of places, objects and people:
"Where is Zaragoza?" - "It's in Spain" "¿Dónde está Zaragoza?" - "Está en España"
Your glasses are on the bedside table Tus gafas están en la mesilla de noche NOTE: But use ser with events in the sense of "take place" (see above)}. ► to talk about changeable state, condition or mood:
The teacher is ill La profesora está enferma
The coffee's cold El café está frío
How happy I am! ¡Qué contento estoy! NOTE: Feliz, however, which is seen as more permanent than contento, is used mainly with ser. ► to form progressive tenses:
We're having lunch. Is it ok if I call you later? Estamos comiendo. Te llamaré luego, ¿vale?
Both "ser" and "estar" can be used with past participles ► Use ser in {passive} constructions:
This play was written by Lorca Esta obra fue escrita por Lorca
He was shot dead (by a terrorist group) Fue asesinado a tiros (por un grupo terrorista) NOTE: The passive is not used as often in Spanish as it is in English. ► Use estar with past participles to describe the {results} of a previous action or event:
We threw them away because they were broken Los tiramos a la basura porque estaban rotos
He's dead Está muerto ► Compare the use of ser + ((past participle)) which describes {action} and estar + ((past participle)) which describes {result} in the following:
The window was broken by the firemen La ventana fue rota por los bomberos
The window was broken La ventana estaba rota
It was painted around 1925 Fue pintado hacia 1925
The floor is painted a dark colour El suelo está pintado de color oscuro ► Ser and estar are both used in impersonal expressions with past participles. As above, the use of ser implies {action} while the use of estar implies {result}:
It is understood that the work was never finished Es sabido que el trabajo nunca se llegó a terminar
It is a proven fact that vaccinations save many lives Está demostrado que las vacunas salvan muchas vidas
"Ser" and "estar" with adjectives ► Some adjectives can be used with both ser and estar but the meaning changes completely depending on the verb:
He's clever Es listo
Are you ready? ¿Estás listo?
Chemistry is boring La química es aburrida
I'm bored Estoy aburrido ► Other adjectives can also be used with both verbs but the use of ser describes a {characteristic} while the use of estar implies a {change}:
He's very handsome Es muy guapo
You look great in that dress! Estás muy guapa con ese vestido
He's slim Es delgado
You're (looking) very slim ¡Estás muy delgada! For further uses and examples, see main entry
* * *
[biːˌ] weak form [bi]
1.

1) (pres am, are, is; past was, were; past p been) intransitive verb [See notes at ser and estar]

Sense I

2)

a) (followed by an adjective)

she's French/intelligent — es francesa/inteligente

he's worried/furious — está preocupado/furioso

he's blind — es or (Esp tb) está ciego

he's short and fat — es bajo y gordo

he's so fat he can't get into his clothes any more — está tan gordo que ya no le cabe la ropa

these shoes are new — estos zapatos son nuevos

have you never had gazpacho? it's delicious! — ¿nunca has comido gazpacho? es delicioso!

the gazpacho is delicious, did you make it yourself? — el gazpacho está delicioso ¿lo hiciste tú?

she was very rude to me — estuvo or fue muy grosera conmigo

she's very rude — es muy grosera

be good — sé bueno

don't be silly! — no seas tonto!

b) ( talking about marital status)

Tony is married/divorced/single — Tony está or (esp AmL) es casado/divorciado/soltero

to be married to somebody — estar* casado con alguien

we've been married for eight years — llevamos ocho años casados

3)

a) (followed by a noun) ser*

she's a lawyer — es abogada

he's a Catholic — es católico

she was Prime Minister for 11 years — fue Primera Ministra durante 11 años

who was Prime Minister at the time? — ¿quién era Primer Ministro en ese momento?

it's me/Daniel — soy yo/es Daniel

if I were you, I'd stay — yo que tú or yo en tu lugar me quedaría

b) ( play the role of) hacer* de

I was Juliet in the school play — hice de Julieta en la obra del colegio

4)

a) ( talking about mental and physical states)

how are you? — ¿cómo estás?

I'm much better — estoy or me encuentro mucho mejor

she's pregnant/tired — está embarazada/cansada

I'm cold/hot/hungry/thirsty/sleepy — tengo frío/calor/hambre/sed/sueño

she has been ill — ha estado enferma

he's dead — está muerto

b) ( talking about age) tener*

how old are you? — ¿cuántos años tienes?

I'm 31 — tengo 31 años

Paul was four last Monday — Paul cumplió cuatro años el lunes pasado

he's a lot older/younger — es mucho mayor/menor

our house is over 100 years old — nuestra casa tiene más de 100 años

c) (giving cost, measurement, weight)

how much is that? - that'll be $15, please — ¿cuánto es? - (son) 15 dólares, por favor

they are $15 each — cuestan or valen 15 dólares cada una

two plus two is four — dos más dos son cuatro

how tall/heavy is he? — ¿cuánto mide/pesa?

Jim's over six feet (tall) — Jim mide más de seis pies

Sense II

5)

a) (exist, live)

I think, therefore I am — pienso, luego existo

to be or not to be — ser o no ser

to let something/somebody be — dejar tranquilo or en paz algo/a alguien

her husband-to-be — su futuro marido

b) ( in expressions of time)

don't be too long — no tardes mucho, no (te) demores mucho (esp AmL)

I'm drying my hair, I won't be long — me estoy secando el pelo, enseguida estoy

how long will dinner be? — ¿cuánto falta para la cena?

c) ( take place) ser*

the party is tomorrow — la fiesta es mañana

6) (be situated, present) estar*

where is the library? — ¿dónde está or queda la biblioteca?

where are you? — ¿dónde estás?

what's in that box? — ¿qué hay en esa caja?

who's in the movie? — ¿quién actúa or trabaja en la película?

he's here for two weeks — va a estar aquí dos semanas

how long are you in Chicago (for)? — (colloq) ¿cuánto (tiempo) te vas a quedar en Chicago ?

7) (only in perfect tenses) ( visit) estar*

I've never been to India — nunca he estado en la India

have you been to the exhibition yet? — ¿ya has estado en or has ido a la exposición?

2.

v impers

1)

a) (talking about physical conditions, circumstances)

it's sunny/cold/hot — hace sol/frío/calor

it's cloudy — está nublado

it was three degrees below zero — hacía tres grados bajo cero

it's so noisy/quiet in here! — qué ruido/silencio hay aquí!

I have enough problems as it is, without you... — yo ya tengo suficientes problemas sin que tú encima...

b) ( in expressions of time) ser*

it's three o'clock — son las tres

it's one o'clock — es la una

it was still very early — todavía era muy temprano

it's Wednesday today — hoy es miércoles

hi, Joe, it's been a long time — qué tal, Joe, tanto tiempo (sin verte)

c) ( talking about distance) estar*

it's 500 miles from here to Detroit — Detroit queda or está a 500 millas de aquí

2)

a) (introducing person, object) ser*

it was me who told them — fui yo quien se lo dije or dijo, fui yo el que se lo dije or dijo

b) (in conditional use) ser*

if it hadn't been o had it not been for Juan, we would have been killed — si no hubiera sido por Juan or de no ser por Juan, nos habríamos matado

3.

v aux

1) to be -ing

a) ( used to describe action in progress) estar* + ger

what was I saying? — ¿qué estaba diciendo?

she was leaving when... — se iba cuando...

how long have you been waiting? — ¿cuánto (tiempo) hace que esperas?, ¿cuánto (tiempo) llevas esperando?

b) ( with future reference)

he is o will be arriving tomorrow — llega mañana

when are you seeing her? — ¿cuándo la vas a ver or la verás?

she'll be staying at the Plaza — se va a alojar en el Plaza

2) (in the passive voice) ser* [The passive voice, however, is less common in Spanish than it is in English]

it was built in 1903 — fue construido en 1903, se construyó en 1903, lo construyeron en 1903

she was told that... — le dijeron or se le dijo que...

it is known that... — se sabe que...

3) to be to + inf

a) ( with future reference)

I'm to be met at the airport by Joe — Joe me irá a buscar al aeropuerto

the dessert is (still) to come — todavía falta el postre

if a solution is to be found... — si se quiere encontrar or si se ha de encontrar una solución...

b) ( expressing possibility)

what are we to do? — ¿qué podemos hacer?

he wasn't to know — no tenía cómo saberlo

it was nowhere to be found — no se lo pudo encontrar por ninguna parte

c) ( expressing obligation) deber* + inf, tener* que + inf, haber* de + inf

tell her she's to stay here — dile que debe quedarse or tiene que quedarse aquí, dile que se quede aquí

you are not to tell Carol! — no debes decírselo a Carol!

am I to understand that... ? — ¿debo entender que... ?

I'm not to be disturbed! — que nadie me moleste!

4) ( in hypotheses)

what would happen if she were o was to die? — ¿qué pasaría si ella muriera?

5)

a) (in tag questions)

she's right, isn't she? — tiene razón, ¿no? or ¿verdad? or ¿no es cierto?

so that's what you think, is it? — de manera que eso es lo que piensas

b) (in elliptical uses)

are you disappointed? - yes, I am/no, I'm not — ¿estás desilusionado? - sí (, lo estoy)/no (, no lo estoy)

she was told the news, and so was he/but I wasn't — a ella le dieron la noticia, y también a él/pero a mí no

I'm surprised, are/aren't you? — estoy sorprendido, ¿y tú?/¿tú no?

English-spanish dictionary > be
7 Colours

Not all English colour terms have a single exact equivalent in French: for instance, in some circumstances brown is marron, in others brun. If in doubt, look the word up in the dictionary.

Colour terms

what colour is it?

= c’est de quelle couleur? or (more formally) de quelle couleur est-il?

it’s green

= il est vert or elle est verte

to paint sth green

= peindre qch en vert

to dye sth green

= teindre qch en vert

to wear green

= porter du vert

dressed in green

= habillé de vert

Colour nouns are all masculine in French:

I like green

= j’aime le vert

I prefer blue

= je préfère le bleu

red suits her

= le rouge lui va bien

it’s a pretty yellow!

= c’est un joli jaune!

have you got it in white?

= est-ce que vous l’avez en blanc?

a pretty shade of blue

= un joli ton de bleu

it was a dreadful green

= c’était un vert affreux

a range of greens

= une gamme de verts

Most adjectives of colour agree with the noun they modify:

a blue coat

= un manteau bleu

a blue dress

= une robe bleue

blue clothes

= des vêtements bleus

Some that don’t agree are explained below.

Words that are not true adjectives

Some words that translate English adjectives are really nouns in French, and so don’t show agreement:

a brown shoe

= une chaussure marron

orange tablecloths

= des nappes fpl orange

hazel eyes

= des yeux mpl noisette

Other French words like this include: cerise ( cherry-red), chocolat ( chocolate-brown) and émeraude ( emerald-green).

Shades of colour

Expressions like pale blue, dark green or light yellow are also invariable in French and show no agreement:

a pale blue shirt

= une chemise bleu pâle

dark green blankets

= des couvertures fpl vert foncé

a light yellow tie

= une cravate jaune clair

bright yellow socks

= des chaussettes fpl jaune vif

French can also use the colour nouns here: instead of une chemise bleu pâle you could say une chemise d’un bleu pâle ; and similarly des couvertures d’un vert foncé (etc). The nouns in French are normally used to translate English adjectives of this type ending in -er and -est:

a darker blue

= un bleu plus foncé

the dress was a darker blue

= la robe était d’un bleu plus foncé

Similarly:

a lighter blue

= un bleu plus clair (etc.)

In the following examples, blue stands for most basic colour terms:

pale blue

= bleu pâle

light blue

= bleu clair

bright blue

= bleu vif

dark blue

= bleu foncé

deep blue

= bleu profond

strong blue

= bleu soutenu

Other types of compound in French are also invariable, and do not agree with their nouns:

a navy-blue jacket

= une veste bleu marine

These compounds include: bleu ciel ( sky-blue), vert pomme ( apple-green), bleu nuit ( midnight-blue), rouge sang ( blood-red) etc. However, all English compounds do not translate directly into French. If in doubt, check in the dictionary.

French compounds consisting of two colour terms linked with a hyphen are also invariable:

a blue-black material

= une étoffe bleu-noir

a greenish-blue cup

= une tasse bleu-vert

a greeny-yellow dress

= une robe vert-jaune

English uses the ending -ish, or sometimes -y, to show that something is approximately a certain colour, e.g. a reddish hat or a greenish paint. The French equivalent is -âtre:

blue-ish

= bleuâtre

greenish or greeny

= verdâtre

greyish

= grisâtre

reddish

= rougeâtre

yellowish or yellowy

= jaunâtre

etc.

Other similar French words are rosâtre, noirâtre and blanchâtre. Note however that these words are often rather negative in French. It is better not to use them if you want to be complimentary about something. Use instead tirant sur le rouge/jaune etc.

To describe a special colour, English can add -coloured to a noun such as raspberry (framboise) or flesh (chair). Note how this is said in French, where the two-word compound with couleur is invariable, and, unlike English, never has a hyphen:

a chocolate-coloured skirt

= une jupe couleur chocolat

raspberry-coloured fabric

= du tissu couleur framboise

flesh-coloured tights

= un collant couleur chair

Colour verbs

English makes some colour verbs by adding -en (e.g. blacken). Similarly French has some verbs in -ir made from colour terms:

to blacken

= noircir

to redden

= rougir

to whiten

= blanchir

The other French colour terms that behave like this are: bleu (bleuir), jaune (jaunir), rose (rosir) and vert (verdir). It is always safe, however, to use devenir, thus:

to turn purple

= devenir violet

Describing people

Note the use of the definite article in the following:

to have black hair

= avoir les cheveux noirs

to have blue eyes

= avoir les yeux bleus

Note the use of à in the following:

a girl with blue eyes

= une jeune fille aux yeux bleus

the man with black hair

= l’homme aux cheveux noirs

Not all colours have direct equivalents in French. The following words are used for describing the colour of someone’s hair (note that les cheveux is plural in French):

fair

= blond

dark

= brun

blonde or blond

= blond

brown

= châtain inv

red

= roux

black

= noir

grey

= gris

white

= blanc

Check other terms such as yellow, ginger, auburn, mousey etc. in the dictionary.

Note these nouns in French:

a fair-haired man

= un blond

a fair-haired woman

= une blonde

a dark-haired man

= un brun

a dark-haired woman

= une brune

The following words are useful for describing the colour of someone’s eyes:

blue

= bleu

light blue

= bleu clair inv

light brown

= marron clair inv

brown

= marron inv

hazel

= noisette inv

green

= vert

grey

= gris

greyish-green

= gris-vert inv

dark

= noir

Big English-French dictionary > Colours
8 Usage note : you

In English you is used to address everybody, whereas French has two forms: tu and vous. The usual word to use when you are speaking to anyone you do not know very well is vous. This is sometimes called the polite form and is used for the subject, object, indirect object and emphatic pronoun:

would you like some coffee?

= voulez-vous du café?

can I help you?

= est-ce que je peux vous aider?

what can I do for you?

= qu’est-ce que je peux faire pour vous?

The more informal pronoun tu is used between close friends and family members, within groups of children and young people, by adults when talking to children and always when talking to animals ; tu is the subject form, the direct and indirect object form is te (t’ before a vowel) and the form for emphatic use or use after a preposition is toi:

would you like some coffee?

= veux-tu du café?

can I help you?

= est-ce que je peux t’aider?

there’s a letter for you

= il y a une lettre pour toi

As a general rule, when talking to a French person use vous, wait to see how they address you and follow suit. It is safer to wait for the French person to suggest using tu. The suggestion will usually be phrased as on se tutoie? or on peut se tutoyer?

Note that tu is only a singular pronoun and vous is the plural form of tu.

