Перевод: с английского на французский

с французского на английский

are translated by

Толкование Перевод

1 Usage note : go

As an intransitive verb

go as a simple intransitive verb is translated by aller:

we’re going to Paris

= nous allons à Paris

where are you going?

= où vas-tu?

Sasha went to London last week

= Sasha est allée à Londres la semaine dernière

Note that aller conjugates with être in compound tenses. For the conjugation of aller see the French verb tables. For more examples and particular usages see the entry go. The verb go produces a great many phrasal verbs in English (go up, go down, go out, go back etc.). Many of these are translated by a single verb in French (monter, descendre, sortir, retourner etc.). The phrasal verbs are listed separately at the end of the entry go.

As an auxiliary verb

When go is used as an auxiliary to show intention, it is also translated by aller:

I’m going to buy a car tomorrow

= je vais acheter une voiture demain

I was going to talk to you about it

= j’allais t’en parler

he’s not going to ask for a rise

= il ne va pas demander d’augmentation

For more examples and particular usages see A23 in the entry go.

For all other uses see the entry go.

Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : go
2 Usage note : of

In almost all its uses the preposition of is translated by de. Exceptions to this are substances ( made of gold), uses with a personal pronoun (that’s kind of you), proportions (some of us, of the 12 of us…) and time expressions ( of an evening). For translations of these, see the entry of. Remember that de + le always becomes du and that de + les always becomes des.

To find translations for phrases beginning with of (of course, of all, of interest, of late, of old) you should consult the appropriate noun etc. entry (course, all, interest, late, old etc.).

of also often appears as the second element of a verb (consist of, deprive of, die of, think of). For translations, consult the appropriate verb entry.

of is used after certain nouns, pronouns and adjectives in English (a member of, a game of, some of, most of, afraid of, capable of, ashamed of). For translations, consult the appropriate noun, pronoun or adjective entry.

When of it or of them are used for something already referred to, they are translated by en:

there’s a lot of it

= il y en a beaucoup

there are several of them

= il y en a plusieurs

Note, however, the following expressions used when referring to people:

there are six of them

= ils sont six

there were several of them

= ils étaient plusieurs

For particular usages see the entry of.

This dictionary contains usage notes on such topics as Age, Capacity measurement, Dates, Illnesses, Length measurement, Quantities, Towns and cities, and Weight measurement, many of which use of.

Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : of
3 more

more [mɔ:^r]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. adjective

2. pronoun

3. adverb

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

comparative of many ; of much

1. adjective

   a. ( = greater in amount) plus de

• a lot more time beaucoup plus de temps

• there's no more rice il n'y a plus de riz

• have some more ice cream reprenez de la glace

► more... than plus de... que

• he's got more money than you il a plus d'argent que vous

• more people than usual plus de gens que de coutume

   b. ( = additional) encore de

• more tea? encore un peu de thé ?

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► Note that in the following some and any when used with more are translated by du and de la.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• I'd like some more meat je voudrais encore de la viande

• is there any more wine? y a-t-il encore du vin ?

► a few/several more

• I need a few more examples il me faut encore quelques exemples

• unfortunately it'll take several more days cela prendra malheureusement quelques jours de plus

2. pronoun

   a. ( = greater quantity) plus

• a little more un peu plus

• I need a lot more il m'en faut beaucoup plus

• I haven't any more je n'en ai plus

• and what's more et qui plus est

• we'd like to see more of her nous aimerions la voir plus souvent

• I'll find out more about it je vais me renseigner

► more than (before a number) plus de

• more than 20 came plus de 20 personnes sont venues

• not more than a kilo pas plus d'un kilo

• it cost more than I expected c'était plus cher que je ne pensais

• that's more than enough c'est amplement suffisant► no/nothing more

• no more, thanks (in restaurant) ça suffit, merci

• I've nothing more to say je n'ai rien à ajouter

• let's say nothing more about it n'en parlons plus► anything more

• I don't want anything more (to eat) je ne veux plus rien

   b. ( = others) d'autres

• have you got any more like these? en avez-vous d'autres comme ça ?

3. adverb

   a. (with adjectives and adverbs) plus

• more difficult plus difficile

• more easily plus facilement

• more and more difficult de plus en plus difficile

• only more so mais encore plus

• each more beautiful than the next tous plus beaux les uns que les autres

• the house is more than half built la maison est plus qu'à moitié construite

   b. (with verbs) plus, davantage

• you must rest more vous devez vous reposer davantage

• she talks even more than he does elle parle encore plus que lui

• I like apples more than oranges je préfère les pommes aux oranges

• it will more than cover the cost cela couvrira largement les frais

   c. ( = rather) plutôt

• it's more a short story than a novel c'est une nouvelle plutôt qu'un roman

   d. ( = again) once more une fois de plus

• once more, they have disappointed us une fois de plus, ils nous ont déçus

• only once more une dernière fois

► any more plus

• I won't do it any more je ne le ferai plus

   e. (set structures)

► more or less plus ou moins

• neither more nor less ni plus ni moins► the more... plus...

• the more you rest the quicker you'll get better plus vous vous reposerez plus vous vous rétablirez rapidement

• the more I think of it the more ashamed I feel plus j'y pense plus j'ai honte

• he is all the more happy il est d'autant plus heureux

• all the more so because... d'autant plus que...

* * *

Note: When used to modify an adjective or an adverb to form the comparative more is very often translated by plus: more expensive = plus cher/chère; more beautiful = plus beau/belle; more easily = plus facilement; more regularly = plus régulièrement. For examples and further uses see below

When used as a quantifier to indicate a greater amount or quantity of something more is very often translated by plus de: more money/cars/people = plus d'argent/de voitures/de gens. For examples and further uses see II 1 below
[mɔː(r)] 1.
adverb

1) ( comparative)

it's more serious than we thought — c'est plus grave que nous ne pensions

the more intelligent (child) of the two — (l'enfant) le plus intelligent des deux

he's no more honest than his sister — il n'est pas plus honnête que sa sœur

2) ( to a greater extent) plus, davantage

you must work/rest more — il faut que tu travailles/te reposes davantage

he sleeps more than I do — il dort plus que moi

the more you think about it, the harder it will seem — plus tu y penseras, plus ça te paraîtra dur

he is (all) the more angry because — il est d'autant plus en colère que

3) ( longer)

I don't work there any more — je n'y travaille plus

4) ( again)

once more — une fois de plus

5) ( rather)

more surprised than angry — plus étonné que fâché
2.
quantifier

more cars than people — plus de voitures que de gens

more cars than expected — plus de voitures que prévu

some more books — quelques livres de plus

a little/lot more wine — un peu/beaucoup plus de vin

more bread — encore un peu de pain

there's no more bread — il n'y a plus de pain

have some more beer! — reprenez de la bière

have you any more questions? — avez-vous d'autres questions?

nothing more — rien de plus

something more — autre chose
3.
pronoun

1) ( larger amount or number) plus

it costs more than the other one — il/elle coûte plus cher que l'autre

he eats more than you — il mange plus que toi

the children take up more of my time — les enfants prennent une plus grande partie de mon temps

many were disappointed, more were angry — beaucoup de gens ont été déçus, un plus grand nombre étaient fâchés

we'd like to see more of you — nous voudrions te voir plus souvent

2) ( additional amount) davantage; ( additional number) plus

I need more of them — il m'en faut plus

I need more of it — il m'en faut davantage

several/a few more (of them) — plusieurs/quelques autres

I can't tell you any more — je ne peux pas t'en dire plus

I have nothing more to say — je n'ai rien à ajouter

in Mexico, of which more later... — au Mexique, dont nous reparlerons plus tard...

let's ou we'll say no more about it — n'en parlons plus
4.
more and more phrasal determiner, adverbial phrase de plus en plus

more and more work — de plus en plus de travail

to sleep more and more — dormir de plus en plus

more and more regularly — de plus en plus régulièrement
5.
more or less adverbial phrase plus ou moins
6.
more so adverbial phrase encore plus

in York, and even more so in Oxford — à York et encore plus à Oxford

he is just as active as her, if not more so ou or even more so — il est aussi actif qu'elle, si ce n'est plus

they are all disappointed, none more so than Mr Lowe — ils sont tous déçus, en particulier M. Lowe

no more so than usual — pas plus que d'habitude
7.
more than adverbial phrase, prepositional phrase

1) ( greater amount or number) plus de

more than 20 people — plus de 20 personnes

more than half — plus de la moitié

more than enough — plus qu'assez

2) ( extremely)

more than generous — plus que généreux

the cheque more than covered the cost — le chèque a amplement couvert les frais

••

she's nothing more (nor less) than a thief —

she's a thief, neither more nor less — c'est une voleuse, ni plus ni moins

he's nothing ou no ou not much more than a servant — ce n'est qu'un serviteur

and what is more... — et qui plus est...

there's more where that came from — ce n'est qu'un début

English-French dictionary > more
4 Usage note : like

When like is used as a preposition (like a child, do it like this) it can generally be translated by comme.

