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61 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. -
62 Sizes
In the following tables of equivalent sizes, French sizes have been rounded up, where necessary. (It is always better to have clothes a little too big than a little too tight.)Note that for shoe and sock sizes French uses pointure, so a size 37 is une pointure 37. For all other types of garment (even stockings and tights) the word taille is used, so a size 16 shirt is une chemise taille 40, etc.what size are you?= quelle taille faites-vous? or quelle pointure faites-vous?I take size 40 (in clothes)= je prends du 40 or je fais du 40I take a size 7 (in shoes)= je chausse du 40 or je fais du 40my collar size is 15= je porte un 38 or je porte du 38I’m looking for collar size 16= je cherche un 40his shoe size is 39= il chausse du 39a pair of shoes size 39= une paire de chaussures pointure 39have you got the same thing in a 16?= avez-vous ce modèle en 40?have you got this in a smaller size?= avez-vous ce modèle dans une plus petite taille (or pointure)? or avez-vous ce modèle en plus petit?have you got this in a larger size?= avez-vous ce modèle dans une plus grande taille (or pointure)? or avez-vous ce modèle en plus grand?they haven’t got my size= ils n’ont pas ma taille (or ma pointure) -
63 Swiss cantons
All names of cantons are masculine, and the definite article is normally used:Ticino= le TessinValais= le ValaisGraubünden= les GrisonsSo:I like Ticino= j’aime le Tessinthe Valais is beautiful= le Valais est beaudo you know Graubünden?= connaissez-vous les Grisons?Many cantons have names which are also names of towns. If you are not sure of the name in French, le canton de X is usually safe, and in some cases this is the only form available, as, for instance, le canton de Vaud ( because le Vaud sounds like le veau = the calf). Similarly it is usual to say le canton de Lucerne, le canton de Berne, le canton de Fribourg to distinguish them from the towns bearing those names).In, to and from somewhereto live in the Valais= vivre dans le Valaisto go to the Valais= aller dans le Valaisto come from the Valais= venir du Valaisto live in Graubünden= vivre dans les Grisonsto go to Graubünden= aller dans les Grisonsto come from Graubünden= venir des Grisonsto live in the Vaud= vivre dans le canton de Vaudto go to the Vaud= aller dans le canton de Vaudto come from the Vaud= venir du canton de VaudUses with other nounsThere are a number of words used as adjectives and as nouns referring to the people of the canton, e.g.: bernois, valaisan, vaudois. When nouns, these start with a capital letter.However, it is always safe to make a phrase with du, de l’ or des:a Valais accent= un accent du Valaisthe Graubünden area= la région des Grisonsthe Vaud countryside= les paysages du canton de Vaud -
64 Usage note : like
When like is used as a preposition (like a child, do it like this) it can generally be translated by comme.she’s like her father or she looks like her father= elle ressemble à son pèrelike 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.songs like my mother sings= des chansons comme celles que chante ma mèreWhen 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. -
65 there
❢ There is generally translated by là after prepositions: near there = près de là etc and when emphasizing the location of an object/point etc visible to the speaker: put them there = mettez-les là. Remember that voilà is used to draw attention to a visible place/object/person: there's my watch = voilà ma montre, whereas il y a is used for generalizations: there's a village nearby = il y a un village tout près. there when unstressed with verbs such as aller and être is translated by y: we went there last year = nous y sommes allés l'année dernière, but not where emphasis is made: it was there that we went last year = c'est là que nous sommes allés l'année dernière. For examples of the above and further uses of there see the entry below.A pron ( as impersonal