Remember that in French the object and indirect object pronouns are always placed before the verb:

she knows you

= elle vous connaît or elle te connaît

In compound tenses like the present perfect and the past perfect, the past participle agrees in number and gender with the direct object:

I saw you on Saturday

(to one male: polite form)

= je vous ai vu samedi

(to one female: polite form)

= je vous ai vue samedi

(to one male: informal form)

= je t’ai vu samedi

(to one female: informal form)

= je t’ai vue samedi

(to two or more people, male or mixed)

= je vous ai vus samedi

(to two or more females)

= je vous ai vues samedi

When you is used impersonally as the more informal form of one, it is translated by on for the subject form and by vous or te for the object form, depending on whether the comment is being made amongst friends or in a more formal context:

you can do as you like here

= on peut faire ce qu’on veut ici

these mushrooms can make you ill

= ces champignons peuvent vous rendre malade or ces champignons peuvent te rendre malade

you could easily lose your bag here

= on pourrait facilement perdre son sac ici

Note that your used with on is translated by son/sa/ses according to the gender and number of the noun that follows.

For verb forms with vous, tu and on see the French verb tables.

For particular usages see the entry you.

Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : you
9 Countries and continents

Most countries and all continents are used with the definite article in French:

France is a beautiful country

= la France est un beau pays

I like Canada

= j’aime le Canada

to visit the United States

= visiter les États-Unis

to know Iran

= connaître l’Iran

A very few countries do not:

to visit Israel

= visiter Israël

When in doubt, check in the dictionary.

All the continent names are feminine in French. Most names of countries are feminine e.g. la France, but some are masculine e.g. le Canada.

Most names of countries are singular in French, but some are plural (usually, but not always, those that are plural in English) e.g. les États-Unis mpl (the United States), and les Philippines fpl (the Philippines). Note, however, the plural verb sont:

the Philippines is a lovely country

= les Philippines sont un beau pays

In, to and from somewhere

With continent names, feminine singular names of countries and masculine singular names of countries beginning with a vowel, for in and to, use en, and for from, use de:

to live in Europe

= vivre en Europe

to go to Europe

= aller en Europe

to come from Europe

= venir d’Europe

to live in France

= vivre en France

to go to France

= aller en France

to come from France

= venir de France

to live in Afghanistan

= vivre en Afghanistan

to go to Afghanistan

= aller en Afghanistan

to come from Afghanistan

= venir d’Afghanistan

Note that names of countries and continents that include North, South, East, or West work in the same way:

to live in North Korea

= vivre en Corée du Nord

to go to North Korea

= aller en Corée du Nord

to come from North Korea

= venir de Corée du Nord

With masculine countries beginning with a consonant, and with plurals, use au or aux for in and to, and du or des for from:

to live in Canada

= vivre au Canada

to go to Canada

= aller au Canada

to come from Canada

= venir du Canada

to live in the United States

= vivre aux États-Unis

to go to the United States

= aller aux États-Unis

to come from the United States

= venir des États-Unis

to live in the Philippines

= vivre aux Philippines

to go to the Philippines

= aller aux Philippines

to come from the Philippines

= venir des Philippines

Adjective uses: français or de France or de la France?

For French, the translation français is usually safe ; here are some typical examples:

the French army

= l’armée française

the French coast

= la côte française

French cooking

= la cuisine française

French currency

= la monnaie française

the French Customs

= la douane française

the French government

= le gouvernement français

the French language

= la langue française

French literature

= la littérature française

French money

= l’argent français

the French nation

= le peuple français

French politics

= la politique française

a French town

= une ville française

French traditions

= les traditions françaises

Some nouns, however, occur more commonly with de France (usually, but not always, their English equivalents can have of France as well as French):

the Ambassador of France or the French Ambassador

= l’ambassadeur de France

the French Embassy

= l’ambassade de France

the history of France or French history

= l’histoire de France

the King of France or the French king

= le roi de France

the rivers of France

= les fleuves et rivières de France

the French team

= l’équipe de France

but note:

the capital of France or the French capital

= la capitale de la France

Note that many geopolitical adjectives like French can also refer to nationality, e.g. a French tourist ⇒ Nationalities, or to the language, e.g. a French word ⇒ Languages.

Big English-French dictionary > Countries and continents
10 Numbers

Cardinal numbers in French

0 zéro*

1 un†

2 deux

3 trois

4 quatre

5 cinq

6 six

7 sept

8 huit

9 neuf

10 dix

11 onze

12 douze

13 treize

14 quatorze

15 quinze

16 seize

17 dix-sept

18 dix-huit

19 dix-neuf

20 vingt

21 vingt et un

22 vingt-deux

30 trente

31 trente et un

32 trente-deux

40 quarante

50 cinquante

60 soixante

70 soixante-dix

septante (in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland etc.)

71 soixante et onze

septante et un ( etc)

72 soixante-douze

73 soixante-treize

74 soixante-quatorze

75 soixante-quinze

76 soixante-seize

77 soixante-dix-sept

78 soixante-dix-nuit

79 soixante-dix-neuf

80 quatre-vingts‡

81 quatre-vingt-un§

82 quatre-vingt-deux

90 quatre-vingt-dix ; nonante (in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, etc)

91 quatre-vingt-onze ; nonante et un

92 quatre-vingt-douze ; nonante-deux ( etc.)

99 quatre-vingt-dix-neuf

100 cent

101 cent un†

102 cent deux

110 cent dix

111 cent onze

112 cent douze

187 cent quatre-vingt-sept

200 deux cents

250 deux cent|| cinquante

300 trois cents

1000 || mille

1001 mille un†

1002 mille deux

1020 mille vingt

1200 mille** deux cents

2000 deux mille††

10000 dix mille

10200 dix mille deux cents

100000 cent mille

102000 cent deux mille

1000000 un million‡‡

1264932 un million deux cent soixante-quatre mille neuf cent trente-deux

1000000000 un milliard‡‡

1000000000000 un billion‡‡

* In English 0 may be called nought, zero or even nothing ; French is always zéro ; a nought = un zéro.

† Note that one is une in French when it agrees with a feminine noun, so un crayon but une table, une des tables, vingt et une tables, combien de tables? - il y en a une seule etc.

‡ Also huitante in Switzerland. Note that when 80 is used as a page number it has no s, e.g. page eighty = page quatre-vingt.

§ Note that vingt has no s when it is in the middle of a number. The only exception to this rule is when quatre-vingts is followed by millions, milliards or billions, e.g. quatre-vingts millions, quatre-vingts billions etc.

Note that cent does not take an s when it is in the middle of a number. The only exception to this rule is when it is followed by millions, milliards or billions, e.g. trois cents millions, six cents billions etc. It has a normal plural when it modifies other nouns, e.g. 200 inhabitants = deux cents habitants.

|| Note that figures in French are set out differently ; where English would have a comma, French has simply a space. It is also possible in French to use a full stop (period) here, e.g. 1.000. French, like English, writes dates without any separation between thousands and hundreds, e.g. in 1995 = en 1995.

** When such a figure refers to a date, the spelling mil is preferred to mille, i.e. en 1200 = en mil deux cents. Note however the exceptions: when the year is a round number of thousands, the spelling is always mille, so en l’an mille, en l’an deux mille etc.

†† Mille is invariable ; it never takes an s.

‡‡ Note that the French words million, milliard and billion are nouns, and when written out in full they take de before another noun, e.g. a million inhabitants is un million d’habitants, a billion francs is un billion de francs. However, when written in figures, 1,000,000 inhabitants is 1000000 habitants, but is still spoken as un million d’habitants. When million etc. is part of a complex number, de is not used before the nouns, e.g. 6,000,210 people = six millions deux cent dix personnes.

Use of en

Note the use of en in the following examples:

there are six

= il y en a six

I’ve got a hundred

= j’en ai cent

En must be used when the thing you are talking about is not expressed (the French says literally there of them are six, I of them have a hundred etc.). However, en is not needed when the object is specified:

there are six apples

= il y a six pommes

Approximate numbers

When you want to say about…, remember the French ending -aine:

about ten

= une dizaine

about ten books

= une dizaine de livres

about fifteen

= une quinzaine

about fifteen people

= une quinzaine de personnes

about twenty

= une vingtaine

about twenty hours

= une vingtaine d’heures

Similarly une trentaine, une quarantaine, une cinquantaine, une soixantaine and une centaine ( and une douzaine means a dozen). For other numbers, use environ (about):

about thirty-five

= environ trente-cinq

about thirty-five francs

= environ trente-cinq francs

about four thousand

= environ quatre mille

about four thousand pages

= environ quatre mille pages

Environ can be used with any number: environ dix, environ quinze etc. are as good as une dizaine, une quinzaine etc.

Note the use of centaines and milliers to express approximate quantities:

hundreds of books

= des centaines de livres

I’ve got hundreds

= j’en ai des centaines

hundreds and hundreds of fish

= des centaines et des centaines de poissons

I’ve got thousands

= j’en ai des milliers

thousands of books

= des milliers de livres

thousands and thousands

= des milliers et des milliers

millions and millions

= des millions et des millions

Phrases

numbers up to ten

= les nombres jusqu’à dix

to count up to ten

= compter jusqu’à dix

almost ten

= presque dix

less than ten

= moins de dix

more than ten

= plus de dix

all ten of them

= tous les dix

all ten boys

= les dix garçons

Note the French word order:

my last ten pounds

= mes dix dernières livres

the next twelve weeks

= les douze prochaines semaines

the other two

= les deux autres

the last four

= les quatre derniers

Calculations in French

Decimals in French

Note that French uses a comma where English has a decimal point.

say

0,25 zéro virgule vingt-cinq

0,05 zéro virgule zéro cinq

0,75 zéro virgule soixante-quinze

3,45 trois virgule quarante-cinq

8,195 huit virgule cent quatre-vingt-quinze

9,1567 neuf virgule quinze cent soixante-sept

or neuf virgule mille cinq cent soixante-sept

9,3456 neuf virgule trois mille quatre cent cinquante-six

Percentages in French

say

25% vingt-cinq pour cent

50% cinquante pour cent

100% cent pour cent

200% deux cents pour cent

365% troix cent soixante-cinq pour cent

4,25% quatre virgule vingt-cinq pour cent

Fractions in French

Ordinal numbers in French§

1st 1er‡ premier ( feminine première)

2nd 2e second or deuxième

3rd 3e troisième

4th 4e quatrième

5th 5e cinquième

6th 6e sixième

7th 7e septième

8th 8e huitième

9th 9e neuvième

10th 10e dixième

11th 11e onzième

12th 12e douzième

13th 13e treizième

14th 14e quatorzième

15th 15e quinzième

16th 16e seizième

17th 17e dix-septième

18th 18e dix-huitième

19th 19e dix-neuvième

20th 20e vingtième

21st 21e vingt et unième

22nd 22e vingt-deuxième

23rd 23e vingt-troisième

24th 24e vingt-quatrième

25th 25e vingt-cinquième

30th 30e trentième

31st 31e trente et unième

40th 40e quarantième

50th 50e cinquantième

60th 60e soixantième

70th 70e soixante-dixième or septantième (in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland etc.)

71st 71e soixante et onzième or septante et unième (etc.)

72nd 72e soixante-douzième

73rd 73e soixante-treizième

74th 74e soixante-quatorzième

75th 75e soixante-quinzième

76th 76e soixante-seizième

77th 77e soixante-dix-septième

78th 78e soixante-dix-huitième

79th 79e soixante-dix-neuvième

80th 80e quatre-vingtième¶

81st 81e quatre-vingt-unième

90th 90e quatre-vingt-dixième or nonantième (in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland etc.)

91st 91e quatre-vingt-onzième, or nonante et unième (etc.)

99th 99e quatre-vingt-dix-neuvième

100th 100e centième

101st 101e cent et unième

102nd 102e cent-deuxième

196th 196e cent quatre-vingt-seizième

200th 200e deux centième

300th 300e trois centième

400th 400e quatre centième

1,000th 1000e millième

2,000th 2000e deux millième

1,000,000th 1000000e millionième

Like English, French makes nouns by adding the definite article:

the first

= le premier (or la première, or les premiers mpl or les premières fpl)

the second

= le second (or la seconde etc.)

the first three

= les trois premiers or les trois premières

Note the French word order in:

the third richest country in the world

= le troisième pays le plus riche du monde

* Note that half, when not a fraction, is translated by the noun moitié or the adjective demi ; see the dictionary entry.

† Note the use of les and d’entre when these fractions are used about a group of people or things: two-thirds of them = les deux tiers d’entre eux.

‡ This is the masculine form ; the feminine is 1re and the plural 1ers (m) or 1res (f).

§ All the ordinal numbers in French behave like ordinary adjectives and take normal plural endings where appropriate.

¶ Also huitantième in Switzerland.

Big English-French dictionary > Numbers
11 Nationalities

Words like French can also refer to the language (e.g. a French textbook ⇒ Languages) and to the country (e.g. French history ⇒ Countries and continents).

Note the different use of capital letters in English and French ; adjectives never have capitals in French:

a French student

= un étudiant français/une étudiante française

a French nurse

= une infirmière française/un infirmier français

a French tourist

= un touriste français/une touriste française

Nouns have capitals in French when they mean a person of a specific nationality:

a Frenchman

= un Français

a Frenchwoman

= une Française

French people or the French

= les Français mpl

a Chinese man

= un Chinois

a Chinese woman

= une Chinoise

Chinese people or the Chinese

= les Chinois mpl

English sometimes has a special word for a person of a specific nationality ; in French, the same word can almost always be either an adjective (no capitals) or a noun (with capitals):

Danish

= danois

a Dane

= un Danois, une Danoise

the Danes

= les Danois mpl

Note the alternatives using either adjective (il/elle est… etc.) or noun (c’est…) in French:

he is French

= il est français or c’est un Français

she is French

= elle est française or c’est une Française

they are French

= ( men or mixed) ils sont français or ce sont des Français ( women) elles sont françaises or ce sont des Françaises

When the subject is a noun, like the teacher or Paul below, the adjective construction is normally used in French:

the teacher is French

= le professeur est français

Paul is French

= Paul est français

Anne is French

= Anne est française

Paul and Anne are French

= Paul et Anne sont français

Other ways of expressing someone’s nationality or origins are:

he’s of French extraction

= il est d’origine française

she was born in Germany

= elle est née en Allemagne

he is a Spanish citizen

= il est espagnol

a Belgian national

= un ressortissant belge

she comes from Nepal

= elle vient du Népal

Big English-French dictionary > Nationalities
12 Languages

Note that names of languages in French are always written with a small letter, not a capital as in English ; also, French almost always uses the definite article with languages, while English does not. In the examples below the name of any language may be substituted for French and français:

French is easy

= le français est facile

I like French

= j’aime le français

to learn French

= apprendre le français

However, the article is never used after en:

say it in French

= dis-le en français

a book in French

= un livre en français

to translate sth into French

= traduire qch en français

and it may be omitted with parler:

to speak French

= parler français or parler le français

When French means in French or of the French, it is translated by français:

a French expression

= une expression française

the French language

= la langue française

a French proverb

= un proverbe français

a French word

= un mot français

and when you want to make it clear you mean in French and not from France, use en français:

a French book

= un livre en français

a French broadcast

= une émission en français

When French means relating to French or about French, it is translated by de français:

a French class

= une classe de français

a French course

= un cours de français

a French dictionary

= un dictionnaire de français

a French teacher

= un professeur de français

but

a French-English dictionary

= un dictionnaire français-anglais

See the dictionary entry for - speaking and speaker for expressions like Japanese-speaking or German speaker. French has special words for some of these expressions:

English-speaking

= anglophone

a French speaker

= un/une francophone

Note also that language adjectives like French can also refer to nationality e.g. a French tourist ⇒ Nationalities, or to the country e.g. a French town ⇒ Countries and continents.

