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1 contradict
contradict [‚kɒntrə'dɪkt](a) (challenge → person, statement) contredire;∎ she hates being contradicted elle déteste qu'on la contredise;∎ to contradict oneself se contredire;∎ don't contradict me! ne me contredisez pas!(b) (conflict with → of facts, stories) contredire;∎ the statements of the witnesses contradict each other les dépositions des témoins se contredisent -
2 contradict
A vtr contredire [statement, person] ; all the reports contradict each other tous les rapports se contredisent.B vi contredire ; don't contradict! ne me contredis pas! -
3 Usage note : will
When will is used to express the future in French, the future tense of the French verb is generally used:he’ll come= il viendraIn spoken and more informal French or when the very near future is implied, the present tense of aller + infinitive can be used:I’ll do it now= je vais le faire tout de suiteIf the subject of the modal auxiliary will is I or we, shall is sometimes used instead of will to talk about the future. For further information, consult the entry shall in the dictionary.Tag questionsFrench has no direct equivalent of tag questions like won’t he? or will they? There is a general tag question n’est-ce pas? which will work in many cases:you’ll do it tomorrow, won’t you?= tu le feras demain, n’est-ce pas?In cases where an opinion is being sought, non? meaning is that not so? can be useful:that will be easier, won’t it?= ce sera plus facile, non?In many other cases the tag question is simply not translated at all and the speaker’s intonation will convey the implied question.Short answersAgain, there is no direct equivalent for short answers like no she won’t, yes they will etc. Where the answer yes is given to contradict a negative question or statement, the most useful translation is si:‘they won’t forget’ ‘yes they will’= ‘ils n’oublieront pas’ ‘si’ or (for more emphasis) bien sûr que siWhere the answer no is given to contradict a positive question or statement, the most useful translation is bien sûr que non:‘she’ll post the letter, won’t she?’ ‘no she won’t’= ‘elle va poster la lettre?’ ‘bien sûr que non’In reply to a standard enquiry the tag will not be translated:‘you’ll be ready at midday then?’ ‘yes I will’= ‘tu seras prêt à midi?’ ‘oui’For more examples and other uses, see the entry will. -
4 paradox
['pærədoks](a statement etc that seems to contradict itself but which is nevertheless true: If your birthday is on February 29 you could state the paradox that you are thirteen years old although you have only had three birthdays.) paradoxe- paradoxically -
5 conflict
A n1 Mil conflit m ; armed conflict conflit armé ; the Middle East conflict le conflit au Proche Orient ; to be in/come into conflict lit, fig être/entrer en conflit (with avec) ;2 ( dispute) conflit m (between entre) ; his campaign brought him into conflict with the party il est entré en conflit avec le parti à cause de sa campagne ;3 ( dilemma) conflit m (between entre) ; conflict of interests conflit d'intérêts ; to have a conflict of loyalties être déchiré par des loyautés contradictoires.B vi ( contradict) [statement, feeling, attitude] être en contradiction (with avec) ; ( clash) [events, programme] tomber au même moment (with que). -
6 Usage note : be
I am tired= je suis fatiguéCaroline is French= Caroline est françaisethe children are in the garden= les enfants sont dans le jardinIt 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 médecinClaudie is still a student= Claudie est toujours étudianteThis is true of any noun used in apposition when the subject is a person:he’s a widower= il est veufButLyons is a beautiful city= Lyon est une belle villeFor 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 functionsThe passiveêtre 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 renardthe window had been broken= la fenêtre avait été casséetheir books will be sold= leurs livres seront vendusour doors have been repainted red= nos portes ont été repeintes en rougeIn 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 tensesIn 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 presentFrench uses simply the present tense where English uses the progressive form with to be:I am working= je travailleBen is reading a book= Ben lit un livreIn 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 futureFrench also uses the present tense where English uses the progressive form with to be:we are going to London tomorrow= nous allons à Londres demainI’m (just) coming!= j’arrive!I’m (just) going!