Note however that be like and look like meaning resemble are translated by ressembler à:

she’s like her father or she looks like her father

= elle ressemble à son père

like is used after certain other verbs in English to express particular kinds of resemblance (taste like, feel like, smell like etc.). For translations, consult the appropriate verb entry.

When like is used as a conjunction it is translated by comme:

songs like my mother sings

= des chansons comme celles que chante ma mère

When like is used to introduce an illustrative example ( big cities like London) it can be translated by either comme or tel/telle/tels/ telles que: les grandes villes comme Londres or les grandes villes telles que Londres.

For particular usages of like as a preposition or conjunction and for noun and adverb uses, see the entry like1.

Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : like
5 neither

neither [ˈnaɪðə^r, ˈni:ðə^r]

1. adverb

► neither... nor ni... ni

• neither good nor bad ni bon ni mauvais

• I've seen neither him nor her je ne les ai vus ni l'un ni l'autre

• he can neither read nor write il ne sait ni lire ni écrire

• the house has neither water nor electricity la maison n'a ni eau ni électricité

• neither you nor I know ni vous ni moi ne le savons

• he neither knows nor cares il n'en sait rien et ça lui est égal► neither here nor there

• that's neither here nor there ce n'est pas la question

• an extra couple of miles is neither here nor there on n'est pas à deux ou trois kilomètres près

2. conjunction

• if you don't go, neither shall I si tu n'y vas pas je n'irai pas non plus

• I'm not going -- neither am I je n'y vais pas -- moi non plus

• he didn't do it -- neither did his brother il ne l'a pas fait -- son frère non plus

3. adjective

• neither story is true aucune des deux histoires n'est vraie

• in neither case ni dans un cas ni dans l'autre

4. pronoun

ni l'un (e) ni l'autre

• neither of them knows ils ne le savent ni l'un ni l'autre

• which do you prefer? -- neither lequel préférez-vous ? -- ni l'un ni l'autre

* * *

Note: When used as co-ordinating conjunctions neither...nor are translated by ni...ni: she speaks neither English nor French = elle ne parle ni anglais ni français; he is neither intelligent nor kind = il n'est ni intelligent ni gentil; neither tea, nor milk = ni (le) thé, ni (le) lait. Note that the preceding verb is negated by ne

For examples and particular usages see the entry neither I 1

When used as a conjunction to show agreement or similarity with a negative statement, neither is translated by non plus: ‘I don't like him’ - ‘neither do I’ = ‘je ne l'aime pas’ - ‘moi non plus’; ‘he's not Spanish’ - ‘neither is John’ = ‘il n'est pas espagnol’ - ‘John non plus’; ‘I can't sleep’ - ‘neither can I’ = ‘je n'arrive pas à dormir’ - ‘moi non plus’

When used to give additional information to a negative statement neither can often be translated by non plus preceded by a negative verb: she hasn't written, neither has she telephoned = elle n'a pas écrit, et elle n'a pas téléphoné non plus; I don't wish to insult you, but neither do I wish to lose money = je ne veux pas vous offenser, mais je ne souhaite pas non plus perdre de l'argent

For examples and particular usages see the entry neither I 2
['naɪðə(r), 'niːð-] 1.
conjunction

1) ( not either) ni...ni

I have neither the time nor the money — je n'ai ni le temps ni l'argent

I've seen neither him nor her — je ne les ai vus ni l'un ni l'autre

2) ( nor)

he doesn't have the time, neither does he have the money — il n'a pas le temps, et il n'a pas l'argent non plus

you don't have to tell him, neither should you — tu n'es pas obligé de le lui dire, tu ferais même mieux d'éviter
2.
determiner aucun des deux

neither book is suitable — aucun des deux livres ne convient

neither girl replied — aucune des deux filles n'a répondu
3.
pronoun ni l'un/-e, ni l'autre m/f

neither of them came — ni l'un ni l'autre n'est venu

‘which one is responsible?’ - ‘neither’ — ‘lequel des deux est responsable?’ - ‘ni l'un ni l'autre’

English-French dictionary > neither
6 neither

neither

❢ When used as co-ordinating conjunctions neither…nor are translated by ni…ni: she speaks neither English nor French = elle ne parle ni anglais ni français ; he is neither intelligent nor kind = il n'est ni intelligent ni gentil ; neither tea, nor milk = ni (le) thé, ni (le) lait. Note that the preceding verb is negated by ne.

For examples and further uses see the entry neither A 1.

When used as a conjunction to show agreement or similarity with a negative statement, neither is translated by non plus: ‘I don't like him’-‘neither do I’ = ‘je ne l'aime pas’-‘moi non plus’ ; ‘he's not Spanish’-‘neither is John’ = ‘il n'est pas espagnol’-‘John non plus’ ; ‘I can't sleep’-‘neither can I ’ = ‘je n'arrive pas à dormir’-‘moi non plus’. When used to give additional information to a negative statement neither can often be translated by non plus preceded by a negative verb: she hasn't written, neither has she telephoned = elle n'a pas écrit, et elle n'a pas téléphoné non plus ; I don't wish to insult you, but neither do I wish to lose money = je ne veux pas vous offenser, mais je ne souhaite pas non plus perdre de l'argent.

For examples and further uses see the entry neither A 2.

A conj

1 ( not either) ni…ni ; I have neither the time nor the money je n'ai ni le temps ni l'argent ; I've seen neither him nor her je ne les ai vus ni l'un ni l'autre ;

2 ( nor) he doesn't have the time, neither does he have the money il n'a pas le temps, et il n'a pas l'argent non plus ; you don't have to tell him, neither should you tu n'es pas obligé de le lui dire, tu ferais même mieux d'éviter.

B det aucun des deux ; neither book is suitable aucun des deux livres ne convient ; neither girl replied aucune des deux filles n'a répondu.

C pron ni l'un/-e, ni l'autre m/f ; neither of them came ni l'un ni l'autre n'est venu, ils ne sont venus ni l'un ni l'autre ; ‘which one is responsible?’-‘neither’ ‘lequel des deux est responsable?’-‘ni l'un ni l'autre’.

Big English-French dictionary > neither
7 British regions and counties

The names of British regions and counties usually have the definite article in French, except when used with the preposition en.