Big English-French dictionary > Languages
13 used

used

1. adjective

   a. ( = not fresh) [cup] sale ; [tissue, needle, condom] usagé

   b. ( = second-hand) [car, equipment] d'occasion

   c. (after adv) ( = employed) frequently used fréquemment utilisé

   d. ( = accustomed)

► used to

• to be used to sth avoir l'habitude de qch

• to be used to doing sth avoir l'habitude de faire qch

• to get used to sb/sth s'habituer à qn/qch

• you'll soon get used to it vous vous y habituerez vite

• to get used to doing sth prendre l'habitude de faire qch

2. compounds

► used-car salesman noun vendeur m de voitures d'occasion

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

✦ La fin de used, sed, se prononce zd: ju:zd, sauf dans l'expression used to, où sed se prononce st: ju:st.

* * *

Note: To translate used to do, use the imperfect tense in French: he used to live in York = il habitait York. To stress that something was done repeatedly, you can use avoir l'habitude de faire: she used to go out for a walk in the afternoon = elle avait l'habitude de sortir se promener l'après-midi

To emphasize a contrast between past and present, you can use avant: I used to love sport = j'adorais le sport avant

For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below
I 1. [juːst]
modal auxiliary

I used to do — je faisais

he didn't used to ou he used not to smoke — il ne fumait pas avant

didn't she used to smoke? — est-ce qu'elle ne fumait pas, avant?

she used to smoke, didn't she? — elle fumait avant, non?

it used to be thought that — avant on pensait que

there used to be a pub here — il y avait un pub ici (dans le temps)
2. [juːzt]
adjective ( accustomed)

to be used to something — avoir l'habitude de quelque chose, être habitué à quelque chose

I'm not used to this sort of treatment — je n'ai pas l'habitude qu'on me traite (subj) ainsi

to be used to somebody — être habitué à quelqu'un

to get used to — s'habituer à

to be used to doing — avoir l'habitude de faire

to get used to doing — s'habituer à faire

to be used to somebody doing — être habitué à ce que quelqu'un fasse

I'm not used to it — je n'ai pas l'habitude

it takes a bit of getting used to — ça prend du temps pour s'y habituer
II [juːzd]
prét, pp, pp adj use

English-French dictionary > used
14 used

I.

used prét, pp, pp adj ⇒ use B C, D.

II.

used

❢ To translate used to do, use the imperfect tense in French: he used to live in York = il habitait York. To stress that something was done repeatedly, you can use avoir l'habitude de faire: she used to go out for a walk in the afternoon = elle avait l'habitude de sortir se promener l'après-midi.

To emphasize a contrast between past and present, you can use avant: I used to love sport = j'adorais le sport avant.

For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below.

A modal aux I used to do je faisais ; what did he used to ou what used he to look like then? comment était-il à cette époque? ; he didn't used to ou he used not to smoke il ne fumait pas avant ; didn't she used to smoke? est-ce qu'elle ne fumait pas, avant? ; she used to smoke, didn't she? elle fumait avant, non? ; she doesn't smoke now, but she used to elle ne fume plus maintenant, mais elle fumait avant ; it used to be thought that avant on pensait que ; there used to be a pub here il y avait un pub ici (dans le temps) ; didn't there used to be ou used there not to be a pub here? est-ce qu'il n'y avait pas un pub ici?

B adj ( accustomed) to be used to sth avoir l'habitude de qch, être habitué à qch ; I'm not used to this sort of treatment je n'ai pas l'habitude qu'on me traite ( subj) ainsi ; to be used to sb être habitué à qn ; to get used to [person, eyes, stomach] s'habituer à ; to be used to doing avoir l'habitude de faire ; to get used to doing s'habituer à faire ; she's been used to having her own office jusqu'à maintenant, elle avait l'habitude d'avoir son propre bureau ; to be used to sb doing être habitué à ce que qn fasse ; I'm not used to it je n'ai pas l'habitude ; you'll get used to it tu t'y habitueras ; it takes a bit/a lot of getting used to ça prend du temps/beaucoup de temps pour s'y habituer.

Big English-French dictionary > used
15 occasion

1. noun
1) (opportunity) Gelegenheit, die

rise to the occasion — sich der Situation gewachsen zeigen

2) (reason) Grund, der ( for zu); (cause) Anlass, der

should the occasion arise — falls sich die Gelegenheit ergibt

be [an] occasion for celebration — ein Grund zum Feiern sein

have occasion to do something — [eine] Gelegenheit haben, etwas zu tun

3) (point in time) Gelegenheit, die

on several occasions — bei mehreren Gelegenheiten

on that occasion — bei der Gelegenheit; damals

on occasion[s] — gelegentlich

4) (special occurrence) Anlass, der

it was quite an occasion — es war ein Ereignis

on the occasion of — anlässlich (+ Gen.)
2. transitive verb
verursachen; erregen, Anlass geben zu [Besorgnis]

* * *
[ə'keiʒən]
noun

1) (a particular time: I've heard him speak on several occasions.) die Gelegenheit

2) (a special event: The wedding was a great occasion.) der Anlaß

•

- academic.ru/51107/occasional">occasional
- occasionally
* * *

oc·ca·sion

[əˈkeɪʒ^ən]

I. n

1. (particular time) Gelegenheit f, Anlass m

to dress to suit the \occasion sich akk dem Anlass entsprechend kleiden

▪ on the \occasion of sth anlässlich einer S. gen

congratulations on the \occasion of your wedding anniversary alles Gute zu eurem Hochzeitstag; (appropriate time) [passende] Gelegenheit f

this is certainly not the \occasion to discuss your personal problems dies ist sicherlich nicht der geeignete Moment, deine persönlichen Probleme zu besprechen; (event) Ereignis nt

historic \occasion historisches Ereignis

on this particular \occasion dieses eine Mal

on another \occasion ein anderes Mal, bei einer anderen Gelegenheit

on one \occasion einmal

on several \occasions mehrmals

on \occasion gelegentlich

2. (reason) Grund m, Veranlassung f

there's no \occasion to be so rude es gibt keinen Grund, so unverschämt zu sein

the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death was the \occasion for hundreds of special films anlässlich des 200. Todestages Mozarts kamen Hunderte von Sondersendungen

should the \occasion arise sollte es nötig sein [o werden]

to have \occasion to do sth Veranlassung haben, etw zu tun

3. (opportunity) Gelegenheit f

an \occasion may arise when you can use your knowledge of French vielleicht bietet sich eine Gelegenheit, deine Französischkenntnisse anzuwenden

to take [or use] the \occasion to do sth eine Gelegenheit ergreifen [o nutzen], etw zu tun

II. vt ( form)

▪ to \occasion sth etw hervorrufen [o verursachen]

to \occasion a visit einen Besuch nach sich ziehen

the case \occasioned the authorities a lot of worry der Fall bereitete den Behörden viel Ärger

* * *
[ə'keIZən]
1. n

1) (= point in time) Gelegenheit f, Anlass m

on that occasion — damals, bei or zu jener Gelegenheit or jenem Anlass (geh)

on another occasion — ein anderes Mal, bei einer anderen Gelegenheit etc

on several occasions — mehrmals, bei or zu mehreren Gelegenheiten etc

(on) the first occasion — beim ersten Mal, das erste Mal

on occasion — gelegentlich

it does not befit the occasion — es ist unpassend für diesen or zu diesem Anlass

to rise to the occasion — sich der Lage gewachsen zeigen

2) (= special time) Ereignis nt

occasions of state — Staatsanlässe pl

on the occasion of his birthday — anlässlich or aus Anlass seines Geburtstages

one's 21st birthday should be something of an occasion — ein 21. Geburtstag sollte schon ein besonderes Ereignis sein

3) (= opportunity) Gelegenheit f, Möglichkeit f

I never had the occasion to congratulate him — es bot sich mir keine Gelegenheit or ich hatte nicht die Möglichkeit, ihm zu gratulieren

I would like to take this occasion to... (form) — ich möchte diese Gelegenheit ergreifen, um...

4) (= reason) Grund m, Anlass m, Veranlassung f

should the occasion arise — sollte es nötig sein or werden

to give occasion to sth (form) — zu etw Anlass geben

if you have occasion to... — sollten Sie Veranlassung haben, zu...

not an occasion for merriment — kein Grund zur Freude

2. vt (form)
verursachen, Anlass geben zu, zeitigen (geh)
to occasion sb to do sth — jdn dazu veranlassen, etw zu tun

* * *

occasion [əˈkeıʒn]

A s

1. (günstige) Gelegenheit, günstiger Augenblick, richtiger Zeitpunkt:

take occasion to do sth die Gelegenheit ergreifen, etwas zu tun

2. (of) Gelegenheit f (zu), Möglichkeit f (gen):

have occasion to do sth die Gelegenheit haben, etwas zu tun

3. (besondere) Gelegenheit, Anlass m:

on this occasion bei dieser Gelegenheit;

on the occasion of anlässlich (gen), aus Anlass (gen);

on occasion

a) bei Gelegenheit, gelegentlich,

b) wenn nötig;

for the occasion für diese besondere Gelegenheit, eigens zu diesem Anlass oder Zweck

4. ( besonders festliches) Ereignis:

celebrate the occasion

a) das Ereignis feiern,

b) (Redew) zur Feier des Tages;

rise to the occasion sich der Lage gewachsen zeigen; → mark¹ B 6

5. Anlass m, Anstoß m:

give occasion to sth, be the occasion of sth etwas veranlassen, den Anstoß zu etwas geben

6. (for) Grund m (zu), Ursache f (gen), Veranlassung f (zu):

there is no occasion to be afraid es besteht kein Grund zur Besorgnis

7. pl obs Geschäfte pl, Angelegenheiten pl:

go about one’s occasions seinen Geschäften nachgehen

B v/t veranlassen, verursachen, bewirken:

occasion sb sth jemandem etwas verursachen;

this occasioned him to go dies veranlasste ihn zu gehen

* * *
1. noun
1) (opportunity) Gelegenheit, die

rise to the occasion — sich der Situation gewachsen zeigen

2) (reason) Grund, der ( for zu); (cause) Anlass, der

should the occasion arise — falls sich die Gelegenheit ergibt

be [an] occasion for celebration — ein Grund zum Feiern sein

have occasion to do something — [eine] Gelegenheit haben, etwas zu tun

3) (point in time) Gelegenheit, die

on several occasions — bei mehreren Gelegenheiten

on that occasion — bei der Gelegenheit; damals

on occasion[s] — gelegentlich

4) (special occurrence) Anlass, der

it was quite an occasion — es war ein Ereignis

on the occasion of — anlässlich (+ Gen.)
2. transitive verb
verursachen; erregen, Anlass geben zu [Besorgnis]

* * *

n.

Anlass -¨e m.

Gelegenheit f.

English-german dictionary > occasion
16 occasion

oc·ca·sion [əʼkeɪʒ^ən] n

1) ( particular time) Gelegenheit f, Anlass m;

to dress to suit the \occasion sich akk dem Anlass entsprechend kleiden;

on the \occasion of sth anlässlich einer S. gen;

congratulations on the \occasion of your wedding anniversary alles Gute zu eurem Hochzeitstag;

( appropriate time) [passende] Gelegenheit f;

this is certainly not the \occasion to discuss your personal problems dies ist sicherlich nicht der geeignete Moment, deine persönlichen Probleme zu besprechen;

( event) Ereignis nt;

historic \occasion historisches Ereignis;

on this particular \occasion dieses eine Mal;

on another \occasion ein anderes Mal, bei einer anderen Gelegenheit;

on one \occasion einmal;

on several \occasions mehrmals;

on \occasion gelegentlich

2) ( reason) Grund m, Veranlassung f;

there's no \occasion to be so rude es gibt keinen Grund, so unverschämt zu sein;

the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death was the \occasion for hundreds of special films anlässlich des 200. Todestages Mozarts kamen Hunderte von Sondersendungen;

should the \occasion arise sollte es nötig sein [o werden];

to have \occasion to do sth Veranlassung haben, etw zu tun

3) ( opportunity) Gelegenheit f;

an \occasion may arise when you can use your knowledge of French vielleicht bietet sich eine Gelegenheit, deine Französischkenntnisse anzuwenden;

to take [or use] the \occasion to do sth eine Gelegenheit ergreifen [o nutzen], etw zu tun vt ( form);

to \occasion sth etw hervorrufen;

to \occasion a visit einen Besuch nach sich ziehen;

the case \occasioned the authorities a lot of worry der Fall bereitete den Behörden viel Ärger

English-German students dictionary > occasion
17 that

1. ðæt plural - those; adjective
(used to indicate a person, thing etc spoken of before, not close to the speaker, already known to the speaker and listener etc: Don't take this book - take that one; At that time, I was living in Italy; When are you going to return those books?) ese, esa, esos, esas; aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas

2. pronoun
(used to indicate a thing etc, or (in plural or with the verb be) person or people, spoken of before, not close to the speaker, already known to the speaker and listener etc: What is that you've got in your hand?; Who is that?; That is the Prime Minister; Those present at the concert included the composer and his wife.) ese, esa, esos, esas; aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas

3. ðət, ðæt relative pronoun
(used to refer to a person, thing etc mentioned in a preceding clause in order to distinguish it from others: Where is the parcel that arrived this morning?; Who is the man (that) you were talking to?)

4. ðət, ðæt conjunction
1) ((often omitted) used to report what has been said etc or to introduce other clauses giving facts, reasons, results etc: I know (that) you didn't do it; I was surprised (that) he had gone.) que

2) (used to introduce expressions of sorrow, wishes etc: That I should be accused of murder!; Oh, that I were with her now!) y pensar que; ojalá

5.
adverb
(so; to such an extent: I didn't realize she was that ill.) tan

- like that
- that's that

that¹ adj ese / aquel

who lives in that house? ¿quién vive en esa casa?

did you bring that book? ¿has traído aquel libro?

El plural de that es those

what are those boys doing? ¿qué están haciendo aquellos chicos?

that² adv tan

I can't run that fast no puedo correr tan rápido

that³ conj que

I hope that you are well espero que estés bien

she's the girl that won the race es la chica que ganó la carrera

that⁴ pron

1. ése / aquél

that's yours ése es el tuyo

2. eso

I don't want that no quiero eso

that's right eso es

El plural de that es those

those are mine aquéllos son míos

that

tr[ðæt ʊnstressed ðət]

adjective (pl those)

1 ese, esa (remote) aquel, aquella

■ look at that woman mira a aquella mujer

■ how much is that dress? ¿cuánto vale ese vestido?

■ what was that noise? ¿qué ha sido ese ruido?

■ just at that moment justo en aquel instante

■ have you got that record I lent you? ¿tienes aquel disco que te dejé?

pronoun (pl those)

1 ése nombre masculino, ésa (remote) aquél nombre masculino, aquélla

■ who's that? ¿quién es ése/ésa?

■ this is mine, that is yours éste es mío, aquél es tuyo

■ this one's much nicer than that éste es mucho más bonito que aquél

2 (indefinite) eso; (remote) aquello

■ what's that? ¿qué es eso?

■ don't do that no hagas eso

■ where did you get that? ¿dónde has comprado eso?

■ that's why I didn't go por eso no fui

3 (relative) que

■ the man that lives upstairs is a writer el hombre que vive arriba es escritor

■ I really like the book (that) you gave me me encanta el libro que me regalaste

■ this is the most difficult job (that) I've ever done este es el trabajo más difícil que he hecho

4 (with preposition) que, el/la que, el/la cual

■ this is the book (that) I was telling you about éste es el libro de que te hablaba

■ the day (that) we met el día (en el) que nos conocimos

conjunction

1 que

■ I know (that) it's true sé que es verdad

■ he said (that) he was a policeman dijo que era policía

■ the problem is that I don't speak French el problema es que no hablo francés

■ she was so happy (that) she danced in the street estaba tan contenta que bailó en la calle

■ give me the money so (that) I can buy a present dame el dinero para que pueda comprar un regalo

2 ¡ojalá!