= j’y vais!The pastTo 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 mèrehe was writing to his mother= il écrivait à sa mèreHowever, 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 pastCompound past tenses in the progressive form in English are generally translated by the imperfect in French:I’ve been looking for you= je te cherchaisFor 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.ObligationWhen 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 suitewhat am I to do?= qu’est-ce que je dois faire?he was to arrive last Monday= il devait arriver lundi derniershe was never to see him again= elle ne devait plus le revoir.In tag questionsFrench 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 answersAgain, 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’ProbabilityFor expressions of probability and supposition ( if I were you etc.) see the entry be.Other functionsExpressing sensations and feelingsIn expressing physical and mental sensations, the verb used in French is avoir:to be cold= avoir froidto be hot= avoir chaudI’m cold= j’ai froidto be thirsty= avoir soifto be hungry= avoir faimto be ashamed= avoir hontemy hands are cold= j’ai froid aux mainsIf, 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 areIn 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’huiDiscussing weather and temperatureIn expressions of weather and temperature faire is generally used:it’s cold= il fait froidit’s windy= il fait du ventIf in doubt, consult the appropriate adjective entry.Visiting somewhereWhen 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 Suèdehave 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 foisNote too:has the postman been?= est-ce que le facteur est passé?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. -
7 Usage note : do
she’s doing her homework= elle fait ses devoirswhat 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 functionsIn questionsIn 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 negativesEqually, auxiliaries are not used in negatives in French:I don’t like Mozart= je n’aime pas Mozartyou didn’t feed the cat= tu n’as pas donné à manger au chatdon’t do that!= ne fais pas ça!In emphatic usesThere 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 robeI DO hope she remembers= j’espère qu’elle n’oubliera pasI DO think you should see a doctor= je crois vraiment que tu devrais voir un médecinWhen referring back to another verbIn 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 toiI live in Oxford and so does Lily= j’habite à Oxford et Lily aussishe gets paid more than I do= elle est payée plus que moiI 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 requestsIn 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 priedo 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 imperativesIn French there is no use of an auxiliary verb in imperatives:don’t shut the door= ne ferme pas la portedon’t tell her anything= ne lui dis riendo be quiet!= tais-toi!In tag questionsFrench 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 answersAgain, 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. -
8 might
Ⅰ.might1 [maɪt]ⓘ GRAM La forme négative mightn't s'écrit might not dans un style plus soutenu. Might et may peuvent s'utiliser indifféremment ou presque dans les expressions de la catégorie (a).∎ you might well be right il se pourrait bien que vous ayez raison;∎ I might be home late tonight je rentrerai peut-être tard ce soir;∎ why not come with us? - I might pourquoi ne viens-tu pas avec nous? - peut-être;∎ don't eat it, it might be poisonous n'en mange pas, tu pourrais t'empoisonner;∎ hundreds of lives might have been lost unnecessarily des centaines de gens sont peut-être morts inutilement;∎ she might well have decided to turn back il se pourrait ou il se peut bien qu'elle ait décidé de rentrer;∎ they might have reached the summit by now ils ont peut-être déjà atteint le sommet;∎ she might have decided not to go il se peut qu'elle ait décidé de ne pas y aller(b) (past form of "may")∎ I never considered that she might want to come je n'avais jamais pensé qu'elle pouvait avoir envie de venir;∎ we feared you might be dead nous avons eu peur que vous ne soyez mort(c) (in polite questions, suggestions)∎ might I interrupt? puis-je me permettre de vous interrompre?;∎ and what, might I ask, was the reason? et puis-je savoir quelle en était la raison?;∎ might I or if I might make a suggestion? puis-je me permettre de suggérer quelque chose?;∎ you might try using a different approach altogether vous pourriez adopter une approche entièrement différente;∎ I thought we might have tea together somewhere je m'étais dit que nous pourrions aller prendre un thé ensemble quelque part;∎ you might want to ask the managing director first ce serait une bonne idée de demander au directeur avant∎ that, I might add, was not my idea cela n'était pas mon idée, soit dit en passant;∎ this, as one might expect, did not go down well with the government le gouvernement, est-il nécessaire de le préciser, n'a guère apprécié∎ you might at least tidy up your room! tu pourrais au moins ranger ta chambre!;∎ I might have known he'd be the last (to arrive) j'aurais dû savoir qu'il serait le dernier (à arriver);∎ you might have warned me! tu aurais pu me prévenir!