In, to and from somewhere

Most counties and regions are masculine ; with these, in and to are translated by dans le, and from by du:

to live in Sussex

= vivre dans le Sussex

to go to Sussex

= aller dans le Sussex

to come from Sussex

= venir du Sussex

Note however:

Cornwall

= la Cornouailles

to live in Cornwall

= vivre en Cornouailles

to go to Cornwall

= aller en Cornouailles

to come from Cornwall

= venir de la Cornouailles

Uses with nouns

There are rarely French equivalents for English forms like Cornishmen, and it is always safe to use de with the definite article:

Cornishmen

= les habitants mpl de la Cornouailles

Lancastrians

= les habitants du Lancashire

In other cases, du is often possible:

a Somerset accent

= un accent du Somerset

the Yorkshire countryside

= les paysages du Yorkshire

but it is usually safe to use du comté de:

the towns of Fife

= les villes du comté de Fife

the rivers of Merioneth

= les rivières du comté de Merioneth

or de la région de:

Grampian cattle

= le bétail de la région des Grampians

Big English-French dictionary > British regions and counties
8 by

by [baɪ]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. preposition

2. adverb

3. compounds

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► When by is an element in a phrasal verb, eg go by, stand by, look up the verb. When it is part of a set combination, eg by degrees, surrounded by, look up the other word.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. preposition

   a. ( = close to) à côté de, près de

• come and sit by me viens t'asseoir à côté de moi

• her cousins are over there, and she's sitting by them ses cousins sont là-bas et elle est assise à côté (d'eux)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► by it and by them, when it and them refer to things, are translated by à côté alone.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• her bag was on the table and her keys right by it son sac était sur la table et ses clés juste à côté

   b. ( = past) à côté de

• he rushed by me without seeing me dans sa précipitation il est passé à côté de moi sans me voir

   c. ( = via) par

• which route did you come by? par où êtes-vous passés ?

• he came in by the window il est entré par la fenêtre

   d. ( = not later than) pour

• I'll be back by midnight je serai de retour pour minuit

• applications must be submitted by 21 April les candidatures doivent nous parvenir au plus tard le 21 avril

   e. ( = in) en

• by 1990 the figure had reached... en 1990, ce chiffre avait atteint...

• by 2010 the figure will have reached... en 2010, cette somme aura atteint...

   f. ( = on) by 30 September we had paid out £500 au 30 septembre nous avions payé 500 livres

• by yesterday it was clear that... dès hier on savait que...

   g. ( = according to) by my calculations d'après mes calculs

• by my watch it is 9 o'clock il est 9 heures à ma montre

   h. ( = for) (inf) it's fine or all right by me ça me va

• if that's okay by you si ça vous va

   i. (margin of difference) de

• wider by a metre plus large d'un mètre

   j. (dimensions) a room three metres by four une pièce de trois mètres sur quatre

   k. ( = created, written by) de

• a painting by Van Gogh un tableau de Van Gogh

• who's it by? c'est de qui ?

   l. (method, means, manner) à

• to do sth by hand faire qch à la main

• to sell by the kilo vendre au kilo

• to pay by the hour payer à l'heure

► by + -ing en

• by leaving early he missed the rush en partant de bonne heure il a évité la cohue► by + means of transport en

• by bus/car/taxi en bus/voiture/taxi

• by plane en avion

• by rail or train en train

• by bike à bicyclette► by + agent par

• he had been warned by his neighbour il avait été prévenu par son voisin

• I was surprised by their reaction j'ai été surpris de leur réaction

• he had a daughter by his first wife il a eu une fille de sa première femme

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► When there is no clear agent, the active is more natural in French.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• he was disappointed by it ça l'a déçu

   m. (set structures)

► by and by bientôt

► by and large globalement

• by and large, I still think this is true globalement, je crois toujours que c'est vrai► by the way au fait

• by the way, did you know it was Ann's birthday? au fait, tu savais que c'était l'anniversaire d'Ann ?

2. adverb

( = along, past) he'll be by any minute il sera là dans un instant

• a train hurtled by un train passa à toute allure

3. compounds

► by-election noun élection f (législative) partielle

► by-product noun dérivé m ; (figurative) conséquence f (indirecte)

* * *
[baɪ] 1.
preposition

1) (showing agent, result) par

he was bitten by a snake — il a été mordu par un serpent

designed by an architect — conçu par un architecte

destroyed by fire — détruit par le feu

by working extra hours — en faisant des heures supplémentaires

to begin by saying that — commencer par dire que

2) ( through the means of)

to travel by bus/train — voyager en bus/train

by bicycle — à bicyclette, en vélo

to pay by cheque — payer par chèque

by candlelight — [dine] aux chandelles; [read] à la bougie

I know her by sight — je la connais de vue

I took him by the hand — je l'ai pris par la main

he has two children by his first wife — il a deux enfants de sa première femme

3) (according to, from evidence of) à

by my watch it is three o'clock — à ma montre, il est trois heures

I could tell by the look on her face that she was angry — rien qu'à la regarder je savais qu'elle était fâchée

I knew him by his walk — je l'ai reconnu à sa démarche

it's all right by me — ça me va

4) (via, passing through) par

by the back door — par la porte de derrière

to travel to Rome by Venice and Florence — aller à Rome en passant par Venise et Florence

5) (near, beside) à côté de, près de

by the bed/the window — à côté du lit/de la fenêtre

by the sea — au bord de la mer

6) ( past)

to go ou pass by somebody — passer devant quelqu'un

they passed us by in their car — ils nous ont dépassés dans leur voiture

let us get by — laissez-nous passer

7) ( showing authorship) de

a film by Claude Chabrol — un film de Claude Chabrol

who is it by? — c'est de qui?

8) (before, not later than) avant

by four o'clock/next Thursday — avant quatre heures/jeudi prochain

by this time next week — d'ici la semaine prochaine

by the time she had got downstairs he was gone — le temps qu'elle descende, il était parti

he ought to be here by now — il devrait être déjà là

by now it was clear that they were going to win — à ce moment-là il était clair qu'ils allaient gagner

9) ( during)

by day as well as by night — de jour comme de nuit

by daylight — au jour

by moonlight — au clair de lune

10) ( according to)

forbidden by law — interdit par la loi

to play by the rules — jouer selon les règles

it seems primitive by western standards — cela a l'air primitif selon or d'après les critères occidentaux

11) ( to the extent or degree of) de

prices have risen by 20% — les prix ont augmenté de 20%

he's taller than me by two centimetres — il fait deux centimètres de plus que moi, il est plus grand que moi de deux centimètres

by far — de loin

it's better by far — c'est beaucoup mieux

12) ( in measurements) sur

a room 20 metres by 10 metres — une pièce de 20 mètres sur 10

13) (in multiplication, division) par

10 multiplied by 5 is 50 — 10 multiplié par 5 égale 50

14) (showing rate, quantity) à

to be paid by the hour — être payé à l'heure

by the dozen — à la douzaine

15) (in successive degrees, units)

little by little — peu à peu

day by day — jour après jour

one by one — un par un, un à un

16) ( with regard to) de

he is an architect by profession ou trade — il est architecte de son métier

by birth — de naissance

17) ( as a result of) par

by accident/mistake — par accident/erreur

by chance — par hasard

18) ( used with reflexive pronouns)

he did it all by himself — il l'a fait tout seul

19) Nautical ( in compass directions) quart

south by south-west — sud quart sud-ouest
2.
adverb

1) ( past)

to go by — passer

the people walking by — les gens mpl qui passent/passaient, les passants mpl

a lot of time has gone by since then — il s'est écoulé beaucoup de temps depuis lors

as time goes by — avec le temps

2) ( near) près

he lives close by — il habite tout près

3) (aside, in reserve)

to put money by — mettre de l'argent de côté

4) ( to one's house)

come by for a drink — passe prendre un verre

••

by and by — bientôt, en peu de temps

by the by —

by the bye — à propos

but that's by the by — mais ça c'est un détail, mais ça c'est autre chose

English-French dictionary > by
9 Usage note : be

The direct French equivalent of the verb to be in subject + to be + predicate sentences is être:

I am tired

= je suis fatigué

Caroline is French

= Caroline est française

the children are in the garden

= les enfants sont dans le jardin

It functions in very much the same way as to be does in English and it is safe to assume it will work as a translation in the great majority of cases.

Note, however, that when you are specifying a person’s profession or trade, a/an is not translated:

she’s a doctor

= elle est médecin

Claudie is still a student

= Claudie est toujours étudiante

This is true of any noun used in apposition when the subject is a person:

he’s a widower

= il est veuf

But

Lyons is a beautiful city

= Lyon est une belle ville

For more information or expressions involving professions and trades consult the usage note Shops, Trades and Professions.

For the conjugation of the verb être see the French verb tables.