■ oh that I were rich ojalá fuera rico

adverb

1 familiar tan, tanto,-a, tantos,-as

■ it's not that expensive no es tan caro

■ it isn't that cold no hace tanto frío

■ it wasn't that bad no fue tan malo

\

SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALL

and all that y todo eso

like that así, de aquella manera

that is to say es decir

that's it (that's all) eso es todo 2 (that's right) eso es 3 (that's enough) se acabó

that's life así es la vida

that's more like it ¡ahora!, ¡así me gusta!

that's right así es

that's that ya está, se acabó

who's that? (on 'phone) ¿quién es?, ¿quién eres?

that ['ðæt] adv, (in negative constructions) : tan

it's not that expensive: no es tan caro

not that much: no tanto

that adj, pl those : ese, esa, aquel, aquella

do you see those children?: ¿ves a aquellos niños?

that conj & pron

: que

he said that he was afraid: dijo que tenía miedo

the book that he wrote: el libro que escribió

that pron, pl those ['ðo:z]

1) : ése, ésa, eso

that's my father: ése es mi padre

those are the ones he likes: ésos son los que le gustan

what's that?: ¿qué es eso?

2) (referring to more distant objects or time) : aquél, aquélla, aquello

those are maples and these are elms: aquéllos son arces y éstos son olmos

that came to an end: aquello se acabó

that

adj.

• esa adj.

• ese adj.

adj.dem.

• aquel adj.dem.

adv.

• como adv.

• tan adv.

conj.

• ese conj.

• para que conj.

• que conj.

pron.

• aquello pron.

• aquél pron.

• el cual pron.

• ese pron.

• eso pron.

• que pron.

• quien pron.

• tanto pron.

pron.dem.neut.

• aquello pron.dem.neut.

I ðæt
pronoun

1) (pl those) ( demonstrative) ése, ésa; (neuter) eso

those — ésos, ésas; (to refer to something more distant, to the remote past) aquél, aquélla; (neuter) aquello

those — aquéllos, aquéllas [According to the Real Academia Española the accent can be omitted when there is no ambiguity]

what's that? — ¿qué es eso?

who's that over there? — quién es ése/ésa?

those are $20 and those over there $21.50 — ésos cuestan 20 dólares y aquéllos de allá 21,50

that's why she never went back — por eso nunca volvió

who's that, please? — ( on telephone) ¿con quién hablo, por favor?

that's impossible/wonderful! — es imposible/maravilloso!

those who have been less fortunate — los que no han tenido tanta suerte

is that so? — no me digas!, ¿ah, sí?

don't talk like that! — no hables así!, no digas eso!

eat it up now, that's a good girl! — vamos, cómetelo todo así me gusta!

come on, it's not as bad as all that — vamos, que no es para tanto

2) (in phrases)

at that — ( moreover) además; ( thereupon)

at that they all burst out laughing — al oír (or ver etc) eso, todos se echaron a reír

for all that — por eso

he has enormous power and wealth, but is still unhappy for all that — tiene mucho poder y muchas riquezas, pero aún así es infeliz

that is: we're all going, all the adults, that is vamos todos, es decir, todos los adultos; you're welcome to come along, that is, if you'd like to encantados de que vengas, siempre que quieras venir, claro; that's it!: that's it for today eso es todo por hoy; is that it? - no, there's another bag to come ¿ya está? - no, todavía falta otra bolsa; now lift your left arm: that's it! ahora levanta el brazo izquierdo eso es! or ahí está!; that's it: I've had enough! se acabó! ya no aguanto más!; that's that: you're not going and that's that! — no vas y no hay más que hablar or y se acabó

3) ðət, strong form ðæt ( relative) que

a voice that reminded him of somebody — una voz que le recordaba a alguien

it wasn't Helen (that) you saw — no fue a Helen a quien viste, no fue a Helen que viste (AmL)

the reason (that) she resigned — el motivo por el que dimitió

the way (that) he spoke — la forma en que habló

II ðæt
adjective (pl those) ese, esa

those — esos, esas; (to refer to something more distant, to the remote past) aquel, aquella

those — aquellos, aquellas

do you know that boy/girl? — ¿conoces a ese chico/esa chica?

those two records — esos dos discos

I prefer that one — prefiero ése/ésa

I like those yellow ones — me gustan ésos amarillos

in those days — en aquellos tiempos

it's been one of those days — ha sido uno de esos días en que todo sale mal

III ðət, strong form ðæt
conjunction que

she said (that)... — dijo que...

the news that our team had won — la noticia de que nuestro equipo había ganado

I'm glad (that) you're here — me alegro de que estés aquí

she talks so fast that I can't understand — habla tan rápido que no le entiendo

it's not that I mind what he does but... — no es que me importe lo que hace, pero...

they died that others might live — (liter) murieron para que otros pudieran vivir

IV ðæt
adverb tan

ten thirty? that late already? — ¿las diez y media? ¿ya es tan tarde?

I'm not that interested, really — la verdad es que no me interesa tanto

she can't be all that stupid — no es posible que sea tan tonta

(strong form) [ðæt] (weak form) [ˌdǝt] (pl those) Those is treated as a separate entry.
1. DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVE

1) [+ objects/people]
You can generally use ese etc when pointing to something near the person you are speaking to. Use aquel etc for something which is distant from both of you: (nearer) ese m, esa f ; (more remote) aquel m, aquella f
that book — ese libro

that hill over there — aquella colina de allí

that car is much better value than that sports model at the end — ese coche está mejor de precio que aquel modelo deportivo que hay al final

that lad of yours — ese chico tuyo

that wretched dog! — ¡ese maldito perro!

what about that cheque? — ¿y el cheque ese?

• I only met her that once — la vi solamente aquella vez

• that one — ese(-a), ése(-a); (more remote) aquel(la), aquél(la)
In the past the standard spelling for [ese/esa] and [aquel/aquella] used as pronouns (as when they are used to translate [that one]) was with an accent ([ése/ésa] and [aquél/aquélla]). Nowadays the [Real Academia Española] advises that the accented forms are only required where there might otherwise be confusion with the adjectives [este/esta] and [aquel/aquella].
there's little to choose between this model and that one — no hay mucho que elegir entre este modelo y aquel

2) [+ event, year, month]

Aquel is used to refer to a time in the distant past. Use if you mention a concrete date, month, year {etc">ese:
do you remember that holiday we had in Holland? — ¿te acuerdas de aquellas vacaciones que pasamos en Holanda?

1992? I can't remember where we holidayed that year — ¿1992? no recuerdo dónde pasamos las vacaciones ese año

May? we can't come that month because we'll be moving house — ¿en mayo? no podemos venir ese mes porque nos estaremos mudando de casa

2.

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN
The pronoun that ( one) is translated by ese and aquel (masc), esa and aquella (fem) and eso and aquello (neuter). You can generally use ese etc when pointing to something near the person you are speaking to. Use aquel etc for something which is distant from both of you. Note that in the past the standard spelling for the masculine and feminine pronouns was with an accent (ése/ésa and aquél/aquélla). Nowadays the Real Academia Española advises that the accented forms are only required where there might otherwise be confusion with the adjectives ese/esa and aquel/aquella. Neuter pronouns never carry an accent. (nearer) ese m, esa f, ése m, ésa f, eso (neuter) ; (more remote) aquel(la) m / f, aquél(la) m / f, aquello (neuter)
who's that? — ¿quién es ese?

what is that? — ¿qué es eso?, ¿eso qué es?

that's my French teacher over there — aquel es mi profesor de francés

that's my sister over by the window — aquella de la ventana es mi hermana

that's Joe — es Joe

is that you, Paul? — ¿eres tú, Paul?

£5? it must have cost more than that — ¿5 libras? debe haber costado más (que eso)

that's true — eso es verdad, es cierto (esp LAm)

that's odd! — ¡qué raro!, ¡qué cosa más rara!

1988? that was the year you graduated, wasn't it? — ¿1988? ese fue el año en que acabaste la carrera, ¿no es así?

"will he come?" - "that he will!" — † -¿vendrá? -¡ya lo creo!

• after that — después de eso

• bees and wasps and all that — abejas, avispas y cosas así

that's all I can tell you — eso es todo lo que puedo decirte

is that all? — ¿eso es todo?, ¿nada más?

she's not as stupid as (all) that — no es tan estúpida como para eso

• and it was broken at that — y además estaba roto

I realized he meant to speak to me and at that I panicked — me di cuenta de que quería hablar conmigo y entonces me entró el pánico

• what do you mean by that? — ¿qué quieres decir con eso?

• if it comes to that — en tal caso, si llegamos a eso

• it will cost 20 dollars, if that — costará 20 dólares, si es que llega

• that is — (=ie) es decir...

• that's it, we've finished — ya está, hemos terminado

they get their wages and that's it — tienen un sueldo y eso es todo

that's it! she can find her own gardener! — ¡se acabó! ¡que se busque un jardinero por su cuenta!

• that of — el/la de

a hurricane like that of 1987 — un huracán como el de 1987

a recession like that of 1973-74 — una recesión como la de 1973-1974

• that is to say — es decir...

• why worry about that which may never happen? — frm ¿por qué preocuparse por aquello que or por lo que puede que nunca vaya a pasar?

• with that — con eso

- that's that: you can't go and that's that

- so that was that

3. RELATIVE PRONOUN
Unlike that, the Spanish relative cannot be omitted.
1) que

the man that came in — el hombre que entró

the book that I read — el libro que leí

the houses that I painted — las casas que pinté

the girl that he met on holiday and later married — la chica que conoció durante las vacaciones y con la que después se casó

all that I have — todo lo que tengo

fool that I am! — ¡tonto que soy!

2) (with preposition)
If the that clause ends in a preposition, you can either translate that as que (usually preceded by the definite article) or as article + cual/cuales. Use the second option particularly in formal language or after long prepositions or prepositional phrases:
the actor that I was telling you about — el actor del que te hablaba

the car that she got into — el coche al que se subió

the film that I read about in the papers — la película sobre la que leí en el periódico

the box that I put it in — la caja donde lo puse, la caja en la que or en la cual lo puse

a planet that satellites go round — un planeta alrededor del cual giran satélites

3) (in expressions of time)

the evening that we went to the theatre — la tarde (en) que fuimos al teatro

the summer that it was so hot — el verano que hizo tanto calor

4. ADVERB

1) (=so) tan

that far — tan lejos

he can't be that clever — no puede ser tan inteligente

I didn't know he was that ill — no sabía que estuviera tan enfermo

it's about that big — (with gesture) es más o menos así de grande

• cheer up! it isn't that bad — ¡ánimo! ¡no es para tanto!

• that many frogs — tantas ranas

• that much money — tanto dinero

2) * (=so very) tan

he was that wild — estaba tan furioso

it was that cold! — ¡hacía tanto frío!

5. CONJUNCTION
Unlike that, que cannot be omitted.
1) after verb que

he said that... — dijo que...

he said that he was going to London and would be back in the evening — dijo que se iba a Londres y (que) volvería por la tarde

I believe that he exists — creo que existe

2) after noun
Translate as de que in phrases like the idea/belief/hope that:

• any hope that they might have survived was fading — toda esperanza de que hubiesen sobrevivido se estaba desvaneciendo

• the idea that we can profit from their labour — la idea de que podemos aprovecharnos de su trabajo

•..., not that I want to, of course —..., no es que yo quiera, por supuesto

• oh that we could! — ¡ojalá pudiéramos!, ¡ojalá!

3) 'that' clause as subject
If the that clause is the subject of another verb it is usual to translate that as el que rather than que especially if it starts the sentence:
that he did not know surprised me — (el) que no lo supiera me extrañó, me extrañó (el) que no lo supiera
In these cases the verb which follows will be in the subjunctive:
that he refuses is natural — (el) que rehúse es natural

that he should behave like this is incredible — (el) que se comporte así es increíble, es increíble que se comporte así
would
4) (=in order that) para que + subjun

it was done (so) that he might sleep — se hizo para que pudiera dormir

those who fought and died that we might live — los que lucharon y murieron para que nosotros pudiésemos vivir

5)

• in that — en el sentido de que

it's an attractive investment in that it is tax-free — es una inversión atractiva en el sentido de que está exenta de impuestos

* * *

I [ðæt]
pronoun

1) (pl those) ( demonstrative) ése, ésa; (neuter) eso

those — ésos, ésas; (to refer to something more distant, to the remote past) aquél, aquélla; (neuter) aquello

those — aquéllos, aquéllas [According to the Real Academia Española the accent can be omitted when there is no ambiguity]

what's that? — ¿qué es eso?

who's that over there? — quién es ése/ésa?

those are $20 and those over there $21.50 — ésos cuestan 20 dólares y aquéllos de allá 21,50

that's why she never went back — por eso nunca volvió

who's that, please? — ( on telephone) ¿con quién hablo, por favor?

that's impossible/wonderful! — es imposible/maravilloso!

those who have been less fortunate — los que no han tenido tanta suerte

is that so? — no me digas!, ¿ah, sí?

don't talk like that! — no hables así!, no digas eso!

eat it up now, that's a good girl! — vamos, cómetelo todo así me gusta!

come on, it's not as bad as all that — vamos, que no es para tanto

2) (in phrases)

at that — ( moreover) además; ( thereupon)

at that they all burst out laughing — al oír (or ver etc) eso, todos se echaron a reír

for all that — por eso

he has enormous power and wealth, but is still unhappy for all that — tiene mucho poder y muchas riquezas, pero aún así es infeliz

that is: we're all going, all the adults, that is vamos todos, es decir, todos los adultos; you're welcome to come along, that is, if you'd like to encantados de que vengas, siempre que quieras venir, claro; that's it!: that's it for today eso es todo por hoy; is that it? - no, there's another bag to come ¿ya está? - no, todavía falta otra bolsa; now lift your left arm: that's it! ahora levanta el brazo izquierdo eso es! or ahí está!; that's it: I've had enough! se acabó! ya no aguanto más!; that's that: you're not going and that's that! — no vas y no hay más que hablar or y se acabó

3) [ðət], strong form [ðæt] ( relative) que

a voice that reminded him of somebody — una voz que le recordaba a alguien

it wasn't Helen (that) you saw — no fue a Helen a quien viste, no fue a Helen que viste (AmL)

the reason (that) she resigned — el motivo por el que dimitió

the way (that) he spoke — la forma en que habló

II [ðæt]
adjective (pl those) ese, esa

those — esos, esas; (to refer to something more distant, to the remote past) aquel, aquella

those — aquellos, aquellas

do you know that boy/girl? — ¿conoces a ese chico/esa chica?

those two records — esos dos discos

I prefer that one — prefiero ése/ésa

I like those yellow ones — me gustan ésos amarillos

in those days — en aquellos tiempos

it's been one of those days — ha sido uno de esos días en que todo sale mal

III [ðət], strong form [ðæt]
conjunction que

she said (that)... — dijo que...

the news that our team had won — la noticia de que nuestro equipo había ganado

I'm glad (that) you're here — me alegro de que estés aquí

she talks so fast that I can't understand — habla tan rápido que no le entiendo

it's not that I mind what he does but... — no es que me importe lo que hace, pero...

they died that others might live — (liter) murieron para que otros pudieran vivir

IV [ðæt]
adverb tan

ten thirty? that late already? — ¿las diez y media? ¿ya es tan tarde?

I'm not that interested, really — la verdad es que no me interesa tanto

she can't be all that stupid — no es posible que sea tan tonta

English-spanish dictionary > that
18 Usage note : do

The direct French equivalent of the verb to do in subject + to do + object sentences is faire:

she’s doing her homework

= elle fait ses devoirs

what are you doing?

= qu’est-ce que tu fais?

what has he done with the newspaper?

= qu’est-ce qu’il a fait du journal?

faire functions in very much the same way as to do does in English and it is safe to assume it will work in the great majority of cases. For the conjugation of the verb faire, see the French verb tables.

Grammatical functions

In questions

In French there is no use of an auxiliary verb in questions equivalent to the use of do in English.

When the subject is a pronoun, the question is formed in French either by inverting the subject and verb and putting a hyphen between the two ( veux-tu?) or by prefacing the subject + verb by est-ce que (literally is it that):

do you like Mozart?

= aimes-tu Mozart? or est-ce que tu aimes Mozart?

did you put the glasses in the cupboard?