∎ they might say they support women, but they do nothing practical to help them ils ont beau dire qu'ils soutiennent les femmes, concrètement ils ne font rien pour les aider;∎ whatever problems she might have, at least she keeps them to herself elle a peut-être des problèmes, mais au moins elle n'embête pas les autres avec;∎ he might not be the best-looking man in the world but he's very kind ce n'est peut-être pas un apollon mais il est très gentil∎ and what might you be up to? et que faites-vous donc?∎ we might as well go home (as stay here) nous ferions aussi bien de rentrer chez nous (plutôt que de rester ici);∎ I might as well have stayed in bed j'aurais aussi bien fait de rester au lit;∎ he's regretting it now, as well he might! il le regrette maintenant, et pour cause!Ⅱ.might2(b) (physical strength) force f;∎ with all one's might de toutes ses forces;∎ he started yelling with all his might il se mit à crier à tue-tête;∎ literary with might and main de toutes ses forces;∎ she strove with might and main to prevent it elle a fait tout ce qu'elle a pu pour empêcher cela;∎ proverb might is right la raison du plus fort est toujours la meilleure
См. также в других словарях:
statement — noun 1 something that you say or write ADJECTIVE ▪ brief, short ▪ Saunder s lawyer made a brief statement to the press outside the court. ▪ bald, blunt, flat ▪ … Collocations dictionary
Contradict — Con tra*dict , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Contradicted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Contradicting}.] [L. contradictus, p. p. of contradicere to speak against; contra + dicere to speak. See {Diction}.] 1. To assert the contrary of; to oppose in words; to take… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
contradict — [kän΄trə dikt′] vt. [< L contradictus, pp. of contradicere < contra , CONTRA + dicere, to speak: see DICTION] 1. a) to assert the opposite of (what someone else has said) b) to deny the statement of (a person) 2. to declare (a statement,… … English World dictionary
contradict — ► VERB 1) deny the truth of (a statement) by asserting the opposite. 2) challenge (someone) by making a statement opposing one made by them. DERIVATIVES contradictor noun. ORIGIN Latin contradicere speak against … English terms dictionary
contradict — verb 1 (T) to disagree with something by saying that it is wrong or not true, especially by saying that the opposite is true: contradict sb: Don t contradict your father! | flatly contradict: The article flatly contradicts what the lobbyists have … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
contradict — 01. Cuts to the health budget seem to [contradict] the governor s promise to improve health care in our state. 02. The marks on the prisoner s body [contradicted] government claims that he had died of natural causes. 03. What he says, and what he … Grammatical examples in English
contradict — [[t]kɒ̱ntrədɪ̱kt[/t]] contradicts, contradicting, contradicted 1) VERB If you contradict someone, you say that what they have just said is wrong, or suggest that it is wrong by saying something different. [V n] She dared not contradict him... [V… … English dictionary
contradict */ — UK [ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkt] / US [ˌkɑntrəˈdɪkt] verb [transitive] Word forms contradict : present tense I/you/we/they contradict he/she/it contradicts present participle contradicting past tense contradicted past participle contradicted 1) to say that the… … English dictionary
contradict — verb ADVERB ▪ blatantly (esp. AmE), clearly, completely, directly, flatly, totally (esp. AmE) ▪ John s account of the event directly contradicts Stephen s. VERB + CONTRADICT … Collocations dictionary
contradict — con|tra|dict [ˌkɔntrəˈdıkt US ˌka:n ] v [Date: 1500 1600; : Latin; Origin: , past participle of contradicere, from contra ( CONTRA ) + dicere to say ] 1.) [I and T] to disagree with something, especially by saying that the opposite is true ▪… … Dictionary of contemporary English
contradict — verb deny the truth of (a statement) by asserting the opposite. ↘assert the opposite of a statement made by (someone). Derivatives contradictor noun Origin C16: from L. contradict , contradicere speak against … English new terms dictionary