Grammatical functions

The passive

être is used to form the passive in French just as to be is used in English. Note, however, that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject:

the rabbit was killed by a fox

= le lapin a été tué par un renard

the window had been broken

= la fenêtre avait été cassée

their books will be sold

= leurs livres seront vendus

our doors have been repainted red

= nos portes ont été repeintes en rouge

In spoken language, French native speakers find the passive cumbersome and will avoid it where possible by using the impersonal on where a person or people are clearly involved : on a repeint nos portes en rouge.

Progressive tenses

In French the idea of something happening over a period of time cannot be expressed using the verb être in the way that to be is used as an auxiliary verb in English.

The present

French uses simply the present tense where English uses the progressive form with to be:

I am working

= je travaille

Ben is reading a book

= Ben lit un livre

In order to accentuate duration être en train de is used: je suis en train de travailler ; Ben est en train de lire un livre.

The future

French also uses the present tense where English uses the progressive form with to be:

we are going to London tomorrow

= nous allons à Londres demain

I’m (just) coming!

= j’arrive!

I’m (just) going!

= j’y vais!

The past

To express the distinction between she read a newspaper and she was reading a newspaper French uses the perfect and the imperfect tenses: elle a lu un journal/elle lisait un journal:

he wrote to his mother

= il a écrit à sa mère

he was writing to his mother

= il écrivait à sa mère

However, in order to accentuate the notion of describing an activity which went on over a period of time, the phrase être en train de (= to be in the process of) is often used:

‘what was he doing when you arrived?’

‘he was cooking the dinner’

= ‘qu’est-ce qu’il faisait quand tu es arrivé?’ ‘il était en train de préparer le dîner’

she was just finishing her essay when …

= elle était juste en train de finir sa dissertation quand …

The compound past

Compound past tenses in the progressive form in English are generally translated by the imperfect in French:

I’ve been looking for you

= je te cherchais

For progressive forms + for and since (I’ve been waiting for an hour, I had been waiting for an hour, I’ve been waiting since Monday etc.) see the entries for and since.

Obligation

When to be is used as an auxiliary verb with another verb in the infinitive ( to be to do) expressing obligation, a fixed arrangement or destiny, devoir is used:

she’s to do it at once

= elle doit le faire tout de suite

what am I to do?

= qu’est-ce que je dois faire?

he was to arrive last Monday

= il devait arriver lundi dernier

she was never to see him again

= elle ne devait plus le revoir.

In tag questions

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

their house is lovely, isn’t it?

= leur maison est très belle, n’est-ce pas?

he’s a doctor, isn’t he?

= il est médecin, n’est-ce pas?

it was a very good meal, wasn’t it?

= c’était un très bon repas, 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 extra meaning contained in the tag: par hasard ( by any chance) can be very useful as a translation:

‘I can’t find my glasses’ ‘they’re not in the kitchen, are they?’

= ‘je ne trouve pas mes lunettes’ ‘elles ne sont pas dans la cuisine, par hasard?’

you haven’t seen Gaby, have you?

= tu n’as pas vu Gaby, par hasard?

In cases where an opinion is being sought, si? meaning more or less or is it? or was it? etc. can be useful:

it’s not broken, is it?

= ce n’est pas cassé, si?

he wasn’t serious, was he?

= il n’était pas sérieux, si?

In many other cases the tag question is simply not translated at all and the speaker’s intonation will convey the implied question.

In short answers

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

‘you’re not going out tonight’ ‘yes I am’

= ‘tu ne sors pas ce soir’ ‘si’

In reply to a standard enquiry the tag will not be translated:

‘are you a doctor?’ ‘yes I am’

= ‘êtes-vous médecin?’ ‘oui’

‘was it raining?’ ‘yes it was’

= ‘est-ce qu’il pleuvait?’ ‘oui’

Probability

For expressions of probability and supposition ( if I were you etc.) see the entry be.

Other functions

Expressing sensations and feelings

In expressing physical and mental sensations, the verb used in French is avoir:

to be cold

= avoir froid

to be hot

= avoir chaud

I’m cold

= j’ai froid

to be thirsty

= avoir soif

to be hungry

= avoir faim

to be ashamed

= avoir honte

my hands are cold

= j’ai froid aux mains

If, however, you are in doubt as to which verb to use in such expressions, you should consult the entry for the appropriate adjective.

Discussing health and how people are

In expressions of health and polite enquiries about how people are, aller is used:

how are you?

= comment allez-vous?

( more informally) comment vas-tu?

( very informally as a greeting) ça va?

are you well?

= vous allez bien?

how is your daughter?

= comment va votre fille?

my father is better today

= mon père va mieux aujourd’hui

Discussing weather and temperature

In expressions of weather and temperature faire is generally used:

it’s cold

= il fait froid

it’s windy

= il fait du vent

If in doubt, consult the appropriate adjective entry.

Visiting somewhere

When to be is used in the present perfect tense to mean go, visit etc., French will generally use the verbs venir, aller etc. rather than être:

I’ve never been to Sweden

= je ne suis jamais allé en Suède

have you been to the Louvre?

= est-ce que tu es déjà allé au Louvre?

or est-ce que tu as déjà visité le Louvre?

Paul has been to see us three times

= Paul est venu nous voir trois fois

Note too:

has the postman been?

= est-ce que le facteur est passé?

For here is, here are, there is, there are see the entries here and there.

The translation for an expression or idiom containing the verb to be will be found in the dictionary at the entry for another word in the expression: for to be in danger see danger, for it would be best to … see best etc.

This dictionary contains usage notes on topics such as the clock, time units, age, weight measurement, days of the week, and shops, trades and professions, many of which include translations of particular uses of to be.

Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : be
10 Usage note : that

As a determiner

In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they precede ; that is translated by ce + masculine singular noun ( ce monsieur), cet + masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h’ ( cet homme) and cette + feminine singular noun ( cette femme) ; those is translated by ces.

Note, however, that the above translations are also used for the English this (plural these). So when it is necessary to insist on that as opposed to another or others of the same sort, the adverbial tag -là is added to the noun:

I prefer THAT version

= je préfère cette version-là

For particular usages, see the entry that.

As a pronoun meaning that one, those ones

In French, pronouns reflect the gender and number of the noun they are referring to. So that is translated by celui-là for a masculine noun, celle-là for a feminine noun and those is translated by ceux-là for a masculine noun and celles-là for a feminine noun:

I think I like that one (dress) best

= je crois que je préfère celle-là

For other uses of that, those as pronouns (e.g. who’s that?) and for adverbial use (e.g. that much, that many) there is no straightforward translation, so see the entry that for examples of usage.

When used as a relative pronoun, that is translated by qui when it is the subject of the verb and by que when it is the object:

the man that stole the car

= l’homme qui a volé la voiture

the film that I saw

= le film que j’ai vu

Remember that in the present perfect and past perfect tenses, the past participle will agree

with the noun to which que as object refers:

the apples that I bought

= les pommes que j’ai achetées

When that is used as a relative pronoun with a preposition, it is translated by lequel when standing for a masculine singular noun, by laquelle when standing for a feminine singular noun, by lesquels when standing for a masculine plural noun and by lesquelles when standing for a feminine plural noun:

the chair that I was sitting on

= la chaise sur laquelle j’étais assise

the children that I bought the books for

= les enfants pour lesquels j’ai acheté les livres

Remember that in cases where the English preposition used would normally be translated by à in French (e.g. to, at), the translation of the whole (prep + rel pron) will be auquel, à laquelle, auxquels, auxquelles:

the girls that I was talking to

= les filles auxquelles je parlais

Similarly, where the English preposition used would normally be translated by de in French (e.g. of, from), the translation of the whole (prep + rel pron) will be dont in all cases:

the Frenchman that I received a letter from

= le Français dont j’ai reçu une lettre

When used as a conjunction, that can almost always be translated by que (qu’ before a vowel or mute ‘h’):

she said that she would do it

= elle a dit qu’elle le ferait

In certain verbal constructions, que is followed by a subjunctive in French. If you are in doubt about the construction to use, consult the appropriate verb entry. For particular usages see the entry that.

Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : that
11 Usage note : which

As a pronoun

In questions

When which is used as a pronoun in questions it is translated by lequel, laquelle, lesquels or lesquelles according to the gender and number of the noun it is referring to:

there are three peaches, which do you want?

= il y a trois pêches, laquelle veux-tu?

‘Lucy’s borrowed three of your books’ ‘which did she take?’

= ‘Lucy t’a emprunté trois livres’ ‘lesquels a-t-elle pris?’

The exception to this is when which is followed by a superlative adjective, when the translation is quel, quelle, quels or quelles:

which is the biggest (apple)?

= quelle est la plus grande?

which are the least expensive (books)?

= quels sont les moins chers?

In relative clauses as subject or object

When which is used as a relative pronoun as the subject of a verb, it is translated by qui:

the book which is on the table

= le livre qui est sur la table

the books which are on the table

= les livres qui sont sur la table

When which is the object of a verb it is translated by que (qu’ before a vowel or mute ‘h’):

the book which Tina is reading

= le livre que lit Tina

Note the inversion of subject and verb ; this is the case where the subject is a noun but not where the subject is a pronoun:

the book which I am reading

= le livre que je lis

In compound tenses such as the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the noun que is referring to:

the books which I gave you

= les livres que je t’ai donnés

the dresses which she bought yesterday

= les robes qu’elle a achetées hier

In relative clauses after a preposition

Here the translation is lequel, laquelle, lesquels or lesquelles according to the gender and number of the noun referred to:

the road by which we came or the road which we came by

= la route par laquelle nous sommes venus

the expressions for which we have translations

= les expressions pour lesquelles nous avons une traduction

Remember that if the preposition would normally be translated by à in French (to, at etc.), the preposition + which is translated by auquel, à laquelle, auxquels or auxquelles:

the addresses to which we sent letters

= les adresses auxquelles nous avons envoyé des lettres

With prepositions normally translated by de (of, from etc.) the translation of the preposition which becomes dont:

a blue book, the title of which I’ve forgotten

= un livre bleu dont j’ai oublié le titre

However, if de is part of a prepositional group, as for example in the case of près de meaning near, the translation becomes duquel, de laquelle, desquels or desquelles:

the village near which they live

= le village près duquel ils habitent

the houses near which she was waiting

= les maisons près desquelles elle attendait

The translation duquel etc. is also used where a preposition + noun precedes of which:

a hill at the top of which there is a house

= une colline au sommet de laquelle il y a une maison

As a determiner

In questions

When which is used as a determiner in questions it is translated by quel, quelle, quels or quelles according to the gender and number of the noun that follows:

which car is yours?

= quelle voiture est la vôtre?

which books did he borrow?

= quels livres a-t-il empruntés?

Note that in the second example the object precedes the verb so that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the object.

For translations of which as a determiner in relative clauses see B2 in the entry which.

Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : which
12 Usage note : the

In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they precede ; the is translated by le + masculine singular noun ( le chien), by la + feminine singular noun ( la chaise), by l’ + masculine or feminine singular noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h’ (l’auteur, l’homme, l’absence, l’histoire) and by les + plural noun (les hommes, les femmes).

When the is used after a preposition in English, the two words (prep + the) are often translated by one word in French. If the preposition would normally be translated by de in French (of, about, from etc.) the prep + the is translated by du + masculine noun ( du chien), by de la + feminine noun ( de la femme), by de l’ + singular noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h ’ (de l’auteur, de l’histoire) and by des + plural noun (des hommes, des femmes). If the preposition would usually be translated by à (at, to etc.) the prep + the is translated according to the number and gender of the noun, by au ( au chien), à la ( à la femme), à l’ (à l’enfant), aux (aux hommes, aux femmes).

Other than this, there are few problems in translating the into French.

The following cases are, however, worth remembering as not following exactly the pattern of the English:

the good, the poor etc.

= les bons, les pauvres etc.

Charles the First, Elizabeth the Second etc.

= Charles Premier, Elizabeth Deux etc.

she’s THE violinist of the century

= c’est LA violoniste du siècle or c’est la plus grande violoniste du siècle

the Tudors, the Batemans etc.

= les Tudor, les Bateman etc.

For expressions such as the more, the better, see the entry the.

This dictionary contains usage notes on such topics as weight measurement, days of the week, rivers, illnesses, aches and pains, the human body, and musical instruments, many of which use the.

For other particular usages of the see the entry the.

Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : the
13 any

any [ˈenɪ]

1. adjective

   a.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► The construction not... any is generally translated in French by pas... de.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• I haven't got any money je n'ai pas d'argent

► hardly any

• I have hardly any money left il ne me reste presque plus d'argent

• hardly any people came presque personne n'est venu

• there's hardly any danger il n'y a presque pas de danger► without any sans

• without any difficulty sans la moindre difficulté

   b. (in questions and "if" clauses) have you got any butter? avez-vous du beurre ?

• did they find any survivors? ont-ils trouvé des survivants ?

• are there any others? y en a-t-il d'autres ?

• is there any risk? y a-t-il un risque ?

• if you see any children si vous voyez des enfants

• if you have any money si vous avez de l'argent

• if there's any problem s'il y a un problème

   c. ( = no matter which) n'importe quel ; ( = each and every) tout

• take any card you like prenez n'importe quelle carte

• come at any time venez à n'importe quelle heure

• you can come at any hour of the day or night vous pouvez venir à toute heure du jour ou de la nuit

• any pupil who breaks the rules will be punished tout élève qui enfreindra le règlement sera puni

• they eat any old thing (inf) ils mangent n'importe quoi

► any number of des quantités de

• there are any number of ways to do it il y a des quantités de façons de le faire

2. pronoun

   a. (with negative) she has two brothers but I haven't got any elle a deux frères mais moi je n'en ai pas

► hardly any

• I have hardly any left il ne m'en reste presque plus

• a lot of people booked but hardly any came beaucoup de gens avaient réservé, mais presque personne n'est venu

   b. (in questions and "if" clauses) have you got any? en avez-vous ?

• if any of you can sing si l'un d'entre vous sait chanter

• if any of them come out s'il y en a parmi eux qui sortent

• few, if any, will come il viendra peu de gens, si tant est qu'il en vienne

   c. ( = no matter which one) any of those books will do n'importe lequel de ces livres fera l'affaire

3. adverb

   a. ► any + comparative

• are you feeling any better? vous sentez-vous un peu mieux ?

• if it had been any colder we'd have frozen to death si la température avait encore baissé, nous serions morts de froid

• do you want any more soup? voulez-vous encore de la soupe ?

• I couldn't do that any more than I could fly je ne serais pas plus capable de faire cela que de voler

   b. ► not any + comparative

• she is not any more intelligent than her sister elle n'est pas plus intelligente que sa sœur

• I can't hear him any more je ne l'entends plus

• we can't go any further nous ne pouvons pas aller plus loin

• I won't wait any longer je n'attendrai pas plus longtemps

• I can't imagine things getting any better je ne pense pas que la situation puisse s'améliorer

   c. ( = at all) the rope didn't help them any (inf) la corde ne leur a pas servi à grand-chose

* * *

Note: When any is used as a determiner in negative sentences it is not usually translated in French: we don't have any money = nous n'avons pas d'argent

When any is used as a determiner in questions it is translated by du, de l', de la or des according to the gender and number of the noun that follows: is there any soap? = y a-t-il du savon?; is there any flour? = y a-t-il de la farine?; are there any questions? = est-ce qu'il y a des questions?

For examples and other determiner uses see I in the entry below

When any is used as a pronoun in negative sentences and in questions it is translated by en: we don't have any = nous n'en avons pas; have you got any? = est-ce que vous en avez?