= as-tu mis les verres dans le placard? or est-ce que tu as mis les verres dans le placard?

When the subject is a noun there are again two possibilities:

did your sister ring?

= est-ce que ta sœur a téléphoné? or ta sœur a-t-elle téléphoné?

did Max find his keys?

= est-ce que Max a trouvé ses clés? or Max a-t-il trouvé ses clés?

In negatives

Equally, auxiliaries are not used in negatives in French:

I don’t like Mozart

= je n’aime pas Mozart

you didn’t feed the cat

= tu n’as pas donné à manger au chat

don’t do that!

= ne fais pas ça!

In emphatic uses

There is no verbal equivalent for the use of do in such expressions as I DO like your dress. A French speaker will find another way, according to the context, of expressing the force of the English do. Here are a few useful examples:

I DO like your dress

= j’aime beaucoup ta robe

I DO hope she remembers

= j’espère qu’elle n’oubliera pas

I DO think you should see a doctor

= je crois vraiment que tu devrais voir un médecin

When referring back to another verb

In this case the verb to do is not translated at all:

I don’t like him any more than you do

= je ne l’aime pas plus que toi

I live in Oxford and so does Lily

= j’habite à Oxford et Lily aussi

she gets paid more than I do

= elle est payée plus que moi

I haven’t written as much as I ought to have done

= je n’ai pas écrit autant que j’aurais dû

‘I love strawberries’ ‘so do I’

= ‘j’adore les fraises’ ‘moi aussi’

In polite requests

In polite requests the phrase je vous en prie can often be used to render the meaning of do:

do sit down

= asseyez-vous, je vous en prie

do have a piece of cake

= prenez un morceau de gâteau, je vous en prie

‘may I take a peach?’ ‘yes, do’

= ‘puis-je prendre une pêche?’ ‘je vous en prie’

In imperatives

In French there is no use of an auxiliary verb in imperatives:

don’t shut the door

= ne ferme pas la porte

don’t tell her anything

= ne lui dis rien

do be quiet!

= tais-toi!

In tag questions

French has no direct equivalent of tag questions like doesn’t he? or didn’t it? There is a general tag question n’est-ce pas? (literally isn’t it so?) which will work in many cases:

you like fish, don’t you?

= tu aimes le poisson, n’est-ce pas?

he lives in London, doesn’t he?

= il habite à Londres, n’est-ce pas?

However, n’est-ce pas can very rarely be used for positive tag questions and some other way will be found to express the meaning contained in the tag: par hasard can often be useful as a translation:

Lola didn’t phone, did she?

= Lola n’a pas téléphoné par hasard?

Paul doesn’t work here, does he?

= Paul ne travaille pas ici par hasard?

In many cases the tag is not translated at all and the speaker’s intonation will convey what is implied:

you didn’t tidy your room, did you? (i.e. you ought to have done)

= tu n’as pas rangé ta chambre?

In short answers

Again, there is no direct French equivalent for short answers like yes I do, no he doesn’t etc. Where the answer yes is given to contradict a negative question or statement, the most useful translation is si:

‘Marion didn’t say that’ ‘yes she did’

= ‘Marion n’a pas dit ça’ ‘si’

‘they don’t sell vegetables at the baker’s’ ‘yes they do’

= ‘ils ne vendent pas les légumes à la boulangerie’ ‘si’

In response to a standard enquiry the tag will not be translated:

‘do you like strawberries?’ ‘yes I do’

= ‘aimez-vous les fraises?’ ‘oui ’

For more examples and particular usages, see the entry do.

Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : do
19 for

fo:
1. preposition
1) (to be given or sent to: This letter is for you.) para

2) (towards; in the direction of: We set off for London.) para, hacia, en dirección a

3) (through a certain time or distance: for three hours; for three miles.) durante

4) (in order to have, get, be etc: He asked me for some money; Go for a walk.) (pedir dinero); (salir) a (pasear)

5) (in return; as payment: He paid $2 for his ticket.) por

6) (in order to be prepared: He's getting ready for the journey.) para

7) (representing: He is the member of parliament for Hull.) por

8) (on behalf of: Will you do it for me?) por

9) (in favour of: Are you for or against the plan?) por, a favor de

10) (because of: for this reason.) por, a causa de

11) (having a particular purpose: She gave me money for the bus fare.) para

12) (indicating an ability or an attitude to: a talent for baking; an ear for music.) para

13) (as being: They mistook him for someone else.) por, para

14) (considering what is used in the case of: It is quite warm for January (= considering that it is January when it is usually cold).) para

15) (in spite of: For all his money, he didn't seem happy.) a pesar de

2. conjunction
(because: It must be late, for I have been here a long time.) ya que, puesto que

for prep

1. para

this present is for you este regalo es para ti

there are tables for smokers and non-smokers hay mesas para fumadores y no fumadores

glue for sticking leather pegamento para pegar el cuero

I'll be there for the wedding estaré allí para la boda

is this the train for London? ¿es éste el tren que va a Londres?

2. por

I bought it for £12 lo compré por 12 libras

what can I do for you? ¿qué puedo hacer por ti?

he was fined for stealing lo multaron por robar

3. desde hace

I have lived in Spain for twenty years vivo en España desde hace veinte años

4. durante

I waited for three hours esperé durante tres horas

5. de

"T" for Tony "T" de Tony

what's the word for "cheese" in Spanish? ¿cómo se dice "cheese" en español?

6. a favor de

are you for the plan, or against it? ¿estás a favor del plan, o en contra?

for

tr[fɔː^SMALLr/SMALL]

preposition

1 (intended) para

■ it's a present for you es un regalo para ti

■ save some cake for me guarda un poco de pastel para mí

■ there's a phone call for Mr. Smith hay una llamada para el Sr. Smith

2 (purpose) para

■ what's this for? ¿para qué sirve esto?

■ I need something for a cough necesito algo para la tos

■ shall we meet for lunch? ¿quedamos para comer?

3 (destination) para

■ he's left for work ha salido para el trabajo

■ where do I catch the train for Newcastle? ¿dónde se coge el tren para Newcastle?

■ passengers for London now boarding pasajeros con destino a Londres pueden embarcar

■ it's a novel for teenagers es una novela para quinceañeros

■ flat for rent piso para alquilar

4 (in order to help, on behalf of) por

■ do it for me hazlo por mí

■ I'll get that for you if you can't reach yo te lo cogeré si no llegas

■ I think I speak for everyone creo que hablo en nombre de todos

■ it's for your own good es por tu propio bien

5 (because of, on account of) por, a causa de

■ York is famous for its cathedral York es famoso por su catedral

■ he dare not speak for fear of waking the baby no se atreve a hablar por miedo a despertar al bebé

■ I couldn't sleep for the noise no pude dormir por el ruido

■ if it weren't for him si no fuera por él

6 (past time) durante; (future time) por; (specific point in time) para

■ we went for two weeks fuimos por dos semanas

■ we talked for a while hablamos durante un rato

■ we're going for a fortnight vamos por quince días

■ I'd like to go away for a few days me gustaría ir fuera unos días

■ I'll love you for ever te amaré para siempre

■ I've booked a table for tomorrow he reservado una mesa para mañana

■ a meeting has been called for 10.00 se ha convocado una reunión para las 10.00

■ that's all for today es todo por hoy

■ I've lived here for 5 years hace 5 años que vivo aquí, vivo aquí desde hace 5 años

■ she hadn't seen him for a year hacía un año que no le veía

■ it's the first accident here for a long time es el primer accidente que ocurre aquí desde hace mucho tiempo

7 (distance)

■ I walked for five miles caminé cinco millas

8 (in exchange, as replacement of) por

■ I got it for £500 lo conseguí por 500 libras

■ the record went for $50 el disco se vendió por 50 dólares

■ he exchanged his old car for a new one cambió su viejo coche por uno nuevo

■ you shouldn't translate word for word no deberías traducir palabra por palabra

■ the manager substituted Jones for Lee el entrenador sustituyó a Jones por Lee

9 (in favour of, in support of) por, a favor de

■ this is a campaign for peace es una campaña a favor de la paz

■ who did you vote for? ¿a quién votaste?

■ he'd give his life for him daría su vida por él

■ he fought for his country luchó por la patria

■ he's played for his country ha jugado en la selección nacional

■ are you for or against the new laws? ¿estás a favor o en contra de las nuevas leyes?

■ I'm all for a state lottery soy partidario de una lotería estatal

10 (despite) a pesar de, para; (considering, contrast) para

■ she's very tall for her age es muy alta para su edad

■ he does it really well for a child lo hace muy bien por ser un niño

■ he's quite nice for a policeman es bastante simpático para ser policía

■ I still love him, for all his faults lo quiero, a pesar de todos sus defectos

11 (as) de, como, por

■ what do they use for fuel? ¿qué utilizan de combustible?

■ he was left for dead lo dieron por muerto

12 (in order to obtain) para

■ for further details... para más información....

■ she went to her mother for advice acudió a su madre para que le aconsejara

■ 100 people applied for the job 100 personas solicitaron el puesto

■ we ran for our lives tuvimos que correr para salvarnos

■ I only did it for the money lo hice solamente por el dinero

■ she sent for the doctor llamó al médico

13 (representing) por; (meaning) de

■ she's the MP for Southampton es la diputada por Southampton

■ I can't go to the meeting - will you go for me? no puedo asistir a la reunión - ¿quieres ir en mi lugar?

■ a cheque for 20 pounds un talón (por valor) de 20 libras

■ B for Barcelona B de Barcelona

■ what's the Spanish for "pool"? ¿cómo se dice "pool" en castellano?

■ red for danger rojo de peligro

14 (as regards, concerning) por, en cuanto a

■ for my part, he can do as he likes por mí, que haga lo que quiera

■ as for him, who cares? en cuanto a él, ¿a quién le importa?

■ luckily for us, it didn't rain afortunadamente para nosotros, no llovió

15 (as part of, as being) por, para

■ I took him for the manager lo tomé por el director

■ do you know that for a fact? ¿lo sabes a ciencia cierta?

■ what do you want for dinner? ¿qué quieres para comer?

1 para

■ it's easy for you to say that para ti es fácil decir eso

■ it's impossible for me to come to the wedding me es imposible asistir a la boda

■ there's no need for you to do that no hace falta que hagas eso

■ it's time for you to go es hora de que te marches

■ I bought it for you to wear tonight lo compré para que te lo pusieras esta noche

■ it's for you to use at work es para que lo uses en el trabajo

■ that's no reason for you to get so upset no es motivo para que te preocupes tanto

conjunction

16 formal use literal ya que, puesto que

\

SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALL

as for me por mi parte, en cuanto a mí

for all I know que yo sepa

for all that a pesar de todo, con todo

for good para siempre

for the first time por primera vez

for the last time por última vez

oh for...! ¡ojalá tuviera...!

■ oh for a star to guide my way! ¡ojalá tuviera una estrella que me guiara los pasos!

there's nothing for it but... no hay más remedio que...

to be for it cargársela

■ he'll be for it if they find out se la va a cargar si se enteran

for ['fɔr] conj

: puesto que, porque

for prep

1) (indicating purpose) : para, de

clothes for children: ropa para niños

it's time for dinner: es la hora de comer

2) because of: por

for fear of: por miedo de

3) (indicating a recipient) : para, por

a gift for you: un regalo para ti

4) (indicating support) : por

he fought for his country: luchó por su patria

5) (indicating a goal) : por, para

a cure for cancer: una cura para el cáncer

for your own good: por tu propio bien

6) (indicating correspondence or exchange) : por, para

I bought it for $5: lo compré por $5

a lot of trouble for nothing: mucha molestia para nada

7) as for: para, con respecto a

8) (indicating duration) : durante, por

he's going for two years: se va por dos años

I spoke for ten minutes: hablé (durante) diez minutos

she has known it for three months: lo sabe desde hace tres meses

for

conj.

• para conj.

• pues conj.

• ya que conj.

n.

• por s.m.

prep.

• a causa de prep.

• como prep.

• de prep.

• durante prep.

• en honor de prep.

• en lugar de prep.

• para prep.

• por prep.

I fɔːr, fɔː(r), weak form fər, fə(r)
1) preposition

Sense I

2)

a) ( intended for) para

is there a letter for me? — ¿hay carta para mí?

my love for her — mi amor por ella

clothes for men/women — ropa de hombre/mujer

is it for sale? — ¿está en venta?, ¿se vende?

b) ( on behalf of) por

I did it for you — lo hice por ti

he plays for England — forma parte de or juega en la selección inglesa

they are agents for Ford — son concesionarios (de) Ford

c) ( in favor of) a favor de

3) ( indicating purpose)

what's that for? — ¿para qué es eso?, ¿eso para qué sirve?

it's for trimming hedges — es or sirve para recortar setos

it's for decoration — es de adorno

I ran for cover — corrí a guarecerme

an operation for a stomach ulcer — una operación de úlcera de estómago

it's for your own good! — es por tu (propio) bien!

to go out for a meal — salir* a comer fuera

I've come for my son — vengo a buscar a mi hijo

to be for it — (colloq)

here comes Dad, we're for it now! — ahí viene papá ahora sí que estamos listos or (Col tb) hechos or (CS tb) fritos! (fam)

4)

a) (as)

we're having chicken for dinner — vamos a cenar pollo or hay pollo para cenar

what's for dessert? — ¿qué hay de postre?

I can now see him for what he is — ahora me doy cuenta de cómo es en realidad

b) ( representing)

D for David — D de David

what's (the) German for ``ice cream''? — ¿cómo se dice ``helado'' en alemán?

c) ( instead of) por

could you call him for me? — ¿podrías llamarlo tú?, ¿me harías el favor de llamarlo?

5) ( giving reason) por

for that reason — por esa razón

if it weren't for Joe... — si no fuera por Joe...

for one thing it's too costly and for another we don't need it — para empezar es muy caro y además no lo necesitamos

6)

a) ( in exchange for) por

I bought the book for $10 — compré el libro por 10 dólares

not for anything in the world — por nada del mundo

she left him for somebody else — lo dejó por otro

b) ( indicating proportion) por

for every one we find, there are 20 that get away — por cada uno que encontramos, se nos escapan 20

7)

a) ( as concerns) para

it's too cold for me here — aquí hace demasiado frío para mí

that's men for you! — todos los hombres son iguales!

b) ( expressing appropriateness)

it's not for me to decide — no me corresponde a mí decidir

8)

a) ( in spite of)

for all her faults, she's been very kind to us — tendrá sus defectos, pero con nosotros ha sido muy buena

b) (with infinitive clause)

it's unusual for me to forget a name — es raro que se me olvide un nombre

is there time for us to have a cup of coffee? — ¿tenemos tiempo de tomar un café?

9) ( in exclamations)

oh, for some peace and quiet — qué (no) daría yo por un poco de paz y tranquilidad!

Sense II

10) ( in the direction of) para

the plane/bus for New York — el avión/autobús para or de Nueva York

11)

a) ( indicating duration)

he spoke for half an hour — habló (durante) media hora

I've only been here for a day — sólo llevo un día aquí, hace sólo un día que estoy aquí

I'll be away for a week — voy a estar fuera una semana

how long are you going for? — ¿por cuánto tiempo vas?, ¿cuánto tiempo te vas a quedar?

that's enough for now — basta por ahora

we've enough food for six weeks — tenemos comida suficiente para seis semanas

b) ( on the occasion of) para

he gave it to me for my birthday — me lo regaló para mi cumpleaños

c) (by, before) para

we have to be there for six o'clock — tenemos que estar allí a las seis

12) ( indicating distance)

we drove for 20 miles — hicimos 20 millas

we could see for miles — se podía ver hasta muy lejos

II

conjunction (liter) pues (liter), puesto que (frml), porque

[fɔː(r)] When for is part of a phrasal verb, eg look for, make for, stand for, look up the verb. When it is part of a set combination, eg as for, a gift for, for sale, eager for, look up the other word.
1. PREPOSITION

1) (=going to) para

the train for London — el tren para or de Londres

he left for Rome — salió para Roma

the ship left for Vigo — el buque partió (con) rumbo a Vigo

he swam for the shore — fue nadando hacia la playa

2) (=intended for) para

a table for two — una mesa para dos

a cupboard for toys — un armario para los juguetes

a cloth for polishing silver — un paño para sacarle brillo a la plata

it's not for cutting wood — no sirve para cortar madera

there's a letter for you — hay una carta para ti

is this for me? — ¿es para mí esto?