subject) il ; there seems ou appears to be il semble y avoir ; there is/are il y a ; there are many reasons il y a beaucoup de raisons ; there is some left il en reste ; once upon a time there was il était une fois ; there'll be a singsong later on va chanter plus tard ; there's no denying that personne ne peut nier que ; suddenly there appeared a fairy littér soudain est apparue une fée ; there arose cries from the audience littér des cris sont montés de la salle.B adv1 ( that place or point) là ; far from/near/two kilometres from there loin de/près de/à deux kilomètres de là ; up to there, down to there jusque là ; put it in there mettez-le là-dedans ; in there please ( ushering sb) par là s'il vous plaît ; we left there on Thursday nous sommes partis de là jeudi ;2 ( at or to that place) là ; stop there arrêtez-vous là ; sign there please veuillez signer là s'il vous plaît ; stand there mettez-vous là ; go over there va là-bas ; are you still there? ( on phone) est-ce que tu es toujours là? ; since we were last there depuis la dernière fois que nous y sommes allés ; it's there that gen c'est là que ; ( when indicating) c'est là où ; to go there and back in an hour faire l'aller et retour en une heure ; take the offer while it's there fig profite de l'occasion pendant que c'est possible ;3 ( to draw attention) (to person, activity etc) voilà ; ( to place) là ; what have you got there? qu'est-ce que tu as là? ; there they go les voilà qui s'en vont ; there goes the coach voilà le car qui s'en va ; there you go again fig ça y est c'est reparti ; there you are ( seeing sb arrive) vous voilà ; ( giving object) tenez, voilà ; ( that's done) et voilà ; there is a hammer/are some nails voilà un marteau/des clous ; there's a bus coming voilà un bus ; listen, there's my sister calling tiens, voilà ma sœur qui appelle ; that paragraph/sales assistant there ce paragraphe/vendeur ; my colleague there will show you mon collègue va vous montrer ; which one? this one or that one there? lequel? celui-ci ou celui-là? ; what does it say there? qu'est-ce qui est marqué là? ; there's why! ça explique tout! ;4 ( indicating arrival) là ; will she be there now? est-ce qu'elle y est maintenant? ; when do they get there? quand est-ce qu'ils arrivent là-bas? ; there I was at last j'étais enfin là-bas ; the train won't be there yet le train ne sera pas encore là ; we get off there c'est là qu'on descend ;5 ( indicating juncture) là ; there we must finish nous devons nous arrêter là ; I'd like to interrupt you there là je me permets de vous interrompre ; there was our chance c'était notre chance ; I think you're wrong there je crois que là tu te trompes ; so there we were in the same cell et comme ça on s'est retrouvés dans la même cellule ;6 ○ ( emphatic) that there contraption ce truc-là ○ ; hello there! salut! ; hey you there! eh toi là-bas!E excl there there! ( soothingly) allez! allez! ; there! ( triumphantly) voilà! ; there, I told you! voilà, je te l'avais bien dit! ; there, you've woken the baby! c'est malin, tu as réveillé le bébé! ; ⇒ so. -
66 or
or [ɔ:r]• red or black? rouge ou noir ?• do it or else! (inf) fais-le, sinon (tu vas voir) !* * *[ɔː(r)]Note: In most uses or is translated by ou. There are two exceptions to thisWhen used to link alternatives after a negative verb ( I can't come today or tomorrow). For translations see 2 belowWhen used to indicate consequence ( be careful or you'll cut yourself) or explanation ( it can't be serious or she'd have called us) the translation is sinon: fais attention sinon tu vas te couper; ça ne peut pas être grave sinon elle nous aurait appelés. See 5 and below1) ( linking two or more alternatives) oucar or no car, you've got to get to work — voiture ou pas, il faut que tu ailles travailler
3) (indicating approximation, vagueness) ou4) (introducing qualification, correction, explanation) ou5) (indicating consequence: otherwise) sinon, autrementdo as you're told - or else! — (colloq) fais ce qu'on te dit - sinon (gare (colloq) à toi)!
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67 straw
[stro:]1) (( also adjective) (of) the cut stalks of corn etc, having many uses, eg as bedding for cattle etc, making mats and other goods etc: The cows need fresh straw; a straw hat.) (de) paille2) (a single stalk of corn: There's a straw in your hair; Their offer isn't worth a straw!) paille3) (a paper or plastic tube through which to suck a drink into the mouth: He was sipping orange juice through a straw.) paille• -
68 or
or❢ In most uses or is translated by ou. There are two exceptions to this:When used to link alternatives after a negative verb ( I can't come today or tomorrow). For translations see 3 below. When used to indicate consequence ( be careful or you'll cut yourself) or explanation ( it can't be serious or she'd have called us) the translation is sinon: fais attention sinon tu vas te couper ; ça ne peut pas être grave sinon elle nous aurait appelés. See 6 and 7 below. conj1 ( linking two or more alternatives) ou ; with or without sugar? avec ou sans sucre? ; would you like to eat here or in town? est-ce que tu veux manger ici ou en ville? ; it can be roasted, grilled or fried on peut le faire rôtir, griller ou frire ; any brothers or sisters? tu as des frères et sœurs? ;2 ( linking two clear alternatives) ou ; will you or won't you be coming? est-ce que tu viens ou pas? ; either… or… soit… soit… ; essays may be either handwritten or typed les dissertations peuvent être soit manuscrites soit dactylographiées ; they'll stay either here or at Dave's ils vont habiter soit ici soit chez Dave, ils vont habiter ici ou chez Dave ; whether he likes it or not que cela lui plaise ou non ; he wants to know whether or not you're free il veut savoir si tu es libre ou pas ; I didn't know whether to laugh or cry je ne savais pas s'il fallait rire ou pleurer ; rain or no rain, we're going out qu'il pleuve ou non nous sortons ; car or no car, you've got to get to work voiture ou pas, il faut que tu ailles travailler ;3 ( linking alternatives in the negative) I can't come today or tomorrow je ne peux venir ni aujourd'hui ni demain ; don't tell Mum or Dad! ne le dis ni à Maman ni à Papa! ; without food or lodgings sans nourriture ni abri ; I couldn't eat or sleep je ne pouvais ni manger ni dormir ; she doesn't drink or smoke elle ne boit pas et ne fume pas non plus ;4 (indicating approximation, vagueness) ou ; once or twice a week une ou deux fois par semaine ; I'll buy him a tie or something je vais lui acheter une cravate ou quelque chose comme ça ; someone or other from Personnel quelqu'un du service du personnel ; in a week or so dans huit jours environ ;5 (introducing qualification, correction, explanation) ou ; I knew her, or at least I thought I did! je la connaissais, ou plutôt je croyais la connaître! ; my daughter, or rather our daughter ma fille, ou plutôt notre fille ; X, or should I say, Mr X X ou bien devrais-je dire M. X ; Rosalind, or Ros to her friends Rosalind ou Ros pour ses amis ;6 (indicating consequence: otherwise) sinon, autrement ; be careful or you'll cut yourself fais attention sinon or autrement tu vas te couper ; do as you're told-or else ○ ! fais ce qu'on te dit-sinon gare ○ à toi or attention! ;7 (in explanation, justification) sinon, autrement ; it can't have been serious or she'd have called us ça ne devait pas être très grave sinon or autrement elle nous aurait appelés. -
69 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 somewhereMost 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 Sussexto go to Sussex= aller dans le Sussexto come from Sussex= venir du SussexNote however:Cornwall= la Cornouaillesto live in Cornwall= vivre en Cornouaillesto go to Cornwall= aller en Cornouaillesto come from Cornwall= venir de la CornouaillesUses with nounsThere 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 CornouaillesLancastrians= les habitants du LancashireIn other cases, du is often possible:a Somerset accent= un accent du Somersetthe Yorkshire countryside= les paysages du Yorkshirebut it is usually safe to use du comté de:the towns of Fife= les villes du comté de Fifethe rivers of Merioneth= les rivières du comté de Merionethor de la région de:Grampian cattle= le bétail de la région des GrampiansBig English-French dictionary > British regions and counties
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