For more examples and other pronoun uses see II below

For adverbial uses such as any more, any longer, any better etc see III below
['enɪ] 1.
determiner

1) (with negative, implied negative)

he hasn't got any money — il n'a pas d'argent

they never receive any letters — ils ne reçoivent jamais de lettres

they hardly ate any cake — ils n'ont presque pas mangé de gâteau

I don't want any lunch — je ne veux pas de déjeuner

I don't need any advice — je n'ai pas besoin de conseils

they couldn't get any information — ils n'ont pas obtenu la moindre information

he hasn't got any common sense — il n'a aucun bon sens

2) (in questions, conditional sentences)

is there any tea? — est-ce qu'il y a du thé?

if you have any money — si vous avez de l'argent

3) ( no matter which) n'importe quel/quelle, tout

you can have any cup you like — vous pouvez prendre n'importe quelle tasse

any information would be very useful — tout renseignement serait très utile

any complaints should be addressed to Mr Cook — pour toute réclamation adressez-vous à M. Cook

I'm ready to help in any way I can — je suis prêt à faire tout ce que je peux pour aider

I do not wish to restrict your freedom in any way — je n'ai pas l'intention d'entraver votre liberté de quelque façon que ce soit

he might return at any time — il peut revenir d'un moment à l'autre

if you should want to discuss this at any time — si à un moment ou à un autre vous souhaitez discuter de cela

come round and see me any time — passe me voir quand tu veux

I don't buy any one brand in particular — je n'achète aucune marque en particulier
2.
pronoun

1) (with negative, implied negative)

he hasn't got any — il n'en a pas

there is hardly any left — il n'en reste presque pas

she doesn't like any of them — ( people) elle n'aime aucun d'entre eux/elles; ( things) elle n'en aime aucun/-e

2) (in questions, conditional sentences)

I'd like some tea, if you have any — je voudrais du thé, si vous en avez

have any of you got a car? — est-ce que l'un/-e d'entre vous a une voiture?

are any of them blue? — y en a-t-il des bleus?

3) ( no matter which) n'importe lequel/laquelle

‘which colour would you like?’ - ‘any’ — ‘quelle couleur veux-tu?’ - ‘n'importe laquelle’

any of those pens — n'importe lequel de ces stylos

any of them could do it — n'importe qui d'entre eux/elles pourrait le faire
3.
adverb

1) ( with comparatives)

is he feeling any better? — est-ce qu'il se sent mieux?

have you got any more of these? — est-ce que vous en avez d'autres?

do you want any more wine? — voulez-vous encore du vin?

I don't like him any more than you do — je ne l'aime guère plus que toi

I don't know any more than that — c'est tout ce que je sais

he doesn't live here any more ou longer — il n'habite plus ici

I won't put up with it any longer — ça ne peut pas continuer ainsi

if we stay here any longer — si nous restons plus longtemps

can't you walk any faster? — tu ne peux pas marcher plus vite?

I can't leave any later than 6 o'clock — il faut que je parte à 6 heures au plus tard

2) (colloq) ( at all) du tout

that doesn't help me any — ça ne m'aide pas du tout

English-French dictionary > any
14 few

few ( comp fewer ; superl fewest)

❢ When few is used as a quantifier to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity ( few houses, few shops, few people) it is translated by peu de: peu de maisons, peu de magasins, peu de gens. Equally the few is translated by le peu de: the few people who knew her le peu de gens qui la connaissaient. For examples and particular usages see A 1 in the entry.

When few is used as a quantifier in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see A 2 in the entry. When a few is used as a quantifier ( a few books), it can often be translated by quelques: quelques livres ; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see B in the entry. For translations of few used as a pronoun ( few of us succeeded, I only need a few) see B, C in the entry. For translations of the few used as a noun ( the few who voted for him) see D in the entry.

A quantif

1 ( not many) peu de ; few visitors/letters peu de visiteurs/lettres ; few people came to the meeting peu de gens sont venus à la réunion ; very few houses/families très peu de maisons/familles ; there are very few opportunities for graduates il y a très peu de débouchés pour les diplômés ; one of my few pleasures un de mes rares plaisirs ; on the few occasions that she has visited this country les rares fois où elle a visité ce pays ; their needs are few ils ont peu de besoins ; their demands are few ils sont peu exigeants, ils revendiquent peu de chose ; to be few in number être peu nombreux ; there are too few women in this profession il y a trop peu de femmes dans ce métier ; with few exceptions à quelques exceptions près ; a man of few words gen un homme peu loquace ; ( approvingly) un homme qui ne se perd pas en paroles inutiles ;

2 (some, several) every few days tous les deux ou trois jours ; over the next few days/weeks ( in past) dans les jours/semaines qui ont suivi ; ( in future) dans les jours/semaines à venir ; these past few days ces derniers jours ; the first few weeks les premières semaines ; the few books she possessed les quelques livres qu'elle possédait.

B a few quantif quelques ; a few people/houses quelques personnes/maisons ; I would like a few more j'en voudrais quelques-uns (or quelques-unes) de plus ; quite a few people/houses pas mal ○ de gens/maisons, un bon nombre de gens/maisons ; we've lived here for a good few years nous vivons ici depuis un bon nombre d'années ; a few weeks earlier quelques semaines plus tôt ; in a few minutes dans quelques minutes ; in a few more months dans quelques mois ; a few more times quelques fois de plus.

C pron

1 ( not many) peu ; few of us succeeded peu d'entre nous ont réussi ; few of them could swim ils n'étaient pas nombreux à savoir nager ; few of them survived peu d'entre eux ont survécu, il y a eu peu de survivants ; there are so few of them that ( objects) il y en a tellement peu que ; ( people) ils sont tellement peu nombreux que ; there are four too few il en manque quatre ; as few as four people turned up quatre personnes seulement sont venues ; few can deny that il y a peu de gens qui nieraient que ;

2 ( some) a few of the soldiers/countries quelques-uns or certains des soldats/pays ; I only need a few il ne m'en faut que quelques-uns/quelques-unes ; a few of us un certain nombre d'entre nous ; there were only a few of them ( objects) il n'y en avait que quelques-uns/quelques-unes ; ( people) ils étaient peu nombreux ; quite a few of the tourists come from Germany un bon nombre des touristes viennent d'Allemagne ; a good few of the houses were damaged un bon nombre des maisons ont été endommagées ; there are only a very few left ( objects) il n'en reste que très peu ; ( people) il ne reste que quelques personnes ; a few wanted to go on strike quelques-uns voulaient faire la grève.

D n the few who voted for him les rares personnes qui ont voté pour lui ; great wealth in the hands of the few une grande richesse entre les mains d'une minorité ; music that appeals only to the few une musique qui ne s'adresse qu'à l'élite.

Idioms

to be few and far between être rarissimes ; such people/opportunities are few and far between de telles personnes/occasions sont rarissimes ; villages in this area are few and far between il y a très peu de villages dans cette région ; to have had a few (too many) ○ avoir bu quelques verres de trop, être bien parti ○.

Big English-French dictionary > few
15 few

few [fju:]

adjective

pronoun

a. ( = not many) peu (de)

• few books peu de livres

• few of them came peu d'entre eux sont venus

• he is one of the few people able to do this c'est l'une des rares personnes qui puisse le faire

• these past few weeks ces dernières semaines

• the next few days les (quelques) jours qui viennent

• with few exceptions à de rares exceptions près

• such occasions are few and far between de telles occasions sont rares

• there are always the few who think that... il y a toujours la minorité qui croit que...

• so few have been sold on en a vendu si peu

• as few as three cigarettes a day seulement trois cigarettes par jour

b. (set structures)

► a few ( = some) quelques(-uns) quelques(-unes)

• a few books quelques livres mpl

• I know a few of these people je connais quelques-unes de ces personnes

• a few thought otherwise certains pensaient autrement

• I'd like a few more j'en voudrais quelques-un(e)s de plus

• a few more ideas d'autres idées

• he has had a good few (drinks) il a pas mal (inf) bu

• there were only a few of us nous n'étions qu'une poignée► quite a few

• how many? -- quite a few combien ? -- pas mal (inf)

• quite a few books pas mal (inf) de livres

• I saw quite a few people there j'y ai vu pas mal (inf) de gens► too few trop peu

• he has too few books il a trop peu de livres

• there were three too few il en manquait trois

• too few of them realize that... trop peu d'entre eux sont conscients que...