I have news for you — tengo que darte una noticia

hats for women — sombreros de señora

clothes for children — ropa infantil

I decided that it was the job for me — decidí que era el puesto que me convenía

she decided that hang-gliding was not for her * — decidió que el vuelo con ala delta no era lo suyo

3) (to express purpose) para

he went there for a rest — fue allí para descansar

we went to Tossa for our holidays — fuimos a pasar las vacaciones a Tossa, fuimos a Tossa para las vacaciones

• what for? — ¿para qué?

what's it for? — ¿para qué es or sirve?

what do you want it for? — ¿para qué lo quieres?

what did you do that for? — ¿por qué hiciste eso?

4) (employment) para

he works for the government — trabaja para el gobierno

to write for the papers — escribir para los periódicos

5) (=on behalf of)

I'll ask him for you — se lo preguntaré de tu parte

I'll go for you — iré yo en tu lugar

"I can't iron this shirt" - "don't worry, I'll iron it for you" — -no puedo planchar esta camisa -no te preocupes, yo te la plancho

"I still haven't booked the ticket" - "I'll do it for you" — -no he reservado el billete todavía -ya lo haré yo

who is the representative for your group? — ¿quién es el representante de vuestro grupo?

6) (=as in) de

G for George — G de Gerona

7) (=in exchange for) por

I'll give you this book for that one — te cambio este libro por ese

he'll do it for £25 — lo hará por 25 libras

for every one who voted yes, 50 voted no — por cada persona que votó a favor, 50 votaron en contra

• to pay 50 pence for a ticket — pagar 50 peniques por una entrada

• pound for pound, it's cheaper — es más económico de libra en libra

the government will match each donation pound for pound — el gobierno igualará cada donativo, libra a libra

• I sold it for £5 — lo vendí por or en 5 libras

8) (=to the value of)

a cheque for £500 — un cheque or talón por valor de 500 libras

how much is the cheque for? — ¿por cuánto es el cheque?

9) (after adjective)

a) (making comparisons) para

he's tall/mature for his age — es alto/maduro para su edad or para la edad que tiene

he's nice for a policeman — para policía es muy simpático

it's cold for July — para ser julio hace frío

it's quite good for a six-year-old — está bastante bien para un niño de seis años

b) (specifying)

it was too difficult for her — era demasiado difícil para ella, le era demasiado difícil

it was difficult for him to leave her — le resultó difícil dejarla

that's easy for you to say — para ti es fácil decirlo, a ti te es fácil decirlo

they made it very easy for us — nos lo pusieron muy fácil

10) (=in favour of) a favor de

I'm for the government — yo estoy a favor del gobierno

I'm for helping him — yo estoy a favor de ayudarle

anyone for a game of cards? — ¿alguien se apunta a una partida de cartas?

• are you for or against the idea? — ¿estás a favor o en contra de la idea?

are you for or against us? — ¿estás con nosotros o en contra?

• I'm all for it — estoy completamente a favor

• the campaign for human rights — la campaña pro derechos humanos, la campaña en pro de los derechos humanos

• a collection for the poor — una colecta a beneficio de los pobres

11) (=as, by way of)

what's for dinner? — ¿qué hay para cenar?

I had a sandwich for lunch — para almorzar me comí un bocadillo

12) (=because of) por

it's famous for its cathedral — es famosa por su catedral

if it weren't for you — si no fuera por ti

he was sent to prison for fraud — lo mandaron a la cárcel por fraude

she felt better for losing a bit of weight — se sentía mejor por haber adelgazado un poco

I couldn't see her for pot plants — no la veía por taparla las plantas

we chose it for its climate — lo escogimos por el clima

• for fear of being criticized — por miedo a la crítica, por temor a ser criticado

• to shout for joy — gritar de alegría

13) (=in spite of) a pesar de

• for all his wealth — a pesar de su riqueza

for all that — a pesar de todo

for all he promised to come, he didn't — a pesar de habérmelo prometido, no vino

14) (in expressions of time)

a) (future/past duration)
When translating for and a period of time, it is often unnecessary to translate for, as in the examples below where durante is optional:
she will be away for a month — estará fuera un mes

he worked in Spain for two years — trabajó dos años en España

I'm going for three weeks — me voy tres semanas, estaré allí tres semanas
Alternatively, translate [for] using [durante], or, especially when talking about very short periods, [por]. Use [por] also with the verb [ir], although again it is often optional in this case:
they waited for over two hours — estuvieron esperando durante más de dos horas

for a moment, he didn't know what to say — por un momento, no supo qué decir

I'm going to the country for a while — me voy al campo (por) una temporada

I'm going away for a few days — me voy (por) unos cuantos días

he won't be back for a couple of hours/days — no regresará hasta dentro de un par de horas/días, tardará un par de horas/días en regresar

we went to the seaside for the day — fuimos a pasar el día en la playa

b) (with English perfect tenses)
Use hace... que and the present to describe actions and states that started in the past and are still going on. Alternatively use the present and desde hace. Another option is sometimes llevar and the gerund. Don't use the present perfect in Spanish to translate phrases like these, unless they are in the negative.
he has been learning French for two years — hace dos años que estudia francés, estudia francés desde hace dos años, lleva dos años estudiando francés

it has not rained for 3 weeks — hace 3 semanas que no llueve, no llueve or no ha llovido desde hace 3 semanas, lleva 3 semanas sin llover

I have known her for years — hace años que la conozco, la conozco desde hace años

I haven't seen her for two years — hace dos años que no la veo, no la he visto desde hace dos años, no la veo desde hace dos años, llevo dos años sin verla
Notice how the tenses change when talking about something that [had] happened or [had been] happening [for] a time:
he had been learning French for two years — hacía dos años que estudiaba francés, estudiaba francés desde hacía dos años, llevaba dos años estudiando francés

I hadn't seen her for two years — hacía dos años que no la veía, no la había visto desde hacía dos años, no la veía desde hacía dos años, llevaba dos años sin verla

15) (=by, before) para

can you do it for tomorrow? — ¿lo puedes hacer para mañana?

when does he want it for? — ¿para cuándo lo quiere?

16) (=on the occasion of) para

I'll be home for Christmas — estaré en casa para las Navidades

he asked his daughter what she would like for her birthday — le preguntó a su hija qué le gustaría para su cumpleaños

17) (=for a distance of)

there were roadworks for five miles — había obras a lo largo de cinco millas

we walked for two kilometres — caminamos dos kilómetros

you can see for miles from the top of the hill — desde lo alto de la colina se puede ver hasta muy lejos

18) (with infinitive clauses)

for this to be possible... — para que esto sea posible...

it's not for me to tell him what to do — yo no soy quien para decirle or no me corresponde a mí decirle lo que tiene que hacer

it's not for you to blame him — tú no eres quien para culparle

he brought it for us to see — lo trajo para que lo viéramos

their one hope is for him to return — su única esperanza es que regrese

• it's bad for you to smoke so much — te perjudica fumar tanto

• it's best for you to go — es mejor que te vayas

• there is still time for you to do it — todavía tienes tiempo para hacerlo

19) (in other expressions)

what's the German for "hill"? — ¿cómo se dice "colina" en alemán?

oh for a cup of tea! — ¡lo que daría por una taza de té!

- you're for it!

I'll be for it if he catches me here! * — ¡me la voy a cargar si me pilla aquí! *

- there's nothing for it but to jump
example
2.

CONJUNCTION liter pues, puesto que

she avoided him, for he was rude and uncouth — lo eludía puesto que or pues era grosero y ordinario

* * *

I [fɔːr, fɔː(r)], weak form [fər, fə(r)]
1) preposition

Sense I

2)

a) ( intended for) para

is there a letter for me? — ¿hay carta para mí?

my love for her — mi amor por ella

clothes for men/women — ropa de hombre/mujer

is it for sale? — ¿está en venta?, ¿se vende?

b) ( on behalf of) por

I did it for you — lo hice por ti

he plays for England — forma parte de or juega en la selección inglesa

they are agents for Ford — son concesionarios (de) Ford

c) ( in favor of) a favor de

3) ( indicating purpose)

what's that for? — ¿para qué es eso?, ¿eso para qué sirve?

it's for trimming hedges — es or sirve para recortar setos

it's for decoration — es de adorno

I ran for cover — corrí a guarecerme

an operation for a stomach ulcer — una operación de úlcera de estómago

it's for your own good! — es por tu (propio) bien!

to go out for a meal — salir* a comer fuera

I've come for my son — vengo a buscar a mi hijo

to be for it — (colloq)

here comes Dad, we're for it now! — ahí viene papá ahora sí que estamos listos or (Col tb) hechos or (CS tb) fritos! (fam)

4)

a) (as)

we're having chicken for dinner — vamos a cenar pollo or hay pollo para cenar

what's for dessert? — ¿qué hay de postre?

I can now see him for what he is — ahora me doy cuenta de cómo es en realidad

b) ( representing)

D for David — D de David

what's (the) German for ``ice cream''? — ¿cómo se dice ``helado'' en alemán?

c) ( instead of) por

could you call him for me? — ¿podrías llamarlo tú?, ¿me harías el favor de llamarlo?

5) ( giving reason) por

for that reason — por esa razón

if it weren't for Joe... — si no fuera por Joe...

for one thing it's too costly and for another we don't need it — para empezar es muy caro y además no lo necesitamos

6)

a) ( in exchange for) por

I bought the book for $10 — compré el libro por 10 dólares

not for anything in the world — por nada del mundo

she left him for somebody else — lo dejó por otro

b) ( indicating proportion) por

for every one we find, there are 20 that get away — por cada uno que encontramos, se nos escapan 20

7)

a) ( as concerns) para

it's too cold for me here — aquí hace demasiado frío para mí

that's men for you! — todos los hombres son iguales!

b) ( expressing appropriateness)

it's not for me to decide — no me corresponde a mí decidir

8)

a) ( in spite of)

for all her faults, she's been very kind to us — tendrá sus defectos, pero con nosotros ha sido muy buena

b) (with infinitive clause)

it's unusual for me to forget a name — es raro que se me olvide un nombre

is there time for us to have a cup of coffee? — ¿tenemos tiempo de tomar un café?

9) ( in exclamations)

oh, for some peace and quiet — qué (no) daría yo por un poco de paz y tranquilidad!

Sense II

10) ( in the direction of) para

the plane/bus for New York — el avión/autobús para or de Nueva York

11)

a) ( indicating duration)

he spoke for half an hour — habló (durante) media hora

I've only been here for a day — sólo llevo un día aquí, hace sólo un día que estoy aquí

I'll be away for a week — voy a estar fuera una semana

how long are you going for? — ¿por cuánto tiempo vas?, ¿cuánto tiempo te vas a quedar?

that's enough for now — basta por ahora

we've enough food for six weeks — tenemos comida suficiente para seis semanas

b) ( on the occasion of) para

he gave it to me for my birthday — me lo regaló para mi cumpleaños

c) (by, before) para

we have to be there for six o'clock — tenemos que estar allí a las seis

12) ( indicating distance)

we drove for 20 miles — hicimos 20 millas

we could see for miles — se podía ver hasta muy lejos

II

conjunction (liter) pues (liter), puesto que (frml), porque

English-spanish dictionary > for
20 get

get [get]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. transitive verb

2. intransitive verb

3. compounds

4. Phrasal Verbs

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► vb: pret, ptp got, ptp (US) gotten

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. transitive verb

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► When get is part of a set combination, eg get the sack, get hold of, look up the other word.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

   a. ( = have, receive, obtain) avoir

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► avoir covers a wide range of meanings, and like get is unspecific.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• I go whenever I get the chance j'y vais dès que j'en ai l'occasion

• he got a fine il a eu une amende

• I got a lot of presents j'ai eu beaucoup de cadeaux

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► Some get + noun combinations may take a more specific French verb.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• it was impossible to get help il était impossible d'obtenir de l'aide

• he got help from the others il s'est fait aider par les autres

• first I need to get a better idea of the situation je dois d'abord me faire une meilleure idée de la situation

• I think he got the wrong impression je pense qu'il s'est fait des idées

• they get lunch at school ils déjeunent à l'école

• if I'm not working I get no pay si je ne travaille pas je ne suis pas payé

• this area doesn't get much rain il ne pleut pas beaucoup dans cette région

• we'll get a sandwich in town on prendra un sandwich en ville

• this room gets a lot of sun cette pièce est très ensoleillée

• he got two years il s'est pris (inf) deux ans de prison

► have/has got

• I've got toothache j'ai mal aux dents

• I have got three sisters j'ai trois sœurs

• how many have you got? combien en avez-vous ?

• I've got it! ( = have safely) (ça y est) je l'ai !

• you're okay, I've got you! ne t'en fais pas, je te tiens !

   b. ( = find) trouver

• he got me a job il m'a trouvé un emploi

• it's difficult to get a hotel room in August c'est difficile de trouver une chambre d'hôtel en août

• you get different kinds of... on trouve plusieurs sortes de...

• you'll get him at home if you phone this evening tu le trouveras chez lui si tu appelles ce soir

• I've been trying to get you all week ça fait une semaine que j'essaie de t'avoir

• you can get me on the mobile tu peux m'appeler sur mon portable

   c. ( = buy) acheter

• where do they get their raw materials? où est-ce qu'ils achètent leurs matières premières ?

• to get sth cheap acheter qch bon marché

   d. ( = fetch, pick up) aller chercher

• I must go and get some bread il faut que j'aille chercher du pain

• can you get my coat from the cleaners? est-ce que tu peux aller chercher mon manteau au pressing ?

• can I get you a drink? est-ce que je peux vous offrir quelque chose ?

   e. ( = take) prendre

• I'll get the bus je vais prendre le bus

• I don't get the local paper je ne prends pas le journal local

   f. ( = call in) appeler

• we had to get a plumber nous avons dû appeler un plombier

   g. ( = prepare) préparer

• she was getting breakfast elle préparait le petit déjeuner

   h. ( = catch) [+ disease, fugitive] attraper ; [+ name, details] comprendre

• I didn't get your name je n'ai pas compris votre nom

• we'll get them yet! on leur revaudra ça !

• he'll get you for that! qu'est-ce que tu vas prendre ! (inf)

   i. ( = understand) get it? (inf) t'as pigé ? (inf)

• I don't get it (inf) je ne comprends pas

• you've got it in one! (inf) tu as tout compris !

• I don't get you (inf) je ne vous suis pas

• I don't get the joke je ne vois pas ce qu'il y a de drôle

• let me get this right, you're saying that... alors, si je comprends bien, tu dis que...

• don't get me wrong comprenez-moi bien

   j. ( = answer) can you get the phone? est-ce que tu peux répondre ?

• I'll get it! j'y vais !

   k. ( = annoy) (inf) agacer

• that's what really gets me c'est ce qui m'agace le plus

   l. (set structures)

► to get + adjective

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► This construction is often translated by a verb alone. Look up the relevant adjective.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• to get one's hands dirty se salir les mains

• to get sb drunk soûler qn

• you're getting me worried tu m'inquiètes

► to get sth done (by someone else) faire faire qch

• to get one's hair cut se faire couper les cheveux

• I need to get my car serviced je dois faire réviser ma voiture

• when do you think you'll get it finished? ( = when will you finish it) quand penses-tu avoir fini ?