* * *

Note: When few is used as a quantifier to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity ( few houses, few people, few shops) it is translated by peu de: peu de maisons, peu de gens, peu de magasins. Equally the few is translated by le peu de: the few people who knew her le peu de gens qui la connaissaient. For examples and particular usages see I 1 in the entry

When few is used as a quantifier in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see I 2 in the entry

When a few is used as a quantifier ( a few books), it can often be translated by quelques: quelques livres; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see II in the entry

For translations of few used as a pronoun ( few of us succeeded, I only need a few) see II, III in the entry

For translations of the few used as a noun ( the few who voted for him) see III in the entry
[fjuː] 1.
(comparative fewer; superlative fewest) quantifier

1) ( not many) peu de

few visitors/letters — peu de visiteurs/lettres

one of my few pleasures — un de mes rares plaisirs

their needs are few — ils ont peu de besoins

to be few in number — être peu nombreux

too few women — trop peu de femmes

with few exceptions — à quelques exceptions près

2) (some, several)

every few days — tous les deux ou trois jours

over the next few days/weeks — ( in past) dans les jours/semaines qui ont suivi; ( in future) dans les jours/semaines à venir

these past few days — ces derniers jours

the first few weeks — les premières semaines

the few books she possessed — les quelques livres qu'elle possédait
2.
a few quantifier, pronoun quelques

a few people/houses — quelques personnes/maisons

I would like a few more — j'en voudrais quelques-uns/quelques-unes de plus

quite a few people/houses — pas mal (colloq) de gens/maisons, un bon nombre de personnes/maisons

a good few years — un bon nombre d'années

a few of the soldiers/countries — quelques-uns or certains des soldats/pays

a few of us — un certain nombre d'entre nous

there were only a few of them — il n'y en avait que quelques-uns/quelques-unes

quite a few ou a good few of the tourists come from Germany — un bon nombre des touristes viennent d'Allemagne

there are only a very few left — il n'en reste que très peu
3.
pronoun ( not many) peu

few of us succeeded — peu d'entre nous ont réussi

there are so few of them that — il y en a tellement peu que

there are four too few — il en manque quatre

as few as four people turned up — quatre personnes seulement sont venues

the few who voted for him — les rares personnes qui ont voté pour lui

••

they are few and far between — ils sont rarissimes

to have had a few (too many) — (colloq) avoir bu quelques verres (de trop)

English-French dictionary > few
16 get

get [get]

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1. transitive verb

2. intransitive verb

3. compounds

4. Phrasal Verbs

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► vb: pret, ptp got, ptp (US) gotten

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1. transitive verb

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► When get is part of a set combination, eg get the sack, get hold of, look up the other word.

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   a. ( = have, receive, obtain) avoir

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► avoir covers a wide range of meanings, and like get is unspecific.

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• 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

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► Some get + noun combinations may take a more specific French verb.

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• 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

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► This construction is often translated by a verb alone. Look up the relevant adjective.

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• 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

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► réussir or pouvoir may be used when speaking of achieving a result.

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• 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

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► This construction is often translated by a verb alone.

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• 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

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► Reflexive verbs are used when the sense is not passive.

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• 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
17 better

better [ˈbetə^r]

1. adjective

comparative of good meilleur

• his first book was better than this one son premier livre était meilleur que celui-ci

• she is a better dancer than her sister elle danse mieux que sa sœur

• she is better at dancing than at singing elle danse mieux qu'elle ne chante

• he is much better now [invalid] il va bien mieux maintenant

• how are you? -- much better comment allez-vous ? -- bien mieux

• that's better! voilà qui est mieux !

• a better class of hotel un hôtel de catégorie supérieure

• this hat has seen better days ce chapeau n'est plus de la première fraîcheur

• his better half (inf) sa moitié (inf)

• to appeal to sb's better nature faire appel au bon cœur de qn

• to go one better than sb damer le pion à qn

• the better part of a year près d'un an

• to hope for better things espérer mieux

► to get better ( = recover) se remettre ; ( = improve) s'améliorer

• he got better very quickly after his illness il s'est très vite remis de sa maladie

• the weather is getting better le temps s'améliore

• this book gets better towards the end ce livre s'améliore vers la fin

• it's getting better and better! ça va de mieux en mieux !► to be better to do sth

• it would be better to stay at home il vaudrait mieux rester à la maison

• wouldn't it be better to refuse? ne vaudrait-il pas mieux refuser ?

• it is better not to promise anything il vaut mieux ne rien promettre

2. adverb

comparative of well mieux

• he sings better than you il chante mieux que toi

• he sings better than he dances il chante mieux qu'il ne danse

• I like it better than I used to je l'aime mieux qu'autrefois

• all the better

• so much the better tant mieux

• he was all the better for it il s'en est trouvé mieux

• write to her, or better still go and see her écris-lui, ou mieux encore va la voir

• better dressed mieux habillé

• better known plus connu (PROV) better late than never(PROV) mieux vaut tard que jamais

► had better

• I had better speak to her il vaut mieux qui je lui parle subj► better off

• they are better off than we are ( = richer) ils ont plus d'argent que nous ; ( = more fortunate) ils sont dans une meilleure position que nous

• he is better off where he is il est mieux là où il est

3. noun

a. it's a change for the better c'est une amélioration

• for better or (for) worse pour le meilleur et pour le pire

• to get the better of sb triompher de qn

b. one's betters ses supérieurs mpl

4. transitive verb

[+ sb's achievements] dépasser ; [+ record, score] améliorer

• to better o.s. améliorer sa condition

* * *

Note: When better is used as an adjective it is translated by meilleur or mieux depending on the context (see below, and note that meilleur is the comparative form of bon, mieux the comparative form of bien). The translation of the construction to be better than varies depending on whether bon or bien works originally with the noun collocate: their wine is better than our wine = leur vin est meilleur que le nôtre; her new apartment is better than her old one = son nouvel appartement est mieux que l'ancien; his new film is better than his last one = son nouveau film est mieux or meilleur que le précédent (both bon and bien work with the collocate in this last example). Other constructions may be translated as follows: this is a better bag/car = ce sac/cette voiture est mieux; it is better to do = il vaut mieux faire or il est mieux de faire

As an adverb, better can almost always be translated by mieux. For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below
['betə(r)] 1.
noun

1)

the better of the two — le/la meilleur/-e or le/la mieux des deux

2) ( more desirable state of affairs)

to deserve/hope for better — mériter/espérer mieux

so much the better, all the better — tant mieux

to change for the better — s'améliorer

3) ( superior person)

one's betters — ses supérieurs mfpl
2.
adjective (compar de good) meilleur

to get better — gen s'améliorer; [ill person] aller mieux

the weather is no better — le temps n'est pas meilleur or ne s'est pas amélioré

things are getting better — ça va mieux

to taste better — être meilleur, avoir un meilleur goût

she looks better in red — elle est mieux en rouge

that's better! — voilà qui est mieux!

to be better — [patient, cold, headache] aller mieux

to feel all the better for — se sentir mieux après [rest, meal]

if it makes you feel any better — ( less worried) si ça peut te rassurer; ( less sad) si ça peut te consoler

to feel better about doing — ( less nervous) se sentir à même de faire; (less worried, guilty) avoir moins de scrupules à faire

they sent him to a better school — ils l'ont mis dans une meilleure école

I sold the car and bought a better one — j'ai vendu la voiture et j'en ai acheté une mieux

to be no better than a thief — être un voleur ni plus ni moins

to be a better swimmer than somebody — nager mieux que quelqu'un

to be better at — être meilleur en [subject, sport]

he's no better at driving than she is — il ne conduit pas mieux qu'elle

to be better than nothing — être mieux que rien

the bigger/sooner the better — le plus grand/vite possible

the less said about that the better — mieux vaut ne pas parler de ça

who better to play the part? — qui mieux pourrait jouer le rôle?

fish is better for you than meat — le poisson est meilleur pour la santé que la viande
3.
adverb (compar de well) mieux

to fit/behave better than — aller/se comporter mieux que

better made/organized than — mieux fait/organisé que

to think better of somebody — avoir une meilleure opinion de quelqu'un

better behaved/educated — plus sage/cultivé

to do better — (in career, life) réussir mieux; (in exam, essay) faire mieux; ( in health) aller mieux

the better to see/hear — pour mieux voir/entendre

it couldn't have been better timed — ça n'aurait pas pu mieux tomber

the money would be better spent on a holiday — il vaudrait mieux garder cet argent pour les vacances

you had better do —

you'd better do — ( advising) tu ferais mieux de faire; ( warning) tu as intérêt à faire

I'd better go — je ferais mieux de m'en aller

‘will she come?’ - ‘she'd better!’ — (colloq) ‘est-ce qu'elle viendra?’ - ‘elle a intérêt!’

better still,... — ou mieux,...
4.
transitive verb améliorer [one's performance, achievement]; faire mieux que [rival's performance, achievement]

••

for better (or) for worse — gen advienne que pourra; ( in wedding vow) pour le meilleur et pour le pire

to get the better of — [person] triompher de [enemy, problem]

his curiosity got the better of him — sa curiosité a pris le dessus

to go one better — faire encore mieux ( than que)

to think better of it — changer d'avis

English-French dictionary > better
18 how

how [haʊ]

adverb

   a. ( = in what way) comment

• how did you come? comment êtes-vous venu ?

• to learn how to do sth apprendre à faire qch

• I know how to do it je sais le faire

• he'll show you how to do it il va vous montrer comment faire

• how do you like your steak? quelle cuisson voulez-vous pour votre bifteck ?

• how did you like the film? comment avez-vous trouvé le film ?

• how was the play? comment avez-vous trouvé la pièce ?

• how is it that...? comment se fait-il que... + subj ?

• how could you? comment as-tu pu faire une chose pareille ?

• how could you do/say that? comment as-tu pu faire/dire une chose pareille ?

• how can that be? comment cela ?

• how come? (inf) comment ça se fait ? (inf)

• how come you aren't going out? (inf) pourquoi tu ne sors pas ?

• and how! (inf) et comment ! (inf)

► how about... > (inf)

how about going for a walk? et si on allait se promener ?

• how about you? et toi ?

   b. how's that? (inf)

( = how possible, in what way) comment ça ? ; ( = what is your opinion) qu'est-ce que tu en penses ? ; ( = agreed) d'accord ?

• how's that for size/height? ça va pour la taille/la hauteur ?

• how's that for luck? quelle veine ! (inf)

   c. (health) how are you? comment allez-vous ?

• tell me how she is dites-moi comment elle va

• how do you do? (on being introduced) enchanté

• how are things? (inf)

comment ça va ?

• how's business? comment vont les affaires ?

• how's life? (inf)

comment ça va ?

   d. (with adjective or adverb) comme

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► When how is used to ask about degree or quantity, eg how long?, how much?, look up the other word.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• how nice! comme c'est gentil !

• how he has grown! comme il a grandi !

• I can't tell you how glad I was to leave that place vous ne pouvez pas savoir à quel point j'étais heureux de quitter cet endroit

• how splendid! c'est merveilleux !

• how kind of you! c'est très aimable à vous !

   e. ( = that) que

• she told me how she had seen the child lying on the ground elle m'a raconté qu'elle avait vu l'enfant couché par terre

* * *

Note: When how is used as a question word meaning in what way? or by what means? (how did you get here?, how will you do it?) it is almost always translated by comment: comment es-tu arrivé ici?; comment le feras-tu?

When how is used as a conjunction meaning the way in which it is often translated by comment: I don't know how they did it = je ne sais pas comment ils l'ont fait; tell me how you make a curry = dis-moi comment on fait un curry

When how is used as a conjunction meaning that it is almost always translated by que: he told me how he had stolen the money = il m'a dit qu'il avait volé l'argent; it's amazing how they survived = c'est étonnant qu'ils aient survécu

For more examples and particular usages see below
[haʊ] 1.
adverb, conjunction

1) (in what way, by what means) comment

to know how to do — savoir faire

I learned how to do it — j'ai appris à le faire

how do you feel about it? — qu'en penses-tu?

2) ( when enquiring)

how are you? — comment allez-vous?

how's your foot? — comment va ton pied?

how's your brother? — comment va ton frère?

how did you like the party? — la fête t'a plu?

how are things? — comment ça va?

how do you do! — ( greeting) enchanté!

3) (in number, quantity etc questions)

how much does this cost? —

how much is this? — combien ça coûte?

how much do you weigh? — combien pèses-tu?

how many times have you been to France? — combien de fois es-tu allé en France?

how many people? — combien de personnes?

how long will it take? — combien de temps cela va-t-il prendre?

how long is the rope? — de quelle longueur est cette corde?

how tall is the tree? — combien mesure l'arbre?

how big is the garden? — de quelle taille est le jardin?

how far is it? — c'est à quelle distance?

how old is she? — quel âge a-t-elle?

4) ( in exclamations)

how wonderful! — c'est fantastique!

how nice you look! — que tu es beau/belle!

how clever of you! — comme c'est intelligent de ta part!

how wrong I was! — comme j'ai eu tort!

how it rained! — qu'est-ce qu'il a plu! (colloq)

5) (colloq) ( in whichever way) comme

you can decorate it how you like — tu peux le décorer comme tu veux

6) ( why)

how could you? — comment as-tu pu faire ça?

7) ( that) que

you know how he always arrives late — tu sais qu'il arrive toujours en retard
2.
(colloq) how come adverbial phrase

‘how come?’ — ‘pourquoi?’

how come you always win? — comment ça se fait que tu gagnes toujours?
3.
how's that adverbial phrase

I'll take you home, how's that? — je te ramènerai chez toi, ça te va?

how's that for an honest answer — ça c'est une réponse honnête

English-French dictionary > how
19 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
20 Usage note : before

When before is used as a preposition in expressions of time or order of sequence or importance, it is translated by avant:

before the meeting

= avant la réunion

she left before me

= elle est partie avant moi

For more examples and particular usages, see A1, 2, 3 in the entry before.

When before is used as a preposition meaning in front of (when you are talking about physical space) or in the presence of, it is translated by devant:

before our eyes

= devant nos yeux

he declared before his mother that …

= il a déclaré devant sa mère que …

When before is used as an adjective after a noun, it is translated by précédent/-e:

the time before

= la fois précédente

the one before is translated by le précédent or la précédente:

no, I’m not talking about that meeting but the one before

= non, je ne parle pas de cette réunion-là mais de la précédente

For particular usages see B in the entry before.

When before is used as an adverb meaning beforehand, it is translated by avant in statements about the present or future:

I’ll try to talk to her before

= j’essaierai de lui en parler avant

you could have told me before

= tu aurais pu me le dire avant

When before means previously in statements about the past, it is translated by auparavant:

I had met her two or three times before

= je l’avais rencontrée deux ou trois fois auparavant

When before means already it is translated by déjà:

I’ve met her before

= je l’ai déjà rencontrée

you’ve asked me that question before

= tu m’as déjà posé cette question

In negative sentences before is often used in English simply to reinforce the negative. In such cases it is not translated at all:

I’d never eaten snails before

= je n’avais jamais mangé d’escargots

you’ve never told me that before

= tu ne m’as jamais dit ça

For particular usages see C in the entry before.

When before is used as a conjunction, it is translated by avant de + infinitive where the two verbs have the same subject:

before he saw her he recognized her voice

= il a reconnu sa voix avant de la voir

before I cook dinner I’m going to phone my mother

= avant de préparer le dîner je vais appeler ma mère

Where the two verbs have different subjects, the translation is avant que + subjunctive:

Tom wants to see her before she leaves

= Tom veut la voir avant qu’elle parte

Some speakers and writers add ne before the verb: Tom veut la voir avant qu’elle ne parte, but this is simply a slightly precious effect of style and is never obligatory. For particular usages see D in the entry before.

Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : before

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