• you can't get anything done round here ( = do anything) il est impossible de travailler ici► to get sb/sth to do sth

• get him to clean the car fais-lui laver la voiture

• I'll get her to ring you back je lui demanderai de te rappeler

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► réussir or pouvoir may be used when speaking of achieving a result.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• we eventually got her to change her mind nous avons finalement réussi à la faire changer d'avis

• I couldn't get the washing machine to work je n'ai pas réussi à faire marcher le lave-linge

• to get sth going [+ machine] faire marcher qch

► to get sb/sth somewhere

• to get sth downstairs descendre qch

• how can we get it home? comment faire pour l'apporter à la maison ?

• threatening me will get you nowhere tu n'obtiendras rien de moi par la menace

• to get sth upstairs monter qch► to get sb/sth + preposition

• to get sb by the arm saisir qn par le bras

• to get sb by the throat prendre qn à la gorge

• he gets a lot of money for his paintings il gagne beaucoup d'argent avec ses tableaux

• he gets his red hair from his mother il a les cheveux roux de sa mère

• the bullet got him in the arm la balle l'a atteint au bras

• he managed to get the card into the envelope il a réussi à faire entrer la carte dans l'enveloppe

• to get o.s. into a difficult position se mettre dans une situation délicate

• we got him on to the subject of the war nous l'avons amené à parler de la guerre

• she gets a lot of pleasure out of gardening elle prend beaucoup de plaisir à jardiner

• I couldn't get the stain out of the tablecloth je n'ai pas réussi à enlever la tache sur la nappe

• to get sth past the customs réussir à passer qch à la douane

• I'll never get the car through here je n'arriverai jamais à faire passer la voiture par ici

• to get sth to sb faire parvenir qch à qn

• to get a child to bed mettre un enfant au lit

2. intransitive verb

   a. ( = go) aller( to à, ( from de ) ;) ( = arrive) arriver ; ( = be) être

• how do you get there? comment fait-on pour y aller ?

• can you get there from London by bus? est-ce qu'on peut y aller de Londres en bus ?

• what time do you get to Sheffield? à quelle heure arrivez-vous à Sheffield ?

► to get + adverb/preposition

• you won't get anywhere if you behave like that tu n'arriveras à rien en te conduisant comme ça

• how did that box get here? comment cette boîte est-elle arrivée ici ?

• what's got into him? qu'est-ce qui lui prend ?

• we're getting nowhere fast (inf) on fait du sur place (inf)

• now we're getting somewhere! (inf) enfin du progrès !

• how's your thesis going? -- I'm getting there où en es-tu avec ta thèse ? -- ça avance

• where did you get to? où étais-tu donc passé ?

• where can he have got to? où est-il passé ?

• where have you got to? (in book, work) où en êtes-vous ?

• don't let it get to you (inf) ne te fais pas de bile (inf) pour ça

   b. (set structures)

► to get + adjective

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► This construction is often translated by a verb alone.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• I hope you'll get better soon j'espère que tu vas vite te remettre

• things are getting complicated les choses se compliquent

• this is getting expensive ça commence à faire cher

• she's afraid of getting fat elle a peur de grossir

• it's getting late il se fait tard

• I'm getting nervous je commence à avoir le trac

• he's getting old il vieillit il se fait vieux

• this is getting ridiculous ça devient ridicule

• how stupid can you get? il faut vraiment être stupide !

• to get used to sth/to doing s'habituer à qch/à faire

► to get + past participle (passive)

he got beaten up il s'est fait tabasser (inf)

• several windows got broken plusieurs fenêtres ont été brisées

• to get paid se faire payer

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► Reflexive verbs are used when the sense is not passive.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• to get dressed s'habiller

• to get married se marier

• to get washed se laver

► to get to + infinitive

• he's getting to be an old man il se fait vieux

• it's getting to be impossible ça devient impossible

• to get to know sb apprendre à connaître qn

• we got to like him in the end nous avons fini par l'apprécier

• students only get to use the library between 2pm and 8pm les étudiants ne peuvent utiliser la bibliothèque qu'entre 14 heures et 20 heures► have got to + infinitive ( = must)

you've got to come il faut que vous veniez subj

• have you got to go and see her? est-ce que vous êtes obligé d'aller la voir ?

• you've got to be joking! tu plaisantes !► to get + -ing ( = begin)

to get going partir

• I got talking to him in the train j'ai parlé avec lui dans le train

• I got to thinking that... (inf) je me suis dit que...

3. compounds

► get-rich-quick scheme (inf) noun

combine pour faire fortune rapidement

► get-together noun réunion f

► get-up-and-go (inf) noun

• he's got lots of get-up-and-go il est très dynamique ► get-well card noun carte f de vœux (pour un prompt rétablissement)

4. Phrasal Verbs

► get about intransitive verb

   a. ( = move about) se déplacer

• he gets about with a stick/on crutches il marche avec une canne/des béquilles

• she gets about quite well despite her handicap elle arrive assez bien à se déplacer malgré son handicap

   b. ( = travel) voyager

• she gets about a lot elle voyage beaucoup

   c. [news] circuler

• the story had got about that... des rumeurs circulaient selon lesquelles...

• it has got about that... le bruit court que...

• I don't want it to get about je ne veux pas que ça s'ébruite► get above inseparable transitive verb

• to get above o.s. avoir la grosse tête (inf)

• you're getting above yourself! pour qui te prends-tu ?► get across

1. intransitive verb

[person crossing] traverser ; [meaning, message] passer

• the message is getting across that people must... les gens commencent à comprendre qu'il faut...

2. separable transitive verb

[+ person crossing] faire traverser ; [+ ideas, intentions, desires] communiquer ( to sb à qn)

• to get sth across to sb faire comprendre qch à qn► get ahead intransitive verb

(in race) prendre de l'avance ; (in career) monter en grade

► get along intransitive verb

   a. ( = go) aller (to à ) ; ( = leave) s'en aller

• I must be getting along il faut que je m'en aille

   b. ( = manage) se débrouiller

• to get along without sth/sb se débrouiller sans qch/qn

   c. ( = progress) [work] avancer ; [student, invalid] faire des progrès

   d. ( = be on good terms) (bien) s'entendre

• I don't get along with him at all je ne m'entends pas du tout avec lui► get around

1. intransitive verb

→ get about

2. separable transitive verb

→ get round

3. inseparable transitive verb

→ get round► get at inseparable transitive verb

   a. [+ object, person, place] atteindre

   b. [+ facts, truth] découvrir

   c. ( = suggest) what are you getting at? où voulez-vous en venir ?

   d. (British) ( = attack) s'en prendre à

• she's always getting at her brother elle s'en prend toujours à son frère

• I feel got at je me sens visé

   e. ( = influence) (inf) suborner

• there's a danger witnesses will be got at il y a un risque de subornation de témoins► get away

1. intransitive verb

   a. ( = leave) partir

• to get away from a place quitter un endroit

• I usually get away from work at six je quitte généralement (le travail) à 6 heures

• I'll try to get away from work early j'essaierai de rentrer du travail plus tôt

• we are not going to be able to get away this year nous n'allons pas pouvoir partir en vacances cette année

• get away (with you)! (inf) à d'autres !

   b. ( = escape) s'échapper

• to get away from [+ people, situation] échapper à ; [+ idea] renoncer à

• he was trying to get away when he was shot il essayait de s'échapper quand on lui a tiré dessus

• she moved here to get away from the stress of city life elle est venue s'installer ici pour échapper au stress de la vie citadine

• he went to the Bahamas to get away from it all il est allé aux Bahamas pour laisser tous ses problèmes derrière lui

• the thief got away with the money le voleur est parti avec l'argent

2. separable transitive verb

   a. ( = take) emmener ; ( = move away) éloigner ; ( = send off) expédier

   b. ( = remove) to get sth away from sb enlever qch à qn► get away with transitive verb

( = suffer no consequences)

she got away with saying some outrageous things elle a tenu impunément des propos choquants

• he broke the law and got away with it il a violé la loi en toute impunité

• you'll never get away with that! on ne te laissera pas passer ça ! (inf)

• he gets away with murder (inf) il peut se permettre de faire n'importe quoi► get back

1. intransitive verb

   a. ( = return) revenir

• to get back rentrer chez soi

• life is starting to get back to normal la vie reprend son cours

• to get back to work reprendre le travail

• to get back to the point revenir au sujet

• let's get back to why you didn't come yesterday revenons à la question de savoir pourquoi vous n'êtes pas venu hier

• to get back to sb (inf) recontacter qn ; (on phone) rappeler qn

• can I get back to you on that? (inf) puis-je vous recontacter à ce sujet ? ; (on phone) puis-je vous rappeler à ce sujet ?

   b. ( = move backwards) reculer

• get back! reculez !

2. separable transitive verb

   a. ( = recover) [+ sth lent, sth lost, stolen] récupérer ; [+ strength] reprendre ; [+ one's husband, partner] faire revenir

• he's trying desperately to get her back il essaie désespérément de la faire revenir

• I won't get my car back until Thursday je ne récupérerai pas ma voiture avant jeudi

• I was afraid I wouldn't get my passport back j'avais peur de ne pas récupérer mon passeport

• to get one's money back se faire rembourser

   b. ( = return) rendre

• I'll get it back to you as soon as I can je vous le rendrai dès que possible► get back at (inf) inseparable transitive verb

( = retaliate against) prendre sa revanche sur

► get by intransitive verb

   a. ( = pass) passer

   b. ( = manage) arriver à s'en sortir (inf)

• she gets by on very little money elle arrive à s'en sortir (inf) avec très peu d'argent

• he'll get by! il s'en sortira ! (inf)► get down

1. intransitive verb

descendre (from, off de)

• may I get down? (at table) est-ce que je peux sortir de table ?

• to get down on one's knees se mettre à genoux

• get down! ( = climb down) descends ! ; ( = lie down) couche-toi !

2. separable transitive verb

   a. (from upstairs, attic) descendre ; (from shelf) prendre

   b. ( = swallow) [+ food, pill] (inf) avaler

   c. ( = make note of) noter

   d. ( = depress) déprimer

• don't let it get you down! ne te laisse pas abattre !► get down to inseparable transitive verb

• to get down to doing sth se mettre à faire qch

• to get down to work se mettre au travail

• you'll have to get down to it il faut vous y mettre

• when you get down to it there's not much difference between them en y regardant de plus près il n'y a pas grande différence entre eux

• to get down to business passer aux choses sérieuses

• let's get down to the details regardons ça de plus près► get in

1. intransitive verb

   a. [person] ( = enter) entrer ; ( = be admitted to university, school) être admis

• do you think we'll get in? tu crois qu'on réussira à entrer ?

   b. ( = arrive) [train, bus, plane] arriver

   c. ( = be elected) [member] être élu ; [party] accéder au pouvoir

2. separable transitive verb

   a. [+ harvest] rentrer

• did you get your essay in on time? as-tu rendu ta dissertation à temps ?

   b. ( = buy) acheter

• to get in supplies s'approvisionner

   c. ( = fit in) glisser

• he got in a reference to his new book il a glissé une allusion à son dernier livre

• it was hard to get a word in c'était difficile de placer un mot

• he managed to get in a game of golf il a réussi à trouver le temps de faire une partie de golf► get into inseparable transitive verb

   a. ( = enter) [+ house, park] entrer dans ; [+ car, train] monter dans

• he got into a good university il a été admis dans une bonne université

• to get into politics entrer en politique

• to get into the way of doing sth ( = make a habit of) prendre l'habitude de faire qch

• I don't know what has got into him je ne sais pas ce qui lui a pris

   b. [+ clothes] mettre

• I can't get into these jeans any more je ne peux plus rentrer dans ce jean► get in with inseparable transitive verb

   a. ( = gain favour of) (réussir à) se faire bien voir de

• he tried to get in with the headmaster il a essayé de se faire bien voir du directeur

   b. ( = become friendly with) se mettre à fréquenter

• he got in with local drug dealers il s'est mis à fréquenter les trafiquants de drogue du quartier► get off

1. intransitive verb

   a. (from vehicle) descendre

• to tell sb where to get off (inf) envoyer promener qn (inf)

   b. ( = depart) [person] partir ; [car] démarrer ; [plane] décoller

• to get off to a good start [project, discussion] bien partir

• to get off to sleep s'endormir

   c. ( = escape) s'en tirer

• to get off with a reprimand en être quitte pour une réprimande

   d. ( = leave work) finir ; ( = take time off) se libérer

• we get off at 5 o'clock nous finissons à 5 heures

• I can't get off early today je ne peux pas m'en aller de bonne heure aujourd'hui

2. separable transitive verb

   a. [+ bus, train] descendre de

   b. [+ clothes, shoes] enlever

   c. ( = dispatch) I'll phone you once I've got the children off to school je t'appellerai une fois que les enfants seront partis à l'école

• to get a child off to sleep faire dormir un enfant

   d. ( = save from punishment) faire acquitter

• a good lawyer will get him off un bon avocat le fera acquitter

3. inseparable transitive verb

   a. to get off a bus/a bike descendre d'un bus/de vélo

• they got off the boat ils sont descendus à terre

• he got off his horse il est descendu de cheval

• get off the floor! levez-vous !

• I wish he would get off my back! (inf) si seulement il pouvait me ficher la paix (inf) !

• we've rather got off the subject nous nous sommes plutôt éloignés du sujet

   b. ( = be excused) (inf) to get off gym se faire dispenser des cours de gym► get off with (inf) inseparable transitive verb

(British) lever (inf !)

► get on

1. intransitive verb

   a. (on to bus, bike) monter ; (on to ship) monter à bord

   b. ( = advance, make progress) avancer

• how are you getting on? comment ça marche ? (inf)

• how did you get on? comment ça s'est passé ?

• to be getting on (inf) ( = getting old) se faire vieux

• he's getting on for 40 il approche de la quarantaine

• it's getting on for 3 o'clock il n'est pas loin de 3 heures

• I must be getting on now il faut que j'y aille

• this will do to be getting on with ça ira pour le moment

• there were getting on for 100 people il y avait pas loin de 100 personnes

   c. ( = succeed) réussir

• if you want to get on, you must... si tu veux réussir, tu dois...

   d. ( = agree) s'entendre

• we don't get on nous ne nous entendons pas

• I get on well with her je m'entends bien avec elle

2. separable transitive verb

( = put on) [+ clothes, shoes] mettre

3. inseparable transitive verb

• to get on a horse monter sur un cheval

• to get on a bicycle monter sur sa bicyclette

• to get on a train monter dans un train

• to get back on one's feet se remettre debout► get on to inseparable transitive verb

   a. ( = get in touch with) se mettre en rapport avec ; ( = speak to) parler à ; ( = ring up) téléphoner à

   b. ( = start talking about) aborder

• we got on to (the subject of) money nous avons abordé la question de l'argent► get on with inseparable transitive verb

   a. ( = continue) continuer

• while they talked she got on with her work pendant qu'ils parlaient, elle a continué à travailler

• get on with it! (working) allez, au travail ! ; (telling sth) accouche ! (inf)

   b. ( = start on) se mettre à

• I'd better get on with the job! il faut que je m'y mette !► get out

1. intransitive verb

   a. sortir (of de ) ; (from vehicle) descendre (of de)

• get out! sortez !

• let's get out of here! sortons d'ici !

   b. ( = escape) s'échapper (of de)

• to get out of [+ task, obligation] échapper à ; [+ difficulty] surmonter

• you'll have to do it, you can't get out of it il faut que tu le fasses, tu ne peux pas y échapper

• some people will do anything to get out of paying taxes certaines personnes feraient n'importe quoi pour éviter de payer des impôts

• he's trying to get out of going to the funeral il essaie de trouver une excuse pour ne pas aller à l'enterrement

   c. [news] se répandre ; [secret] être éventé

• wait till the news gets out! attends que la nouvelle soit ébruitée !

2. separable transitive verb

   a. ( = bring out) [+ object] sortir

• he got his diary out of his pocket il a sorti son agenda de sa poche

   b. ( = remove) [+ nail, tooth] arracher ; [+ stain] enlever

• I can't get it out of my mind je n'arrive pas à chasser cela de mon esprit

   c. ( = free) [+ person] faire sortir

• it gets me out of the house ça me fait sortir► get over

1. intransitive verb

( = cross) traverser ; [message, meaning] passer (inf) ; [speaker] se faire entendre

2. inseparable transitive verb

   a. [+ road] traverser ; [+ obstacle, difficulty] surmonter ; [+ problem] résoudre

   b. ( = recover from) to get over an illness se remettre d'une maladie

• to get over sb's death se remettre de la mort de qn

• I can't get over it je n'en reviens pas

• I can't get over the fact that... je n'en reviens pas que... + subj

• I can't get over how much he's changed je n'en reviens pas de voir combien il a changé

• she never really got over him (inf) elle ne l'a jamais vraiment oublié

3. separable transitive verb

   a. [+ person, animal, vehicle] faire passer

   b. ( = communicate) faire comprendre ; [+ ideas] communiquer► get over with separable transitive verb

( = have done with) en finir

• let's get it over with finissons-en

• I was glad to get the injections over with j'étais content d'en avoir fini avec ces piqûres► get round

1. intransitive verb

= get about

2. separable transitive verb

• to get sb round to one's way of thinking rallier qn à son point de vue

3. inseparable transitive verb

   a. [+ obstacle, difficulty, law] contourner

   b. [+ person] amadouer► get round to (inf) inseparable transitive verb

• to get round to doing sth trouver le temps de faire qch

• I don't think I'll get round to it before next week je ne pense pas trouver le temps de m'en occuper avant la semaine prochaine► get through

1. intransitive verb

   a. [news] parvenir (to à ) ; [signal] être reçu

• I think the message is getting through to him je pense qu'il commence à comprendre

   b. ( = be accepted, pass) [candidate] être reçu ; [motion, bill] passer

• to get through to the third round [team] se qualifier pour le troisième tour

   c. (on phone) obtenir la communication

• I phoned you several times but couldn't get through je t'ai appelé plusieurs fois mais je n'ai pas pu t'avoir

   d. ( = communicate with) to get through to sb communiquer avec qn

• he can't get through to his son at all il n'arrive pas du tout à communiquer avec son fils

2. inseparable transitive verb

   a. [+ hole, window] passer par ; [+ hedge] passer à travers ; [+ crowd] se frayer un chemin à travers

   b. ( = do) [+ work] faire ; [+ book] lire (en entier)

• we've got a lot of work to get through nous avons beaucoup à faire

• he got through a lot of work il a abattu beaucoup de travail

   c. ( = use) [+ supplies] utiliser ; [+ money] dépenser ; [+ food] manger ; [+ drink] boire

• we get through £150 per week nous dépensons 150 livres par semaine

   d. ( = survive) how are they going to get through the winter? comment vont-ils passer l'hiver ?

• we couldn't get through a day without arguing pas un jour ne se passait sans que nous ne nous disputions

3. separable transitive verb

   a. [+ person, object] faire passer

• we couldn't get the sofa through the door on n'a pas pu faire passer le sofa par la porte

• to get the message through to sb that... faire comprendre à qn que...

   b. to get a bill through faire adopter un projet de loi► get together

1. intransitive verb

se réunir

• let's get together on Thursday retrouvons-nous jeudi

• this is the only place where villagers can get together c'est le seul endroit où les gens du village peuvent se réunir

2. separable transitive verb

[+ people, ideas, money] rassembler ; [+ group] former

• let me just get my things together je rassemble mes affaires et j'arrive

► get under

1. intransitive verb

( = pass underneath) passer par-dessous

2. inseparable transitive verb

• to get under a fence/a rope passer sous une barrière/une corde

► get up

1. intransitive verb

   a. ( = rise) [person] se lever ( from de ) ; [wind] se lever

• what time did you get up? à quelle heure t'es-tu levé ?

   b. (on a chair, on stage) monter

2. inseparable transitive verb

• he couldn't get up the tree il n'a pas réussi à monter à l'arbre

3. separable transitive verb

   a. we eventually got the truck up the hill on a finalement réussi à faire monter le camion jusqu'en haut de la côte

• to get up speed prendre de la vitesse

   b. (from bed) [+ person] faire lever ; ( = wake) réveiller► get up to inseparable transitive verb

   a. ( = catch up with) rattraper

   b. ( = reach) arriver à

• I've got up to page 17 j'en suis à la page 17

• where did we get up to last week? où en sommes-nous arrivés la semaine dernière ?

   c. ( = be involved in) (inf) to get up to mischief faire des bêtises

• you never know what he'll get up to next on ne sait jamais ce qu'il va inventer

• do you realize what they've been getting up to? tu sais ce qu'ils ont trouvé le moyen de faire ?

• what have you been getting up to lately? qu'est-ce que tu deviens ?

* * *

Note: This much-used verb has no multi-purpose equivalent in French and therefore is very often translated by choosing a synonym: to get lunch = to prepare lunch = préparer le déjeuner

get is used in many idiomatic expressions ( to get something off one's chest etc) and translations will be found in the appropriate entry (chest etc). This is also true of offensive comments ( get lost etc) where the appropriate entry would be lost

Remember that when get is used to express the idea that a job is done not by you but by somebody else ( to get a room painted etc) faire is used in French followed by an infinitive ( faire repeindre une pièce etc)

When get has the meaning of become and is followed by an adjective (to get rich/drunk etc) devenir is sometimes useful but check the appropriate entry (rich, drunk etc) as a single verb often suffices ( s'enrichir, s'enivrer etc)

For examples and further uses of get see the entry below
[get] 1.
transitive verb (p prés - tt-; prét got; pp got, gotten US)

1) ( receive) recevoir [letter, grant]; recevoir, percevoir [salary, pension]; Television, Radio capter [channel]

did you get much for it? — est-ce que tu en as tiré beaucoup d'argent?

what did you get for your car? — combien as-tu revendu ta voiture?

we get a lot of rain — il pleut beaucoup ici

our garden gets a lot of sun — notre jardin est bien ensoleillé

we get a lot of tourists — nous avons beaucoup de touristes

you get what you pay for — si on veut de la qualité il faut y mettre le prix

he's getting help with his science — il se fait aider en sciences

2) ( inherit)

to get something from somebody — lit hériter quelque chose de quelqu'un [article, money]; fig tenir quelque chose de quelqu'un [trait, feature]

3) ( obtain) ( by applying) obtenir [permission, divorce, licence]; trouver [job]; ( by contacting) trouver [plumber]; appeler [taxi]; ( by buying) acheter [item] ( from chez); avoir [ticket]

to get something for nothing/at a discount — avoir quelque chose gratuitement/avec une réduction

to get somebody something —

to get something for somebody — ( by buying) acheter quelque chose à quelqu'un

I'll get something to eat at the airport — je mangerai quelque chose à l'aéroport

4) ( subscribe to) acheter [newspaper]

5) ( acquire) se faire [reputation]

6) ( achieve) obtenir [grade, mark, answer]

he got it right — ( of calculation) il a obtenu le bon résultat; ( of answer) il a répondu juste

7) ( fetch) chercher [object, person, help]

go and get a chair — va chercher une chaise

to get somebody something —

to get something for somebody — aller chercher quelque chose pour quelqu'un

can I get you your coat? — est-ce que je peux vous apporter votre manteau?

8) (manoeuvre, move)

to get somebody/something upstairs/downstairs — faire monter/descendre quelqu'un/quelque chose

I'll get them there somehow — je les ferai parvenir d'une façon ou d'une autre

can you get between the truck and the wall? — est-ce que tu peux te glisser entre le camion et le mur?

9) ( help progress)

is this discussion getting us anywhere? — est-ce que cette discussion est bien utile?

I listened to him and where has it got me? — je l'ai écouté mais à quoi ça m'a avancé?

10) ( contact)

did you get Harry on the phone? — tu as réussi à avoir Harry au téléphone?

11) ( deal with)

I'll get it — ( of phone) je réponds; ( of doorbell) j'y vais

12) ( prepare) préparer [breakfast, lunch etc]

13) ( take hold of) attraper [person] (by par)

I've got you, don't worry — je te tiens, ne t'inquiète pas

to get something from ou off — prendre quelque chose sur [shelf, table]

to get something from ou out of — prendre quelque chose dans [drawer, cupboard]

14) (colloq) ( oblige to give)

to get something from ou out of somebody — faire sortir quelque chose à quelqu'un [money]; fig obtenir quelque chose de quelqu'un [truth]

15) (colloq) ( catch) gen arrêter [escapee]

got you! — gen je t'ai eu!; ( caught in act) vu!

16) Medicine attraper [disease]

he got measles from his sister — sa sœur lui a passé la rougeole

17) ( use as transport) prendre [bus, train]

18) ( have)

to have got — avoir [object, money, friend etc]

I've got a headache — j'ai mal à la tête

19) ( start to have)

to get (hold of) the idea ou impression that — se mettre dans la tête que

20) ( suffer)

to get a surprise — être surpris

to get a shock — avoir un choc

to get a bang on the head — recevoir un coup sur la tête

21) ( be given as punishment) prendre [five years etc]; avoir [fine]

22) ( hit)

to get somebody/something with — toucher quelqu'un/quelque chose avec [stone, arrow]

got it! — ( of target) touché!

23) (understand, hear) comprendre

now let me get this right... — alors si je comprends bien...

‘where did you hear that?’ - ‘I got it from Paul’ — ‘où est-ce que tu as entendu ça?’ - ‘c'est Paul qui me l'a dit’

get this! he was arrested this morning — tiens-toi bien! il a été arrêté ce matin

24) (colloq) (annoy, affect)

what gets me is... — ce qui m'agace c'est que...

25) (learn, learn of)

to get to do — (colloq) finir par faire

to get to like somebody — finir par apprécier quelqu'un

how did you get to know ou hear of our organization? — comment avez-vous entendu parler de notre organisation?

we got to know them last year — on a fait leur connaissance l'année dernière

26) ( have opportunity)

to get to do — avoir l'occasion de faire, pouvoir faire

27) ( start)

to get (to be) — commencer à devenir

to get to doing — (colloq) commencer à faire

then I got to thinking that... — puis je me suis dit que...

we'll have to get going — il va falloir y aller

28) ( must)

to have got to do — devoir faire [homework, chore]

it's got to be done — il faut le faire

you've got to realize that... — il faut que tu te rendes compte que...

there's got to be a reason — il doit y avoir une raison

29) ( persuade)

to get somebody to do — demander à quelqu'un de faire

I got her to talk — j'ai réussi à la faire parler

did you get anything out of her? — est-ce que tu as réussi à la faire parler?

30) ( have somebody do)

to get something done — faire faire quelque chose

to get the car repaired — faire réparer la voiture

to get one's hair cut — se faire couper les cheveux

how do you ever get anything done? — comment est-ce que tu arrives à travailler?

31) ( cause)

to get the car going — faire démarrer la voiture

as hot as you can get it — aussi chaud que possible

to get one's socks wet — mouiller ses chaussettes

to get one's finger trapped — se coincer le doigt
2.
intransitive verb (p prés - tt-; prét got; pp got, gotten US)

1) ( become) devenir [suspicious, old]

how lucky/stupid can you get! — il y en a qui ont de la chance/qui sont vraiment stupides!

it's getting late — il se fait tard

how did he get like that? — comment est-ce qu'il en est arrivé là?

2) ( forming passive)

to get (oneself) killed — se faire tuer

to get hurt — être blessé

3) ( become involved in)

to get into — (colloq) ( as hobby) se mettre à; ( as job) commencer dans; fig

to get into a fight — se battre

4) ( arrive)

to get there — arriver

to get to the airport — arriver à l'aéroport

how did your coat get here? — comment est-ce que ton manteau est arrivé là?

how did you get here? — ( by what miracle) comment est-ce que tu es arrivé là?; ( by what means) comment est-ce que tu es venu?

where did you get to? — où est-ce que tu étais passé?

we've got to page 5 — nous en sommes à la page 5

5) ( progress)

it got to 7 o'clock — il était 7 heures

I'd got as far as the title — j'en étais au titre

I'm getting nowhere with this essay — je n'avance pas dans cette dissertation

now we're getting somewhere — il y a du progrès

6) (colloq) ( put on)

to get into — mettre, enfiler (colloq) [pyjamas, overalls]

•

Phrasal Verbs:

- get about

- get across

- get ahead

- get along

- get around

- get at

- get away

- get away from

- get back

- get behind

- get by

- get down

- get in

- get into

- get off

- get on

- get onto

- get on with

- get out

- get out of

- get over

- get round

- get through

- get together

- get under

- get up

••

get along with you! — (colloq) ne sois pas ridicule!

get away with you! — (colloq) arrête de raconter n'importe quoi! (colloq)

get him in that hat! — regarde-le avec ce chapeau!

I'll get you (colloq) for that — je vais te le faire payer (colloq)

I'm getting there — je progresse

he's got it bad — (colloq) il est vraiment mordu

I've got it — j'ai compris

to get above oneself — commencer à avoir la grosse tête (colloq)

to get it together — (colloq) se ressaisir

to tell somebody where to get off — envoyer promener quelqu'un

to get with it — (colloq) se mettre dans le coup (colloq)

what's got into her? — qu'est-ce qui lui a pris?

you've got me there! — alors là tu me poses une colle! (colloq)

English-French dictionary > get

Страницы

См. также в других словарях:

Can Jaume — (Сан Рафаэль де Са Креу,Испания) Категория отеля: 5 звездочный отель Адрес: 07816 Сан Рафа … Каталог отелей
French tarot — Infobox CardGame title = French Tarot subtitle = A trick taking game of the European Tarot card game family image link = image caption = A 15 card hand of French Tarot for the 5 player variant alt names = Tarot, Jeu de Tarot type = trick taking… … Wikipedia
use — use1 W1S1 [ju:z] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(use something)¦ 2¦(amount of something)¦ 3¦(treat somebody unfairly)¦ 4¦(an advantage)¦ 5 could use something 6¦(word)¦ 7¦(drugs)¦ Phrasal verbs 　use something<=>up ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date … Dictionary of contemporary English
French orthography — This article is part of the series on: French language Langues d oïl Dialects Creoles Francophonie History Oaths of Strasbourg Ordinance of Villers Cotterêts Anglo Norman Grammar … Wikipedia
French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools — The French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools bans wearing conspicuous religious symbols in French public (i.e. government operated) primary and secondary schools. The law is an amendment to the French Code of… … Wikipedia
can — can1 W1S1 [kən strong kæn] modal v negative short form can t ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(ability)¦ 2¦(requesting)¦ 3¦(allowed)¦ 4¦(possibility)¦ 5¦(seeing/hearing etc)¦ 6¦(not true)¦ 7¦(should not)¦ 8¦(surprise/anger)¦ 9¦(sometimes)¦ … Dictionary of contemporary English
French language — French La langue française Pronunciation [fʁɑ̃sɛ] Spoken in See below Native speakers 68 million (2005) … Wikipedia
French verbs — are a complex area of French grammar, with a conjugation scheme that allows for three finite moods (with anywhere from two to five synthetic tenses), three non finite moods, three voices, and three grammatical aspects. Conjugation French verbs… … Wikipedia
French wine — French wines are usually made to accompany food … Wikipedia
French grammar — refers to the grammar of the French language, which is similar to that of the other Romance languages.French is a moderately inflected language. Nouns and most pronouns are inflected for number (singular or plural); adjectives, for the number and … Wikipedia
French literature of the 19th century — French literature of the nineteenth century is, for the purpose of this article, literature written in French from (roughly) 1799 to 1900. Many of the developments in French literature in this period parallel changes in the visual arts. For more… … Wikipedia

Словари и энциклопедии на Академике

Перевод: с английского на все языки

French can use

См. также в других словарях:

Поделиться ссылкой на выделенное

Словари и энциклопедии на Академике

Перевод: с английского на все языки

French can use

См. также в других словарях:

Поделиться ссылкой на выделенное

Прямая ссылка: