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to have a certain je ne sais quoi

1 je-ne-sais-quoi

je-ne-sais-quoi [ʒən(ə)sεkwa]

invariable masculine noun

• un je-ne-sais-quoi a certain something

• un je-ne-sais-quoi de magique a sort of magic

* * *
ʒənsɛkwa
nom masculin invariable

avoir un je-ne-sais-quoi — to have a certain something

* * *

je-ne-sais-quoi nm inv avoir un je-ne-sais-quoi to have a certain something.

[ʒənsekwa] nom masculin invariable

un je-ne-sais-quoi a certain je ne sais quoi, a certain something

un je-ne-sais-quoi de quelque chose a hint of something

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > je-ne-sais-quoi
2 non so che

non so che agg. undefinable

◆ s.m. something undefinable: in lei c'è un non so che di misterioso, there's (o she has) something mysterious about her; un certo non so che, a certain je ne sais quoi.

* * *
[nonsok'ke]
sostantivo maschile

avere un certo non so che — to have a certain je ne sais quoi o a certain something

c'è un non so che di strano nel suo comportamento — there's something strange in her behaviour o the way she's acting

* * *

non so che

/nonsok'ke/

sostantivo m.

avere un certo non so che to have a certain je ne sais quoi o a certain something; c'è un non so che di strano nel suo comportamento there's something strange in her behaviour o the way she's acting.

Dizionario Italiano-Inglese > non so che
3 avere un certo non so che

avere un certo non so che

to have a certain je ne sais quoi o a certain something

\

→ non so che

Dizionario Italiano-Inglese > avere un certo non so che
4 certo

1. adj ( sicuro) certain, sure (di of

che that)

un certo signor Federici a (certain) Mr Federici

ci vuole un certo coraggio it takes (some) courage

di una certa età of a certain age

certi some

certe cose non si dicono there are some things you just don't say

un certo non so che a certain something, a certain je ne sais quoi

2. adv ( certamente) certainly

( naturalmente) of course

certo che... surely...

3. pron: certi, certe some, some people

* * *

certo¹ agg.indef.

1 certain: dovevo parlare con una certa persona, I was to speak to a certain person; per avere il diploma occorre sostenere un certo numero di esami, to get the diploma you have to take a certain number of exams; abitava in un certo quartiere di Parigi, she lived in a certain part of Paris; una signora di una certa età, a lady of a certain age; un certo signor Smith, a certain Mr Smith // un, quel certo non so che, a, that certain something // ho un certo appetito, I'm rather hungry

2 ( qualche, un po' di) some: dopo un certo tempo, after some time; un episodio di una certa importanza, an event of some importance; ci vuole un certo coraggio, it takes (some) courage; sono andato da certi miei amici, I went to see some friends of mine; non sono tutti qui i libri, certi sono dal rilegatore, not all the books are here, some of them are at the binder's // certe volte non ti capisco, there are times I (just) can't understand you // ho visto certe facce in quel bar!, I saw some sinister faces in that bar!

3 ( tale, simile) such: ha raccontato certe bugie!, he told such lies!; non dovresti dire certe cose!, you shouldn't say such things!

◆ pron.indef.pl. ( alcuni) some, some people: certi sostengono che è ancora vivo, some (people) say he's still alive; certi approvavano, certi no, some were in favour and others were against.

certo² agg.

1 ( vero, indubbio, indiscutibile) certain, sure; definite: è un fatto certo, è cosa certa, it's a sure thing; la commedia avrà un successo certo, the play is sure to succeed; un rimedio certo, a sure remedy; un appuntamento certo, a definite appointment // (dir.): prova certa, irrefutable evidence; data certa, fixed date // (fin.) certo per incerto, ( di cambio) fixed exchange (o fixed currency rate)

2 ( sicuro, convinto) certain, sure: era certo di riuscire, he was certain of success; siamo certi della sua innocenza, we're sure he's innocent; ne sei certo?, are you (quite) sure?; sei certo che venga?, are you sure he'll come?

◆ avv. ( con certezza, sicuramente): se non è venuto, ci sarà certo una ragione, there must be a reason if he hasn't turned up; ''Hai chiuso la porta?'' ''Certo'', ''Have you shut the door?'' ''Yes, of course''; ''L'hai letto?'' ''Certo che l'ho letto!'', ''Have you read it?'' ''Of course I have!''; Sì, certo!, Yes of course, sure!; No, certo, Of course not // ''Hai piacere di venire alla festa?'' ''Certo che sì'', ''Do you want to come to the party?'' '' (Yes) of course (I do)'' // di certo, for certain, for sure // ma certo!, by all means! (o of course!); sapere per certo, to know for sure; davo per certo che sarebbe venuto, I was sure he'd come

◆ s.m. ( cosa certa): lasciare il certo per l'incerto, to take a chance.

* * *
['tʃɛrto] certo (-a)
1. agg

1) (dopo sostantivo: indubbio: gen) certain, (prova) positive, definite

è cosa certa — it's quite certain, there's no doubt about it

è un sintomo certo di malattia — it's a sure sign of illness

2) (sicuro) certain, sure

essere certo di qc/di fare qc — to be sure o certain of sth/of doing sth

sono certo che verrà — I'm sure she'll come

ne sono più che certo — I'm absolutely sure of it

non sono certo di poter venire — I'm not sure I can come

2. agg indef (prima del sostantivo)

1) certain

devo sbrigare una certa faccenda — there is a certain matter I must attend to

un certo signor Bonanno — a (certain) Mr Bonanno

c'è un certo Stefano che ti cerca — someone called Stefano is looking for you

in un certo senso — in a way, in a certain sense

in certi casi — in some o certain cases

un certo non so che — an indefinable something

fino ad un certo punto — up to a point

2) (con valore intensivo) some

certe volte — sometimes

certe volte non ti capisco proprio! — sometimes I just don't understand you!

avere una certa età — to be getting on

di una certa età — past one's prime, not so young

un fatto di una certa importanza — a fact of some importance

certi giorni l'ufficio apre più tardi — some days the office opens later

certa gente non è mai contenta — some people are never satisfied

non vado a vedere certi film — I don't watch such bad films

in quel locale c'erano certe facce! — there were some really unpleasant faces in that place!

ho visto certe borse oggi - le avrei comprate tutte — I saw some terrific handbags today - I could have bought the lot

3. pron indef pl

certi/e — (persone) some (people), (cose) some

4. avv

certainly, (senz'altro) of course

certo che sì/no — certainly/certainly not

posso portare un amico? - ma certo! — may I bring a friend? - yes, of course!

certo che puoi! — of course you can!

sì certo — yes indeed

no certo — certainly not

5. sm

di certo — certainly

* * *
I 1. ['tʃɛrto]
aggettivo

1) (persuaso, convinto) [ persona] certain, sure (di of, about; di fare of doing)

ne sono certo — I'm certain o sure (of it)

sono certo che verrà — I feel certain that she'll come

2) (indubitabile) [ prova] firm; [ vittoria] certain; [ notizia] reliable; [ data] fixed; (efficace) [ rimedio] sure

una cosa è -a,... — one thing is certain,...

sapere qcs. per certo — to know sth. for certain o for sure

dare qcs. per certo — to be certain of sth.

è certo che lei accetterà — it's certain that she'll accept, she's certain to accept
2.
sostantivo maschile

lasciare il certo per l'incerto — to take a chance, to plunge into the unknown
3.
avverbio

1) certainly, surely

certo! — of course! sure!

ma certo che vi aiuterò — of course I'll help you

certo (che) è una situazione difficile — it's a difficult situation indeed

2) di certo for certain, for sure

no di certo — certainly not, of course not

di certo non verrà — he definitely won't come
II 1. ['tʃɛrto]
aggettivo indefinito

1) (indefinito, non precisato) certain

una -a quantità di — some

per un certo periodo — for some time, for a while

in un certo (qual) modo — in a way

fino a un certo punto — up to a (certain) point

ha un certo non so che — he has a certain something o air about him

sono uscito con -i miei amici — I went out with some friends of mine

2) (tale)

un certo signor Bianchi — a (certain) Mr Bianchi

3) (di tal genere) such

non sopporto -i comportamenti — I can't stand such behaviour

ho fatto -i sogni stanotte! — I had such dreams last night!

hai -e idee! — you have some funny ideas!

4) (discreto)

avere un certo appetito — to be rather o quite hungry

richiederà un certo impegno — it will take some doing

un uomo di una -a età — a man of a distinct age
2.
pronome indefinito plurale certi (alcuni) some (people)

* * *

certo¹

/'t∫εrto/

I aggettivo

1 (persuaso, convinto) [ persona] certain, sure (di of, about; di fare of doing); ne sono certo I'm certain o sure (of it); sono certo che verrà I feel certain that she'll come

2 (indubitabile) [ prova] firm; [ vittoria] certain; [ notizia] reliable; [ data] fixed; (efficace) [ rimedio] sure; una cosa è -a,... one thing is certain,...; sapere qcs. per certo to know sth. for certain o for sure; dare qcs. per certo to be certain of sth.; è certo che lei accetterà it's certain that she'll accept, she's certain to accept

II sostantivo maschile

lasciare il certo per l'incerto to take a chance, to plunge into the unknown

III avverbio

1 certainly, surely; certo! of course! sure! ma certo che vi aiuterò of course I'll help you; certo (che) è una situazione difficile it's a difficult situation indeed

2 di certo for certain, for sure; no di certo certainly not, of course not; di certo non verrà he definitely won't come.

————————

certo²

/'t∫εrto/

I aggettivo indefinito

1 (indefinito, non precisato) certain; una -a quantità di some; per un certo periodo for some time, for a while; in un certo (qual) modo in a way; fino a un certo punto up to a (certain) point; ha un certo non so che he has a certain something o air about him; sono uscito con -i miei amici I went out with some friends of mine

2 (tale) un certo signor Bianchi a (certain) Mr Bianchi

3 (di tal genere) such; non sopporto -i comportamenti I can't stand such behaviour; ho fatto -i sogni stanotte! I had such dreams last night! hai -e idee! you have some funny ideas!

4 (discreto) avere un certo appetito to be rather o quite hungry; richiederà un certo impegno it will take some doing; un uomo di una -a età a man of a distinct age

II certi pron.indef.pl.

(alcuni) some (people).

Dizionario Italiano-Inglese > certo
5 sapere

1. v/t know

( essere capace di) be able to

( venire a) sapere hear

sai nuotare? can you swim?

lo so I know

2. v/i: far sapere qualcosa a qualcuno let someone know something

saperla lunga know all about it

non si sa mai you never know

per quel che ne so as far as I know

sapere di ( avere sapore di) taste of

non sa di nulla it doesn't taste of anything

3. m knowledge

* * *

sapere v.tr.

1 to know*: sa sempre la lezione molto bene, she always knows her lesson very well; sa tre lingue straniere, he knows three foreign languages; sapere a mente, a memoria, to know by heart; sapere qlco. per filo e per segno, to know sthg. thoroughly; so per esperienza come vanno queste cose, I know by experience how these things go // sa il fatto suo, he knows his job // chi sa il gioco non lo insegni, (prov.) he who knows the rules does well to keep them to himself

2 ( essere a conoscenza di) to know*; ( venire a conoscenza di) to hear*, to learn*; to get* to know: sai che...?, do you know that...?; lo so, I know; non lo so, I don't know; non so niente di tutto questo, I know nothing about all this; vorrei saperne di più, I wish I knew (o I'd like to know) more; so benissimo che sei lì, I know perfectly well you're there; sai bene, meglio di me, you know perfectly well; sapevo che sarebbe venuto, I knew he would come; venire a sapere, to get (o to come) to know; come hai saputo queste notizie?, how did you get this information?; presto o tardi si sa tutto, everything comes out sooner or later; speriamo che non si sappia in giro, let's hope the whole world doesn't know about it; non ho saputo più nulla di lui, I haven't heard any more about him; questo è quanto ho saputo, that is what I heard // far sapere qlco. a qlcu., to let s.o. know sthg.; ( per iscritto) to drop s.o. a line about sthg.; ( a voce) to send s.o. word about sthg. // sapere vita, morte e miracoli di qlcu., to know everything about s.o. // che ne so io?, come faccio a saperlo?, how should I know?; come fai a saperlo?, how do you know? // si può sapere cosa vuoi?, may I know what you want? // non si sa mai, you never know (o you never can tell) // buono a sapersi, that's worth knowing // non voglio più saperne ( di lui, di ciò), I don't want to have anything more to do with him, with it // sappi, sappiate che..., you have to understand that... // devi sapere che ieri..., listen, yesterday... // se (tu) sapessi, se sapeste!, if you only knew // (a) saperlo, (ad) averlo saputo!, if only I'd known! // che io sappia, per quel che ne so io, per quanto mi è dato sapere, as far as I know // per chi non lo sapesse, for those who don't know // sa com'è, you know how it is // Dio sa quando tornerà, God knows when he'll come back; Dio solo (lo) sa dove è andato a finire, God only knows where it's finished up // egli vende vestiti, cappelli, scarpe e che so io, he sells clothes, hats, shoes and what not // è morto di non so quale malattia, he died of some disease or other // in gennaio, si sa, fa freddo, everybody knows that it is cold in January

3 ( aver chiaro in mente) to know*: so io cosa devo fare, I know what I must do; non so che fare, che dire, I don't know what to do, what to say; non sai quello che dici, you don't know what you're saying; non so che farci, come fare, I don't know what to do about it; sa di avere ragione, he knows he's right; non sapevo di dover tornare, I didn't know I had to come back; sa quel che vuole, he knows what he wants // ecco, lo sapevo, there, I knew it // un certo non so che, a certain je ne sais quoi

4 ( essere capace, essere in grado di) can; ( nei tempi mancanti) to be able; to know* how: sa far tutto, he can do anything; non sa fare niente, he can't do anything; sa parlare inglese e francese, he can speak English and French; non so guidare la macchina, I can't drive a car; ''Sai sciare?'' ''Sì'', ''No'', ''Can you ski?'' ''Yes, I can'', ''No, I can't''; pensi che sappia cavarsela?, do you think he'll be able to manage?; non me l'hanno saputo dire, they weren't able to tell me; saprebbe indicarmi un buon ristorante nella zona?, could you tell me where there is a good restaurant around here?; rivolgiti a lui, saprà certamente consigliarti, ask him, he'll definitely be able to advise you; non sapendo nuotare, rischiò di annegare, not being able (o being unable) to swim, he was in danger of drowning; non ho simpatia per quella gente, non saprei dire perché, I don't like those people but I couldn't say why; sai come si apre questa porta?, do you know how this door opens?; è uno che sa farsi rispettare, he knows how to command respect; non so fare questo esercizio, I don't know how to do this exercise; non saprò mai usare il computer, I'll never know (o learn) how to use a computer (o I'll never be able to use a computer) // con la gente ci sa fare, he knows how to handle people; con lui bisogna saperci fare, you have to know how to handle him

◆ v. intr.

1 to know*, to be educated: è un uomo che sa, he is an educated (o a cultivated) man; sa di greco e di latino, he's well-versed in Greek and Latin

2 ( essere a conoscenza) to know*, to be aware; ( venire a conoscenza) to hear*, to learn*: so dei suoi meriti, I know (o I'm aware) of his merits; non sapevo di questi intrighi, I wasn't aware of these intrigues; ho saputo di un malinteso fra voi due, I've heard of a misunderstanding between you

3 ( aver sapore) to taste; ( aver odore) to smell*: questa minestra sa di aglio, this soup tastes of garlic; questa carne sa di bruciato, this meat tastes burnt; la stanza sapeva di fumo, the room smelt of smoke // una ragazza che non sa di niente, an insipid girl

4 ( pensare, supporre) to think*: mi sa che hai ragione tu, I think you're right; mi sa che è rimasto a letto, I bet he's stayed in bed.

sapere s.m.

1 ( scibile) knowledge: il sapere umano, human knowledge

2 ( cultura) learning, erudition, scholarship: un uomo di gran sapere, a man of great learning.

* * *

1. [sa'pere]
vb irreg vt
1) (conoscere: lezione, nome) to know, (venire a sapere: notizia) to hear

sai dove abita? — do you know where he lives?

sai se torna? — do you know if o whether he is coming back?

lo so — I know

lo so, non è colpa tua — I know, it's not your fault

non ne so nulla — I don't know anything about it

sa quattro lingue — he knows o can speak four languages

non sa l'inglese — he doesn't speak English

non ne vuole più sapere di lei — he doesn't want to have anything more to do with her

come l'ha saputo? — how did he find out o hear about it?

ho saputo che ti sei sposato — I hear you got married

vuoi sapere la verità? — do you want to know o hear the truth?

far sapere qc a qn — to let sb know (about) sth, inform sb about sth

fagli sapere che lo sto cercando — let him know I'm looking for him

venire a sapere qc (da qn) — to find out o hear about sth (from sb)

2) (essere capace di) to know how to

non sa far niente — he can't do anything

sai nuotare? — do you know how to swim?, can you swim?

è utile saper guidare — it's useful to be able to drive

non so guidare — I can't drive

non sapeva andare in bicicletta — he couldn't ride a bike

sa (come) cavarsela — he can manage

3) (rendersi conto) to know

non sa cosa dice — he doesn't know o realize what he's saying

sa quello che fa — he knows what he's doing

so com'è difficile parlargli — I know how difficult it is to talk to him

senza saperlo — without realizing it, unwittingly

4)

(fraseologia) è difficile, e io ne so qualcosa — it's difficult and don't I know it

e chi lo sa? — who knows?

si sa che... — it's well known that..., everybody knows that...

non si sa mai — you never know

non saprei — I don't o wouldn't know

non saprei dire — I couldn't say

mi dispiace, non so che farci — I'm sorry, I don't see what I can do about it

averlo saputo! — had I (o we ecc) known!, if only I (o we ecc) had known!

ci sa fare con le donne/macchine — he has a way with women/cars

lui sì che ci sa fare — he's very good at it

2. vi (aus avere)

1)

sapere di — (aver sapore) to taste of, (aver odore) to smell of, fig to smack of, resemble

sa di fragola — it tastes of strawberries

sa di pesce — it smells of fish

è un film che non sa di niente — it's a very dull film

2)

mi sa che... — (credo) I think (that)...

mi sa che non viene — I don't think he's coming

3. sm

knowledge

* * *
I 1. [sa'pere]
verbo modale (essere capace, potere) can, to be* able to

saper fare — to be able to do

sapere come fare — to know how to do

non sa guidare — she can't drive

sa battere a macchina? — can he type?

a quattro anni sapevo leggere — I could read at the age of four

sai aggiustarlo? — do you know how to fix it?

non sa dire di no — he can't say no

saper ascoltare — to be a good listener
2.
verbo transitivo

1) (conoscere) to know* [verità, risposta]

lo so — I know

non lo so — I don't know

sapere tutto — to know everything

sapere qcs. su qcn. — to know sth. about sb.

non so perché — I don't know why

lo so che è difficile — I know it's difficult

sapevo che l'avresti detto — I knew you would say that

non sa più quello che dice — he doesn't know what he's saying

non ne so niente — I don't know anything about it

buono a -rsi — that's handy to know

come faccio a saperlo? — how should I know?

senza saperlo — unknowingly

come ben sai — as you well know

se proprio vuoi saperlo — if you must know

caso mai non lo sapessi — in case you didn't know

ha ragione, sai — he's right, you know

sai una cosa? — (do) you know something?

sai cosa? sono proprio stufo — you know what? I'm really fed up

sappi che non lo permetterò! — I won't stand for it, I tell you!

se sapessi! — little do you know!

se sapessi come sono contento! — you can't imagine how happy I am!

che io sappia — as far as I know

non che io sappia — not that I know of

che (cosa) ne so io! — how should I know!

per quanto ne so — to my knowledge

senza che lo sapessi — without my knowledge

non saprei — I wouldn't know

vai a sapere! chi lo sa! — who knows?

non si sa mai o non si può mai sapere you never know; a saperlo! se avessi saputo! if only I had known! ne so quanto prima — I'm none the wiser

2) (avere imparato) to know*

sapere il cinese — to know Chinese

sapere per esperienza — to know from experience

3) (essere, venire a conoscenza) to hear*, to learn* (di of, about)

venire a sapere che — to hear (it said) that

ho saputo del tuo incidente — I heard about your accident

fammelo sapere — please let me know

come l'hai saputo? — how did you find out?

ha fatto sapere che — she let it be known that
3.
verbo intransitivo (aus. avere)

1) (essere colto)

un uomo che sa — a cultivated man

2) (avere sapore) to taste, to savour BE, savor AE (di of); (avere odore) to smell* (di of)

sapere di sale, di bruciato — to taste salty, burnt

non sa di niente — it has no taste

3) fig. (sembrare)

sa di fregatura — it sounds dodgy

mi sa che — I've got a feeling (that), something tells me (that)

••

saperci fare con i bambini — to have a way o be good with children

con gli uomini ci sa fare — she knows how to handle men

saperla lunga in fatto di qcs. — to know a thing or two about sth.

è uno che la sa lunga — he's been around

sapere il fatto proprio — to know what's what

non voglio più saperne di lui — I don't want to hear from him any more

non ne vuole sapere — he won't hear of it
••
Note:

Attenzione a distinguere l'uso di saper fare qualcosa e sapere qualcosa: nel primo caso, sapere funziona da verbo modale, non può avere per soggetto una cosa, e si traduce con can, to be able to o to know how; nel secondo caso, funziona da verbo lessicale e si traduce con to know. Si veda sotto per gli esempi d'uso e i casi minori
II [sa'pere]
sostantivo maschile knowledge; (cultura) learning

sete di sapere — thirst for knowledge

un uomo di vasto sapere — a man of great learning

* * *

sapere¹

/sa'pere/ [82]

Attenzione a distinguere l'uso di saper fare qualcosa e sapere qualcosa: nel primo caso, sapere funziona da verbo modale, non può avere per soggetto una cosa, e si traduce con can, to be able to o to know how; nel secondo caso, funziona da verbo lessicale e si traduce con to know. Si veda sotto per gli esempi d'uso e i casi minori.

I verbo modale

(essere capace, potere) can, to be* able to; saper fare to be able to do; sapere come fare to know how to do; non sa guidare she can't drive; sa battere a macchina? can he type? a quattro anni sapevo leggere I could read at the age of four; sai aggiustarlo? do you know how to fix it? non sa dire di no he can't say no; saper ascoltare to be a good listener

II verbo transitivo

1 (conoscere) to know* [verità, risposta]; lo so I know; non lo so I don't know; sapere tutto to know everything; sapere qcs. su qcn. to know sth. about sb.; non so perché I don't know why; lo so che è difficile I know it's difficult; sapevo che l'avresti detto I knew you would say that; non sa più quello che dice he doesn't know what he's saying; non ne so niente I don't know anything about it; buono a -rsi that's handy to know; come faccio a saperlo? how should I know? senza saperlo unknowingly; come ben sai as you well know; se proprio vuoi saperlo if you must know; caso mai non lo sapessi in case you didn't know; ha ragione, sai he's right, you know; sai una cosa? (do) you know something? sai cosa? sono proprio stufo you know what? I'm really fed up; sappi che non lo permetterò! I won't stand for it, I tell you! se sapessi! little do you know! se sapessi come sono contento! you can't imagine how happy I am! che io sappia as far as I know; non che io sappia not that I know of; che (cosa) ne so io! how should I know! per quanto ne so to my knowledge; senza che lo sapessi without my knowledge; non saprei I wouldn't know; vai a sapere! chi lo sa! who knows? non si sa mai o non si può mai sapere you never know; a saperlo! se avessi saputo! if only I had known! ne so quanto prima I'm none the wiser

2 (avere imparato) to know*; sapere il cinese to know Chinese; sapere per esperienza to know from experience

3 (essere, venire a conoscenza) to hear*, to learn* (di of, about); venire a sapere che to hear (it said) that; ho saputo del tuo incidente I heard about your accident; fammelo sapere please let me know; come l'hai saputo? how did you find out? ha fatto sapere che she let it be known that

III verbo intransitivo

(aus. avere)

1 (essere colto) un uomo che sa a cultivated man

2 (avere sapore) to taste, to savour BE, savor AE (di of); (avere odore) to smell* (di of); sapere di sale, di bruciato to taste salty, burnt; non sa di niente it has no taste

3 fig. (sembrare) sa di fregatura it sounds dodgy; mi sa che I've got a feeling (that), something tells me (that)

IDIOMS

saperci fare con i bambini to have a way o be good with children; con gli uomini ci sa fare she knows how to handle men; saperla lunga in fatto di qcs. to know a thing or two about sth.; è uno che la sa lunga he's been around; sapere il fatto proprio to know what's what; non voglio più saperne di lui I don't want to hear from him any more; non ne vuole sapere he won't hear of it.

————————

sapere²

/sa'pere/

sostantivo m.

knowledge; (cultura) learning; sete di sapere thirst for knowledge; un uomo di vasto sapere a man of great learning.

Dizionario Italiano-Inglese > sapere
6 savoir

savoir [savwaʀ]

➭ TABLE 32

1. transitive verb

a. to know

• je ne savais quoi or que dire/faire I didn't know what to say/do

• oui, je (le) sais yes, I know

• je savais qu'elle était malade

• je la savais malade I knew (that) she was ill

• il ne savait pas s'il devait accepter he didn't know whether to accept (or not)

• je crois savoir que... I believe that...

• je n'en sais rien I don't know

• il ment -- qu'en savez-vous ? he is lying -- how do you know?

• il nous a fait savoir que... he let us know that...

• ça se saurait si c'était vrai if it was true people would know about it

• ça finira bien par se savoir it'll get out in the end

• en savoir trop to know too much

• en savoir long to know a lot

• il croit tout savoir he thinks he knows everything

• Monsieur (or Madame or Mademoiselle) je-sais-tout (inf) know-all

• tu en sais, des choses (inf) you certainly know a thing or two, don't you!

• il ne sait rien de rien he hasn't a clue about anything

• qui sait ? who knows?

• tu veux celui-ci ou celui-là, faudrait savoir ! (inf) do you want this one or that one, make up your mind, will you?

• je sais bien, mais... I know, but...

• il nous a emmenés je ne sais où he took us goodness knows where

• il y a je ne sais combien de temps qu'il ne l'a vue I don't know how long it is since he last saw her

• elle ne sait pas quoi faire pour le consoler she's at a loss to know how to comfort him

• il n'a rien voulu savoir he didn't want to know

• on ne sait jamais you never know

• que je sache as far as I know

• à savoir that is

• vous n'êtes pas sans savoir que... (formal) you are not unaware that... (frm)

• si j'avais su if I had known

• elle ne savait où donner de la tête she didn't know whether she was coming or going

b. (avec infinitif) ( = être capable de) to know how to

• elle sait lire et écrire she can read and write

• il ne sait pas nager he can't swim

• il sait parler aux enfants he knows how to talk to children

• il sait y faire he's good at getting things his own way

• il sait écouter he's a good listener

• il faut savoir attendre you have to learn to be patient

• il se savait très malade he knew he was very ill

• sans le savoir ( = sans s'en rendre compte) without knowing ; ( = sans le faire exprès) unwittingly

• il ne savait pas où se mettre he didn't know where to put himself

• je ne saurais pas te le dire I couldn't tell you

2. masculine noun

• le savoir knowledge

* * *

I
1. savwaʀ
verbe transitif

1) ( connaître) to know [vérité, réponse]

savoir son texte — to know one's lines

savoir quelque chose par cœur — to know something by heart

savoir que — to know (that)

vous n'êtes pas sans savoir que — you are no doubt aware that

elle ne sait plus ce qu'elle dit — she doesn't know what she's saying

savoir quelque chose sur quelqu'un — to know something about somebody

ne rien savoir de quelque chose — to know nothing about something

elle en sait plus/moins que moi — she knows more/less about it than I do

il n'en saura rien — he'll never know (about it)

va or allez savoir!, qui sait! — who knows!

on ne sait jamais — you never know

est-ce que je sais, moi! — how should I know!

elle n'a rien voulu savoir — she just didn't want to know

parler sans savoir — to talk about things one knows nothing about

sans le savoir — without knowing (it)

pour autant que je sache — as far as I know

pas que je sache — not as far as I know

elle nous a fait savoir que — she informed us that

comment l'as-tu su ? — how did you find out?

je l'ai su par elle — she told me about it

savoir le chinois — to know Chinese

on la savait riche — she was known to be rich

reste à savoir si — it remains to be seen if ou whether

ne savoir que faire pour... — to be at a loss as to how to...

on croit savoir qu'elle est à Paris — she is understood ou thought to be in Paris

sachant que — given that

sache qu'il t'a menti — I'm telling you, he was lying

la personne que vous savez, qui vous savez — you-know-who

je ne sais quel journaliste — some journalist or other

je ne sais qui — somebody or other

tu viens ou pas, il faudrait savoir! — are you coming or not? make your mind up!

si tu savais or tu ne peux pas savoir comme je suis content! — you can't imagine how happy I am!

tu en sais des choses! — you really know a thing or two!

2) ( être capable de)

savoir faire — to be able to do, to know how to do

savoir comment faire — to know how to do

je sais conduire/nager/taper à la machine — I can drive/swim/type

il ne sait pas dire non — he can't say no

savoir écouter — to be a good listener

elle sait bien expliquer — she's good at explaining things

il a su nous parler — he was able to talk to us

on ne saurait mieux dire — I couldn't have put it better myself

elle sait y faire avec les enfants — she's good with children

il pleurait tout ce qu'il savait — he cried and cried

3) Belgicisme ( pouvoir)

je ne sais pas soulever la valise — I can't lift the suitcase

2.

se savoir verbe pronominal

1) ( être connu)

ça se saurait — people would know about that

tout se sait ici — people get to know everything in this place

ça s'est su tout de suite — word immediately got around

2) ( être conscient d'être)

se savoir aimé — to know one is loved

3.

à savoir locution adverbiale that is to say

••

ne pas savoir où donner de la tête — not to know whether one is coming or going

II savwaʀ
nom masculin

1) ( érudition) learning

un grand savoir — great learning

2) ( science) knowledge

3) ( culture) body of knowledge

* * *
savwaʀ
1. vt

1) (avoir connaissance de) to know

tu sais quoi? — you know what?

Je ne sais pas où il est allé. — I don't know where he's gone.

Nous ne savons pas s'il est bien arrivé. — We don't know if he's arrived safely.

Tu savais que Canberra était la capitale de l'Australie? — Did you know that Canberra was the capital of Australia?

Il ne sait pas ce qu'il va faire ce week-end. — He doesn't know what he's going to do this weekend.

je n'en sais rien — I really don't know

je crois savoir que... — I believe that...

vous n'êtes pas sans savoir que — you will not be unaware of the fact that

faire savoir qch à qn — to inform sb about sth, to let sb know sth

pas que je sache — not as far as I know

sans le savoir — unknowingly, unwittingly

en savoir long — to know a lot

2) (= être capable de)

il sait nager — he can swim

tu sais nager? — can you swim?

3) (= imaginer)

il est petit: tu ne peux pas savoir! — you won't believe how small he is!

4) (autre locution)

à savoir (= c'est-à-dire) — namely

2. nm

knowledge

* * *

savoir verb table: savoir

A nm

1 ( érudition) learning ¢; le savoir désintéressé learning for its own sake; un grand savoir great learning;

2 ( science) knowledge ¢; le savoir médical medical knowledge; le savoir et l'expérience knowledge and experience; les savoirs et les savoir-faire knowledge and know-how;

3 ( culture) body ¢ of knowledge; transmettre un savoir to pass on a body of knowledge.

B vtr

1 ( connaître) to know [vérité, réponse]; savoir son texte to know one's lines; savoir qch par cœur to know sth by heart; savoir que to know (that); je sais qu'elle est pauvre I know she's poor; vous n'êtes pas sans savoir que you are no doubt aware that; elle sait bien que she knows very well (that); je la savais triste I knew she was miserable; savoir quand/pourquoi to know when/why; savoir qui/ce que to know who/what; savoir combien il est difficile de faire to know how difficult it is to do; on ne sait où elle est nobody knows where she is; tu sais ce que tu veux, ou non? do you know what you want or don't you?; ne l'écoute pas, elle ne sait plus ce qu'elle dit take no notice, she doesn't know what she's saying; savoir qch sur qn to know sth about sb; ne rien savoir de qch to know nothing about sth; il ne sait rien de or sur moi he doesn't know anything about me, he knows nothing about me; elle en sait plus/moins que moi she knows more/less about it than I do; il n'en saura rien he'll never know (about it); je n'en sais rien I don't know; la douleur, elle en sait quelque chose she knows what pain is; c'est vrai, tu sais that's true, you know; va or allez savoir!, qui sait! who knows!; on ne sait jamais you never know; si seulement j'avais su if only I'd known; je (le) sais bien I know; est-ce que je sais, moi! how should I know!; il est parti pour la raison que tu sais you know very well why he left; elle n'a rien voulu savoir she just didn't want to know; fais-moi savoir si let me know if; parler sans savoir to talk about things one knows nothing about; sans le savoir without knowing (it); c'est faux, (pour autant) que je sache as far as I know, it's not true; pas que je sache not as far as I know; elle a fait savoir que she let it be known that; elle nous a fait savoir que she informed us that; je ne veux pas le savoir I don't want to know; comment l'as-tu su? how did you find out?; je l'ai su par elle she told me about it; savoir le chinois to know Chinese; bien savoir le japonais to have a good knowledge of Japanese; quelque chose qu'il sait être douloureux something he knows is painful ou to be painful; on la savait riche she was known to be rich; reste à savoir si it remains to be seen if ou whether; ne savoir que faire pour… to be at a loss as to how to…; on croit savoir qu'elle est à Paris she is understood ou thought to be in Paris; on ne leur savait pas d'ennemis they had no known enemies; sachant que given that; sache qu'il t'a menti/que j'avais raison I'm telling you, he was lying/I was right; sachez que fumer est interdit dans le bureau you should know that smoking is forbidden in the office; il a menti, et que sais-je encore! he told lies, and goodness knows GB ou who knows what else!; la personne que vous savez, qui vous savez you-know-who; je ne sais quel journaliste some journalist or other; je ne sais qui somebody or other; tu viens ou pas, il faudrait savoir! are you coming or not? make your mind up!; on va avoir une augmentation ou pas, il faudrait savoir! are we getting more money or not? let's get it straight!; elle a je ne sais combien de tableaux she's got who knows how many pictures; si tu savais or tu ne peux pas savoir comme je suis content! you can't imagine how happy I am!; tu en sais des choses! you really know a thing or two!; ⇒ vieillesse;

2 ( être capable de) savoir faire to be able to do, to know how to do; savoir comment faire to know how to do; je sais conduire/nager/taper à la machine I can drive/swim/type; je sais parler espagnol I can speak Spanish; il ne sait pas dire non he can't say no; savoir pardonner to be able to forgive; savoir écouter to be a good listener; elle sait bien/mal expliquer she's good/bad at explaining things; il a su nous parler he was able to talk to us; il a su la comprendre he understood her; on ne saurait tout prévoir one cannot foresee everything; je ne saurais vous dire pourquoi I really can't say why; on ne saurait mieux dire I couldn't have put it better myself; elle sait y faire avec les enfants she's good with children; elle sait y faire avec les hommes she knows how to handle men; il pleurait tout ce qu'il savait he cried and cried;

3 Belg ( pouvoir) je ne sais pas soulever la valise I can't lift the suitcase; on ne sait pas savoir ce qui va se passer it's impossible to know what will happen.

C se savoir vpr

1 ( être connu) ça se saurait people would know about that; à la campagne, tout se sait in the country, people get to know all that goes on; tout se sait ici people get to know everything in this place; cela a fini par se savoir word got around, it got out in the end; ça s'est su tout de suite word immediately got around;

2 ( être conscient d'être) se savoir aimé to know one is loved; se savoir perdu to know one is done for.

D v impers ( pouvoir) il ne saurait en être question it's completely out of the question; il ne saurait y avoir de démocratie sans égalité there can be no democracy without equality.

E à savoir loc adv that is to say; dans deux jours, à savoir lundi in two days, that is to say on Monday.

Idiomes

ne pas savoir où donner de la tête not to know whether one is coming or going; et Dieu or Diable sait quoi! and God knows what else!

I

[savwar] nom masculin

knowledge

II

[savwar] verbe transitif

1. [connaître - donnée, réponse, situation] to know

que savez-vous de lui? what do you know about ou of him?

tu sais la nouvelle? have you heard the news?

on le savait malade we knew ou we were aware (that) he was ill

je ne te savais pas si susceptible I didn't know ou I didn't realize ou I never thought you were so touchy

2. [être informé de]

que va-t-il arriver à Tintin? pour le savoir, lisez notre prochain numéro! what's in store for Tintin? find out in our next issue!

c'est toujours bon à savoir it's (always) worth knowing

je sais des choses... (familier) [sur un ton taquin] I know a thing or two, I know what I know!

c'est sa maîtresse — tu en sais des choses! she's his mistress — you seem well informed!

pour en savoir plus, composez le 34 15 for more information ou (if you want) to know more, phone 34 15

ce n'est pas elle qui l'a dénoncé — qu'en savez-vous? she wasn't the one who turned him in — what do you know about it ou how do you know?

je n'en sais rien du tout I don't know anything about it, I haven't got a clue

après tout, tu n'en sais rien! after all, what do YOU know about it!

il est venu ici, mais personne n'en a rien su he came here, but nobody found out about it

en savoir long sur quelqu'un/quelque chose to know a great deal about somebody/something

oh oui ça fait mal, j'en sais quelque chose! yes, it's very painful, I can tell you!

il n'aime pas les cafardeurs — tu dois en savoir quelque chose! he doesn't like sneaks — you'd know all about that!

pour ce que j'en sais for all I know

je sais à quoi m'en tenir sur lui I know what kind of (a) person he is

je crois savoir qu'ils ont annulé la conférence I have reason ou I'm led to believe that they called off the conference

tout le monde sait que... it's a well-known fact ou everybody knows that...

je ne sais combien, on ne sait combien [d'argent] who knows how much

il y a je ne sais combien de temps a very long time ago

il a fallu je ne sais combien de soldats God knows how many soldiers were needed

je ne sais comment, on ne sait comment God knows how

je ne sais où, on ne sait où God knows where

il est je ne sais où God knows where he is

je ne sais quel/quelle some... or other

sans trop savoir quoi faire [attendre, marcher] aimlessly

je ne sais qui, on ne sait qui somebody or other

il y a je ne sais quoi de bizarre chez lui there's something a bit weird about him

il vendait des tapis, des bracelets et que sais-je encore he was selling carpets, bracelets and goodness/God knows what else

sachant que x = y, démontrez que... MATHÉMATIQUES if x = y, show that...

(en usage absolu)

oui, oui, je sais! yes, yes, I'm aware of that ou I know ou I realize!

où est-elle? — est-ce que je sais, moi? (familier) where is she? — search me ou don't ask me ou how should I know?

si j'avais su, je ne t'aurais rien dit if I'd known, I wouldn't have said a word (to you)

(au subjonctif)

je ne sache pas qu'on ait modifié le calendrier (soutenu & humoristique) , on n'a pas modifié le calendrier, que je sache the calendar hasn't been altered that I know of ou as far as I know

va savoir ce qui lui a pris! who knows what possessed her?

3. [être convaincu de] to know, to be certain ou sure

je savais bien que ça ne marcherait pas! I knew it wouldn't work!

je n'en sais trop rien I'm not too sure, I don't really know

(en usage absolu)

comment savoir? how can you tell ou know?

qui sait? who knows?

on ne sait jamais, sait-on jamais you never know

4. [apprendre]

je l'ai su par son frère I heard it from her brother

on a fini par savoir qu'un des ministres était compromis it finally leaked out that one of the ministers was compromised

faire savoir quelque chose à quelqu'un to inform somebody ou to let somebody know of something

si elle arrive, faites-le moi savoir if she comes, let me know

5. [se rappeler] to know, to remember

je ne sais plus la fin de l'histoire I can't remember the end of the story

est-ce que tu sais ton rôle?

a. THÉÂTRE do you know your lines?

b. (figuré) do you know what you are supposed to do?

6. [pouvoir] to know how to, to be able to

savoir faire quelque chose to know how to ou to be able to do something

tu sais plonger/conduire? can you dive/drive?

elle ne sait ni lire ni écrire she can't read or write

il ne sait pas/sait bien faire la cuisine he's a bad/good cook

si je sais bien compter/lire if I count/read right

il sait parler/vendre he's a good talker/salesman

quand on lui a demandé qui était président à l'époque, il n'a pas su répondre when asked who was President at the time, he didn't know (what the answer was)

je ne sais pas mentir I can't (tell a) lie

il sait se contenter de peu he can make do with very little

je n'ai pas su la réconforter I wasn't able to comfort her

elle ne sait pas se reposer [elle travaille trop] she doesn't know when to stop

il a su rester jeune/modeste he's managed to remain young/modest

savoir s'y prendre: savoir s'y prendre avec les enfants to know how to handle children, to be good with children

je n'ai jamais su m'y prendre avec les filles I've never known how to behave with girls!

savoir y faire: laisse-moi découper le poulet, tu ne sais pas y faire let me carve the chicken, you don't know how to do it

savoir y faire avec quelqu'un to know how to handle somebody

il sait y faire avec les filles! he knows how to get his (own) way with girls!

on ne saurait tout prévoir you can't think of everything

on ne saurait être plus aimable/déplaisant you couldn't be nicer/more unpleasant

7. [être conscient de] to know, to be aware of

sachez-le bien make no ou let there be no mistake about this

il faut savoir que le parti n'a pas toujours suivi Staline you've got to remember that the Party didn't always toe the Stalinist line

sache qu'en fait, c'était son idée you should know that in fact, it was his idea

sachez que je le fais bénévolement for your information, I do it for nothing

elle ne sait plus ce qu'elle fait ni ce qu'elle dit

a. [à cause d'un choc, de la vieillesse] she's become confused

b. [sous l'effet de la colère] she's beside herself (with anger)

il est tellement soûl qu'il ne sait plus ce qu'il dit he's so drunk he doesn't know what he's saying

je sais ce que je dis I know what I'm saying

tu ne sais pas ce que tu veux/dis you don't know what you want/what you're talking about

il faudrait savoir ce que tu dis! make up your mind!

(en usage absolu)

faudrait savoir! make up your mind!

8. [imaginer]

ne (plus) savoir que ou quoi faire to be at a loss as to what to do, not to know what to do

je ne sais (plus) que faire avec ma fille I just don't know what to do with my daughter

il ne sait plus quoi faire pour se rendre intéressant he'd stop at nothing ou there's nothing he wouldn't do to attract attention to himself

je ne savais plus où me mettre ou me fourrer (familier) [de honte] I didn't know where to put myself

9. (Belgique)

il ne sait pas venir demain [il ne peut pas venir demain] he can't make it tomorrow

ses résultats ne sont pas brillants, savez-vous? [n'est-ce pas] his results aren't very good, are they ou am I right?

10. [pour prendre l'interlocuteur à témoin]

ce n'est pas toujours facile, tu sais! it's not always easy, you know!

tu sais, je ne crois pas à ses promesses to tell you the truth, I don't believe in her promises

tu sais que tu commences à m'énerver? (familier) you're getting on my nerves, you know that ou d'you know that?

————————

[savwar] adverbe

namely, specifically, i.e

————————

se savoir verbe pronominal (emploi passif)

[nouvelle] to become known

tout se sait dans le village news travels fast in the village

ça finira par se savoir people are bound to find out

je ne veux pas que ça se sache I don't want it to be publicized ou to get around

cela ou ça (familier) se saurait : ça se saurait s'il était si doué que ça (familier) if he was that good, you'd know about it

————————

se savoir verbe pronominal intransitif

[personne]

il se sait malade he knows he's ill

————————

à savoir locution adverbiale

namely, that is, i.e

son principal prédateur, à savoir le renard its most important predator, namely the fox

————————

à savoir que locution conjonctive

meaning ou to the effect that (soutenu)

il nous a donné sa réponse, à savoir qu'il accepte he's given us his answer, that is, he accepts ou to the effect that he accepts

————————

savoir si locution conjonctive

(familier) but who knows whether

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > savoir
7 saber

m.

knowledge.

el saber no ocupa lugar (Prov) you can never know too much

El saber es un tesoro Knowledge is priceless.

v.

1 to know.

ya lo sé I know

de haberlo sabido (antes) o si lo llego a saber, me quedo en casa if I'd known, I'd have stayed at home

hacer saber algo a alguien to inform somebody of something, to tell somebody something

para que lo sepas, somos amigos we're friends, for your information

Ellos saben de eso They know about that.

Ellos saben la información They know the information.

2 to learn, to find out (enterarse de).

lo supe ayer I found out yesterday

¿sabes algo de Juan?, ¿qué sabes de Juan? have you had any news from o heard from Juan?

3 to know about (entender de).

sabe mucha física he knows a lot about physics

4 to taste.

saber bien/mal to taste good/bad

saber a cuernos o rayos (informal figurative) to taste disgusting o revolting

le supo mal (figurative) it upset o annoyed him (le enfadó)

me sabe mal mentirle (figurative) I feel bad about lying to him

Esto sabe bien This tastes good.

5 to know how to, to know, to know to.

Ellos saben pintar They know how to paint.

* * *

SABER

CONJUGACIÓN

Present Indicative

sé, sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabéis, saben.

Past Indicative

supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis, supieron.

Future Indicative

sabré, sabrás, sabrá, sabremos, sabréis, sabrán.

Conditional

sabría, sabrías, sabría, sabríamos, sabríais, sabrían.

Present Subjunctive

sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan.

Imperfect Subjunctive

supiera, supieras, supiera, supiéramos, supierais, supieran;

supiese, supieses, supiese, supiésemos, supieseis, supiesen.

Future Subjunctive

supiere, supieres, supiere, supiéremos, supiereis, supieren.

Imperative

sabe (tú), sepa (él/Vd.), sepamos (nos.), sabed (vos.), sepan (ellos/Vds.).

* * *
1. verb
1) to know

2) can

3) learn

•

- a saber
- saber a 2. noun m.
knowledge

* * *

1. VT

1) (=tener conocimiento de)

a) [+ dato, información] to know

no sabía que era tu cumpleaños — I didn't know it was your birthday

sé que me has mentido — I know you've lied to me

lo sé — I know

sin saberlo yo — without my knowledge, without me knowing

• hacer saber algo a algn — to inform sb of sth, let sb know about sth

quiero hacerle saber que... — I would like to inform o advise you that...

el motivo de esta carta es hacerle saber que... — I am writing to inform o advise you that...

b) [locuciones]

• a saber — namely

dos planetas, a saber, Venus y la Tierra — two planets, namely Venus and Earth

a saber si realmente lo compró — I wonder whether he really did buy it

a saber dónde lo tiene guardado — I wonder where he has it hidden away

• ¡ anda a saber! — LAm God knows!

• demasiado bien sé que... — I know only too well that...

¡no lo sabes bien! — * not half! *

• cualquiera sabe si... — it's anybody's guess whether...

• ¡de haberlo sabido! — if only I'd known!

• lo dudo, pero nunca se sabe — I doubt it, but you never know

• para que lo sepas — let me tell you, for your information

• que yo sepa — as far as I know

que sepamos — as far as we know

• un no sé qué — a certain something

un no sé qué de afectado — a certain (element of) affectation

• ¡ quién sabe! — who knows!

¿quién sabe? — who knows?, who can tell?, who's to say?

• ¡si lo sabré yo! — I should know!

• tú sabrás (lo que haces) — I suppose you know (what you're doing)

¿tú qué sabes? — what do you know about it?

• ¡ vete a saber! — God knows!

¡vete a saber de dónde ha venido! — goodness only knows where he came from!

vete tú a saber — your guess is as good as mine

• ya lo sabía yo — I thought as much

• ¡yo qué sé!, ¡qué sé yo! — how should I know!, search me! *

- cada uno sabe dónde le aprieta el zapato

- no sabía dónde meterse

- no saber ni papa
Briján
2) (=enterarse de) to find out

en cuanto lo supimos fuimos a ayudarle — as soon as we found out, we went to help him

cuando lo supe — when I heard o found out about it

lograron saber el secreto — they managed to learn the secret

3) (=tener noticias) to hear

desde hace seis meses no sabemos nada de él — we haven't heard from him for six months

4) (=tener destreza en)

¿sabes ruso? — do you speak Russian?, can you speak Russian?

no sé nada de cocina — I don't know anything about cookery, I know nothing about cookery

• saber hacer algo, sabe cuidar de sí mismo — he can take care of himself, he knows how to take care of himself

¿sabes nadar? — can you swim?

saben tratar muy bien al forastero — they know how to look after visitors

¿sabes ir? — do you know the way?

todavía no sabe orientarse por la ciudad — he still doesn't know his way around town

pocos campeones saben perder — few champions are good losers

es una persona que sabe escuchar — she's a good listener

5) LAm

saber hacer — to be in the habit of doing

no sabe venir por aquí — he doesn't usually come this way, he's not in the habit of coming along here

2. VI

1) (=tener conocimiento)

• saber de algo — to know of sth

sabe mucho de ordenadores — he knows a lot about computers

sé de un sitio muy bueno — I know of a very good place

hace mucho que no sabemos de ella — it's quite a while since we heard from her, we haven't had any news from her for quite a while

2) (=estar enterado) to know

costó muy caro, ¿sabe usted? — it was very expensive, you know

un 5% no sabe, no contesta — there were 5% "don't knows"

3) (=tener sabor) to taste

no sabe demasiado bien — it doesn't taste too good

sabe un poco amargo — it tastes rather bitter

• saber a — to taste of

esto sabe a queso — this tastes of cheese

esto sabe a demonio(s) — this tastes awful

saberle mal a algn —

me supo muy mal lo que hicieron — I didn't like what they did, I wasn't pleased o didn't feel good about what they did

no me sabe mal que un amigo me gaste bromas — I don't mind a friend playing jokes on me, it doesn't bother me having a friend play jokes on me

3.

See:

saberse
SABER Por regla general, si saber va seguido de un infinitivo, se traduce por can cuando indica una habilidad permanente y por know how cuando se trata de la capacidad de resolver un problema concreto. La construcción correspondiente habrá de ser can + ((INFINITIVO)) {sin} to {o} know how + ((INFINITIVO)) {con} to: Jaime sabe tocar el piano Jaime can play the piano ¿Sabes cambiar una rueda? Do you know how to change a wheel? Hay que tener en cuenta que know (sin how) nunca puede ir seguido directamente de un infinitivo en inglés. Para otros usos y ejemplos ver la entrada
* * *
I
masculino knowledge

una persona de gran saber — a person of great learning

el saber no ocupa lugar — one can never know too much
II 1.
verbo transitivo

1)

a) <nombre/dirección/canción> to know

ya lo sé — I know

no lo sé — I don't know

no sé cómo se llama — I don't know his name

así que or conque ya lo sabes — so now you know

no sabía que tenía hijos — I didn't know he had (any) children

para que lo sepas, yo no miento — (fam) for your information, I don't tell lies

si lo sabré yo! — don't I know it!

cállate ¿tú qué sabes? — shut up! what do you know about it?

yo qué sé dónde está! — how (on earth) should I know where he/it is! (colloq)

no se sabe si... — they don't know if...

no sé qué decirte — I really don't know what to say

¿a que no sabes qué? — (fam) you'll never guess what

tiene un no sé qué — she has a certain something

me da no sé qué decirte esto — I feel very awkward saying this to you

que yo sepa — as far as I know

saber algo de algo — to know something about something

sé muy poco de ese tema — I know very little about the subject

hacerle saber algo a alguien — (frml) to inform somebody of something

nos hizo saber su decisión — he informed us of his decision

b) ( darse cuenta de) to know

no sabe lo que dice — he doesn't know what he's talking about

tú no sabes lo que es esto! — you can't imagine what it's like!

2) ( ser capaz de)

saber + inf — to know how to + inf

¿sabes nadar/escribir a máquina? — can you swim/type?, do you know how to swim/type?

ya sabe leer y escribir — she can already read and write

sabe escuchar — she's a good listener

sabe hablar varios idiomas — she can speak several languages

no saben perder — they're bad losers

sabe defenderse — she knows how to o she can look after herself

3) ( enterarse) to find out

lo supe por mi hermana — I found out about it through my sister

si es así, pronto se va a saber — if that's the case, we'll know o find out soon enough

sin que lo supiéramos — without our knowing

si yo lo hubiera sabido antes! — if I had only known before!

cómo iba yo a saber que...! — how was I to know that...!

¿se puede saber por qué? — may I ask why?

¿y tú dónde estabas, si se puede saber? — and where were you, I'd like to know?

4)

a saber — (frml) namely
2.
saber vi

Sentido I

1)

a) ( tener conocimiento) to know

vete tú/vaya usted a saber — but who knows

¿quién sabe? — who knows?

saber de algo/alguien — to know of something/somebody

yo sé de un sitio donde te lo pueden arreglar — I know of a place where you can get it fixed

b) (tener noticias, enterarse)

saber de alguien/algo: no sé nada de ella desde hace más de un mes I haven't heard from her for over a month; yo supe del accidente por la radio I heard about the accident on the radio; no quiero saber de él — I want nothing to do with him

Sentido II

2)

a) ( tener sabor) (+ compl) to taste

sabe dulce/bien/amargo — it tastes sweet/nice/bitter

saber a algo — to taste of something

sabe a ajo — it tastes of garlic

no sabe a nada — it has no taste to it

sabe a podrido — it tastes rotten

b) ( causar cierta impresión)

saberle mal/bien a alguien: no le supo nada bien que ella bailara con otro he wasn't at all pleased that she danced with someone else; me sabe mal tener que decírselo — I don't like having to tell him
3.
saberse v pron (enf) <lección/poema> to know

se sabe todo el cuento de memoria — he knows the whole story off by heart

sabérselas todas — (fam) to know every trick in the book (colloq)

* * *
I
masculino knowledge

una persona de gran saber — a person of great learning

el saber no ocupa lugar — one can never know too much
II 1.
verbo transitivo

1)

a) <nombre/dirección/canción> to know

ya lo sé — I know

no lo sé — I don't know

no sé cómo se llama — I don't know his name

así que or conque ya lo sabes — so now you know

no sabía que tenía hijos — I didn't know he had (any) children

para que lo sepas, yo no miento — (fam) for your information, I don't tell lies

si lo sabré yo! — don't I know it!

cállate ¿tú qué sabes? — shut up! what do you know about it?

yo qué sé dónde está! — how (on earth) should I know where he/it is! (colloq)

no se sabe si... — they don't know if...

no sé qué decirte — I really don't know what to say

¿a que no sabes qué? — (fam) you'll never guess what

tiene un no sé qué — she has a certain something

me da no sé qué decirte esto — I feel very awkward saying this to you

que yo sepa — as far as I know

saber algo de algo — to know something about something

sé muy poco de ese tema — I know very little about the subject

hacerle saber algo a alguien — (frml) to inform somebody of something

nos hizo saber su decisión — he informed us of his decision

b) ( darse cuenta de) to know

no sabe lo que dice — he doesn't know what he's talking about

tú no sabes lo que es esto! — you can't imagine what it's like!

2) ( ser capaz de)

saber + inf — to know how to + inf

¿sabes nadar/escribir a máquina? — can you swim/type?, do you know how to swim/type?

ya sabe leer y escribir — she can already read and write

sabe escuchar — she's a good listener

sabe hablar varios idiomas — she can speak several languages

no saben perder — they're bad losers

sabe defenderse — she knows how to o she can look after herself

3) ( enterarse) to find out

lo supe por mi hermana — I found out about it through my sister

si es así, pronto se va a saber — if that's the case, we'll know o find out soon enough

sin que lo supiéramos — without our knowing

si yo lo hubiera sabido antes! — if I had only known before!

cómo iba yo a saber que...! — how was I to know that...!

¿se puede saber por qué? — may I ask why?

¿y tú dónde estabas, si se puede saber? — and where were you, I'd like to know?

4)

a saber — (frml) namely
2.
saber vi

Sentido I

1)

a) ( tener conocimiento) to know

vete tú/vaya usted a saber — but who knows

¿quién sabe? — who knows?

saber de algo/alguien — to know of something/somebody

yo sé de un sitio donde te lo pueden arreglar — I know of a place where you can get it fixed

b) (tener noticias, enterarse)

saber de alguien/algo: no sé nada de ella desde hace más de un mes I haven't heard from her for over a month; yo supe del accidente por la radio I heard about the accident on the radio; no quiero saber de él — I want nothing to do with him

Sentido II

2)

a) ( tener sabor) (+ compl) to taste

sabe dulce/bien/amargo — it tastes sweet/nice/bitter

saber a algo — to taste of something

sabe a ajo — it tastes of garlic

no sabe a nada — it has no taste to it

sabe a podrido — it tastes rotten

b) ( causar cierta impresión)

saberle mal/bien a alguien: no le supo nada bien que ella bailara con otro he wasn't at all pleased that she danced with someone else; me sabe mal tener que decírselo — I don't like having to tell him
3.
saberse v pron (enf) <lección/poema> to know

se sabe todo el cuento de memoria — he knows the whole story off by heart

sabérselas todas — (fam) to know every trick in the book (colloq)

* * *

saber¹

¹ = learning.

Ex: It is the responsibility of educators to stretch their student's intellects, hone their skills of intuitive judgment and synthesis, and build a love of learning that will sustain them beyond the level of formal education.

* ansia de saber = thirst for knowledge.

* a + Posesivo + saber = to the best of + Posesivo + knowledge.

* a + Posesivo + saber y entender = to the best of + Posesivo + knowledge and belief.

* cúmulo de saber = knowledge repository, repository of knowledge.

* hasta donde + Pronombre + saber = to the best of + Posesivo + knowledge.

* institución del saber = institution of learning.

* no querer saber más nada de = drop + Nombre + like a hot potato.

* por el bien del saber = for knowledge's sake.

* por el mero hecho de saber = for knowledge's sake.

* rama del saber = branch of learning.

* saber escuchar = listening capacity.

saber²

² = know, learn, find out.

Ex: However, in general, it is unreasonable to expect a user to know the ISBN of a book.

Ex: 'I'd be disappointed to learn that my boss or subordinates -- or peers for that matter -- told tales out of school about me to others'.

Ex: For example, a person can consult the system holdings files to find out whether a library in the network owns a copy of the document.

* a saber = namely, viz, to wit.

* capacidad de saber leer y escribir = literacy skills.

* curioso por saber = interrogator.

* de quién sabe dónde = out of the woodwork.

* hacer saber = let + Nombre + know, let + it be known.

* hacer saber la intención de uno = announce + intention.

* nada sabe mejor que sentirse delgado = nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

* no querer saber más nada de = drop + Nombre + like a hot brick.

* no querer saber nada de = want + nothing to do with.

* no saber cómo explicarlo = be at a loss to explain it.

* no saber cómo seguir = be stuck, get + stuck.

* no saber de = have + no understanding of.

* no saber dónde meterse de vergüenza = squirm with + embarrassment.

* no saber expresarse bien = inarticulateness.

* no saber más por ello = be none the wiser.

* no saber qué contestar = stump.

* no saber qué decir = be at a loss for words, be lost for words.

* no saber qué hacer = be at a loss, get out of + Posesivo + depth, be on the horns of a dilemma, be at a nonplus.

* no saber qué hacer a continuación = draw + a blank, be stuck, get + stuck.

* no saber qué hacer con = be at sixes and sevens with.

* no saber qué más hacer = be at + Posesivo + wit's end.

* no saberse cuándo = there + be + no telling when.

* no se sabe todavía = the jury is still out (on).

* nunca se sabe... = one never knows....

* persona que sabe contar anécdotas = raconteur.

* por lo que yo sé = to the best of my knowledge.

* quedar mucho por saber = there + be + a great deal yet to be learned, there + be + still a great deal to be learned.

* que sabe lo que = who knows what.

* ¿quién sabe? = who knows?.

* quién sabe lo que = who knows what.

* quién sabe qué = who knows what.

* saber a ciencia cierta = know for + certain, know for + sure, know for + a fact.

* saber a ciencia cierta que = know + for a fact that.

* saber argumentar Algo convincentemente = make + a business case.

* saber buscar con inteligencia = be search-savvy.

* saber con certeza = know for + certain, know for + sure, know for + a fact.

* saber contestar muy bien = be not at a loss for words.

* saber cúal es la verdad = discern + the truth.

* saber de algún modo = know + on some grounds.

* saber de buena boca = have + it on good word.

* saber de buena tinta = have + it on good word.

* saber defenderse = hold + Posesivo + own.

* saber de lo que Uno estar hablando = know + Posesivo + stuff.

* saber de seguro = know for + certain, know for + sure, know for + a fact.

* saber escuchar = listening skills.

* saber hacer = savoir faire.

* saber hacer cuentas = be numerate.

* saber interiormente = know + underneath.

* saber leer y escribir = be literate.

* saberlo todo = be omniscient.

* saberse Algo al dedillo = know + Nombre + inside-out, learn + Nombre + inside-out.

* saber un poco de todo y mucho de nada = jack of all trades, master of none.

* sabiendo diferenciar entre lo que vale y lo que no = discriminatingly.

* sabiendo que = on the understanding that.

* salir de quién sabe dónde = come out of + the woodwork.

* ser una incógnita = be anyone's guess.

* sin saberlo = unbeknown to, unbeknownst to.

* sin saber qué decir = nonplussed [nonplused].

* un no sé qué = a je ne sais quoi.

* y Dios sabe qué más = and Heaven knows what else.

saber³

³ = taste.

Ex: Professional skills are enhanced by the opportunity which IFLA provides to taste the cultures of other countries in a very accessible (dare I say privileged?) way.

* saber a = reek of.

* * *

saber¹

masculine

knowledge

un compendio del saber humano a compendium of human knowledge

una persona de gran saber a person of great learning

el saber no ocupa lugar one can never know too much

saber² [ E25 ]

vt

A

1 ‹nombre/dirección/chiste/canción› to know

(ya) lo sé, pero aun así … I know, but even so …

quizás sea así, no lo sé that might be the case, I don't know

así que or conque ya lo sabes so now you know

¡no le habrás dicho nada de aquello que tú sabes! you didn't tell him anything about you know what, did you?

no sabía que tenía or tuviera hijos I didn't know he had (any) children

¿sabes lo que me dijo? do you know what he said to me?

¿sabes lo que te digo? ¡que me tienes harta! you know something? I'm fed up with you!

para que lo sepas, yo no miento ( fam); for your information, I don't tell lies

es tan latoso … — ¡si lo sabré yo! he's such a nuisance — don't I know it!

cállate ¿tú qué sabes? shut up! what do you know about it?

¡yo qué sé dónde está tu diccionario! how (on earth) should I know where your dictionary is! ( colloq)

no se sabe si se salvará they don't know if he'll pull through

no sabía dónde meterme I didn't know where to put myself

no supe qué decir I didn't know what to say

mira, no sé qué decirte look, I really don't know what to say

no lo saben a ciencia cierta they don't know for certain

¿a que no sabes a quién vi? ( fam); I bet you don't know who I saw ( colloq), you'll never guess who I saw

quién or cualquiera sabe dónde estará goodness only knows where it is

un tal Ricardo no sé cuántos ( fam); Ricardo something-or-other ( colloq)

le salió con no sé qué historias ( fam); he came out with some story or other

tiene un no sé qué que la hace muy atractiva she has a certain something that makes her very attractive

ese hombre tiene un no sé qué que me cae mal there's something about that man I don't like

me da no sé qué tener que decirte esto I feel very awkward about having to say this to you

ya no viven allí, que yo sepa as far as I know, they don't live there anymore

¿tiene antecedentes? — que yo sepa no does she have any previous convictions? — not that I know of

—¿quién es ése? —quiso saber who's that? he wanted to know

sé muy poco de ese tema I know very little about the subject

sabe mucho sobre la segunda guerra mundial he knows a lot about the Second World War

2

hacerle saber algo a algn ( frml): nos hizo saber su decisión he informed us of his decision

por la presente deseo hacerle saber que … ( Corresp) I am pleased to advise you o to be able to inform you that …

la directiva hace saber a los señores socios que … the board wishes to inform members o advises members that …

3 (darse cuenta) to know

¡tú no sabes lo que es esto! you can't imagine what it's like!

está furiosa, no sabes lo que te espera she's furious, you don't know what you're in for

perdónalos Señor, porque no saben lo que hacen ( Bib) forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do

B (ser capaz de) saber + INF:

¿sabes nadar/cocinar/escribir a máquina? can you swim/cook/type?

ya sabe leer y escribir she can already read and write

sabe escuchar she's a good listener

no saben perder they're bad losers

no sabe tratar con la gente he doesn't know how to deal with people

no te preocupes, ella sabe defenderse don't worry, she knows how to o she can look after herself

este niño no sabe estarse quieto this child is incapable of keeping still o just can't keep still

C

a saber ( frml); namely

lo forman cuatro países, a saber: Suecia, Noruega, Dinamarca y Finlandia it is made up of four countries, namely Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland

D (enterarse) to find out

no lo supimos hasta ayer we didn't find out until yesterday

lo supe por mi hermana I found out about it through my sister, I heard about it o ( frml) learned of it through my sister

si es así, pronto se va a saber if that's the case, we'll know soon enough

¡si yo lo hubiera sabido antes! if I had only known before!

¿que qué me dijo de ti? ¡no quieras saberlo! what did she say about you? don't ask! o you wouldn't want to know!

¿se puede saber qué estabas haciendo allí? would you mind telling me what you were doing there?

¿y tú dónde estabas, si se puede saber? and where were you, I'd like to know?

■ saber

vi

Sentido I

A

1 to know

¿crees que vendrá? — supongo que sí, aunque con ella nunca se sabe do you think she'll come? — I suppose so, although you never know o you can never tell with her

dice que ella se lo dio, vete tú/vaya usted a saber he says she gave it to him, but who knows

no puede ser verdad — ¿quién sabe? a lo mejor sí it can't be true — who knows, it could be

parece incapaz de eso, pero nunca se sabe or cualquiera sabe he doesn't seem capable of such a thing, but you never know

él que sabe, sabe ( fr hecha); it's easy when you know how

2 saber DE algo/algn to know (of) sth/sb

yo sé de un sitio donde te lo pueden arreglar I know (of) a place where you can get it fixed

¿sabes de alguien que haya estado allí? do you know (of) anyone who's been there?

3 (tener noticias) saber DE algn:

no sé nada de ella desde hace más de un mes I haven't heard from her for over a month

no quiero saber nada más de él I want nothing more to do with him

B (enterarse) saber DE algo:

yo supe del accidente por la radio I heard about the accident on the radio

si llegas a saber de una cámara barata, avísame if you hear of a cheap camera, let me know

Sentido II

A (tener sabor) (+ compl) to taste

sabe muy dulce/bien/amargo it tastes very sweet/nice/bitter

saber A algo to taste OF sth

sabe a ajo/almendra it tastes of garlic/almonds, it has a garlicky/almondy taste

esta sopa no sabe a nada this soup doesn't taste of anything o has no taste to it

sabe a quemado/podrido it tastes burnt/rotten

tenía tanta hambre que el arroz me supo a gloria I was so hungry the rice tasted delicious

B

(causar cierta impresión): saberle mal/bien a algn: no le supo nada bien que ella bailara con otro he wasn't at all pleased that she danced with someone else

me sabe mal tener que decirle que no otra vez I don't like having to say no to him again, I feel bad having to say no to him again

■ saberse

v pron

A ( enf) ( fam) (conocer) ‹lección/poema› to know

se sabe todo el cuento de memoria he knows the whole story off by heart

se sabe los nombres de todos los jugadores del equipo he knows the names of every player in the team

sabérselas todas ( fam): este niño se las sabe todas this child knows every trick in the book ( colloq)

se cree que se las sabe todas she thinks she has all the answers

B ( refl) (saber que se es) (+ compl):

se sabe atractiva she knows she's attractive

* * *

saber 1 sustantivo masculino
knowledge;
◊ una persona de gran saber a person of great learning

saber 2 ( conjugate saber) verbo transitivo
1
a) ‹nombre/dirección/canción› to know;

◊ ya lo sé I know;

no lo sé I don't know;
no sé cómo se llama I don't know his name;
¡yo qué sé! how (on earth) should I know! (colloq);
que yo sepa as far as I know;
saber algo de algo to know sth about sth;
sé muy poco de ese tema I know very little about the subject;
no sabe lo que dice he doesn't know what he's talking about
b) ( enterarse) to find out;

◊ lo supe por mi hermana I found out about it through my sister;

sin que lo supiéramos without our knowing;
¡si yo lo hubiera sabido antes! if I had only known before!;
¡cómo iba yo a saber que …! how was I to know that …!
2 ( ser capaz de):
◊ saber hacer algo to know how to do sth;

¿sabes nadar? can you swim?, do you know how to swim?;
sabe escuchar she's a good listener;
sabe hablar varios idiomas she can speak several languages
verbo intransitivo
a) ( tener conocimiento) to know;

◊ ¿quién sabe? who knows?;

saber de algo/algn to know of sth/sb;
yo sé de un lugar donde te lo pueden arreglar I know of a place where you can get it fixed
b) (tener noticias, enterarse):

◊ no sé nada de ella desde hace más de un mes I haven't heard from her for over a month;

yo supe del accidente por la radio I heard about the accident on the radio
a) ( tener sabor) (+ compl) to taste;

◊ sabe dulce/bien it tastes sweet/nice;

saber a algo to taste of sth;
no sabe a nada it doesn't taste of anything;
sabe a podrido it tastes rotten
b) ( causar cierta impresión): me sabe mal or no me sabe bien tener que decírselo I don't like having to tell him

saberse verbo pronominal ( enf) ‹lección/poema› to know
saber sustantivo masculino knowledge, learning, information
saber
I verbo transitivo
1 (una cosa) to know: no sé su dirección, I don't know her address
para que lo sepas, for your information
que yo sepa, as far as I know
2 (hacer algo) to know how to: no sabe nadar, he can't swim
3 (capacidad, destreza) sabe dibujar muy bien, he knows how to draw really well
4 (comportarse, reaccionar) can: no sabe aguantar una broma, she can't take a joke
no sabe perder, he's a bad loser
5 (tener conocimientos elevados sobre una materia) sabe mucho de música, she knows a lot about music
6 (enterarse) to learn, find out: lo llamé en cuanto lo supe, I called him as soon as I heard about it
7 (estar informado) sabía que te ibas a retrasar, he knew that you were going to be late
8 (imaginar) no sabes qué frío hacía, you can't imagine how cold it was
II verbo intransitivo
1 (sobre una materia) to know [de, of]: sé de un restaurante buenísimo, I know of a very good restaurant
2 (tener noticias) (de alguien por él mismo) to hear from sb
(de alguien por otros) to have news of sb
(de un asunto) to hear about sthg
3 (tener sabor) to taste [a, of]: este guiso sabe a quemado, this stew tastes burnt
4 (producir agrado o desagrado) to like, please: me supo mal que no viniera, it upset me that he didn't come
♦ Locuciones: el saber no ocupa lugar, you can never learn too much
me ha sabido a poco, I couldn't get enough of it
quién sabe, who knows
vas a saber lo que es bueno, I'll show you what's what
vete a saber, God knows
a saber, namely
' saber' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
atenerse
- ávida
- ávido
- básica
- básico
- carta
- cojear
- combinar
- comparecencia
- conjugar
- consuelo
- convenir
- cuerno
- dedillo
- demonio
- desconocer
- diferenciar
- economía
- entender
- estimable
- estribar
- eufórica
- eufórico
- gloria
- impresión
- latín
- morbosa
- morboso
- puesta
- puesto
- relacionarse
- sable
- si
- terrena
- terreno
- tinta
- bien
- ciencia
- conocer
- conocimiento
- deber
- derecho
- experiencia
- feo
- hallar
- llegar
- lo
- mal
- memoria
- porqué
English:
acquaint
- aware
- can
- certain
- curious
- flounder
- fortuneteller
- guess
- hand
- hear
- horrify
- know
- learning
- namely
- nice
- pat
- pride
- should
- taste
- tell
- truck
- understand
- unknowingly
- wisdom
- able
- appreciation
- authority
- claim
- copy
- early
- funny
- heart
- knowledge
- let
- priority
- realize
- reassuring
- right
- saber
- sabre
- score
- skill
- stump
- suppose
- viz
- way

* * *

saber

♦ nm

knowledge;
Formal
según mi/nuestro/ etc[m5]. leal saber y entender to the best of my/our/ etc knowledge;

Prov

el saber no ocupa lugar you can never know too much

♦ vt

1. [conocer] to know;

ya lo sé I know;

no lo sé I don't know;

yo no sabía nada de eso I didn't know anything about that;

no sabía que eras médico I didn't know you were a doctor;

ya sé lo que vas a decir I know what you're going to say;

de haberlo sabido (antes) o [m5]si lo llego a saber, me quedo en casa if I'd known, I'd have stayed at home;

es de o [m5]por todos sabido que… it's common knowledge that…, everyone knows that…;

hacer saber algo a alguien to inform sb of sth, to tell sb sth;

para que lo sepas, somos amigos we're friends, for your information;

¿sabes qué (te digo)?, que no me arrepiento you know what, I don't regret it;

si lo sabré yo, que tengo cuatro hijos you're telling me! I've got four children!;

sin yo saberlo, sin saberlo yo without my knowledge;
Fig
no sabía dónde meterme I didn't know where to put myself, I wanted to crawl under a rock;

no sabe lo que (se) hace she doesn't know what she's doing;

no sabe lo que tiene he doesn't realize just how lucky he is;
Fam
te ha llamado un tal Antonio no sé cuántos there was a call for you from Antonio something or other;

no sé qué decir I don't know what to say;

¡qué sé yo!, ¡y yo qué sé! how should I know!;

¡qué sé yo la de veces que me caí de la bici! heaven knows how many times I fell off my bike!;
Irónico
como te pille vas a saber lo que es bueno just wait till I get my hands on you!;
Irónico
cuando hagas la mili sabrás lo que es bueno you'll be in for a nasty surprise when you do your military service;

tener un no sé qué to have a certain something;
Fam
y no sé qué y no sé cuántos and so on and so forth

2. [ser capaz de]
saber hacer algo to be able to do sth, to know how to do sth;

¿sabes cocinar? can you cook?;

no sé nadar I can't swim, I don't know how to swim;

sabe hablar inglés/montar en bici she can speak English/ride a bike;

sabe perder he's a good loser;

su problema es que no saben beber [beben demasiado] their problem is they don't know when to stop drinking

3. [enterarse de] to learn, to find out;

lo supe ayer/por los periódicos I found (it) out yesterday/in the papers;

supe la noticia demasiado tarde I only heard the news when it was too late;

¿sabes algo de Juan?, ¿qué sabes de Juan? have you had any news from o heard from Juan?;

¿sabes algo de cuándo será el examen? have you heard anything about when the exam's going to be?

4. [entender de] to know about;

sabe mucha física he knows a lot about physics

♦ vi

1. [tener sabor] to taste (a of);
a mí me sabe a fresa it tastes of strawberries to me;

sabe mucho a cebolla it has a very strong taste of onions, it tastes very strongly of onions;

esto no sabe a nada this has no taste to it, this doesn't taste of anything;

saber bien/mal to taste good/bad;

¡qué bien sabe este pan! this bread's really tasty!, this bread tastes really good!;

esta agua sabe this water has a funny taste;

Comp
Fam
saber a cuerno quemado o [m5] a rayos to taste disgusting o revolting

2. [sentar]
le supo mal [le enfadó] it upset o annoyed him;

me sabe mal mentirle I feel bad about lying to him;

Comp
Fam
saber a cuerno quemado o [m5]a rayos: sus comentarios me supieron a cuerno quemado o [m5] a rayos I thought his comments were really off

3. [tener conocimiento] to know;

no sé de qué me hablas I don't know what you're talking about;

sé de una tienda que vende discos de vinilo I know of a shop that sells vinyl records;

que yo sepa as far as I know;

¡quién sabe!, ¡vete (tú) a saber!, ¡vaya usted a saber! who knows!;

pues, sabes, a mí no me importaría I wouldn't mind, you know;

es vecino mío, ¿sabes? he's my neighbour, you know;

Comp
Méx Fam
¡sepa Pancha!, ¡sepa la bola! who knows?

4. [entender]
saber de algo to know about sth;

¿tú sabes de mecánica? do you know (anything) about mechanics?;

ése sí que sabe he's a canny one

5. [tener noticia]
saber de alguien to hear from sb;

no sé de él desde hace meses I haven't heard (anything) from him for months;

saber de algo to learn of sth;

supe de su muerte por los periódicos I learnt of her death in the papers;

no quiero saber (nada) de ti I don't want to have anything to do with you

6. [parecer]
eso me sabe a disculpa that sounds like an excuse to me;

este postre me ha sabido a poco I could have done with the dessert being a bit bigger;

las vacaciones me han sabido a muy poco my holidays weren't nearly long enough, I could have done with my holidays being a lot longer

7. Am [soler]
saber hacer algo to be in the habit of doing sth

♦ See also the pronominal verb saberse

* * *

saber

I v/t

1 know;

hacer saber algo a alguien let s.o. know sth;

¿cómo lo sabes? how do you know?;

¡si lo sabré yo! don’t I know it!;

¡para que lo sepas! so there!;

sabérselas todas fam know every trick in the book

2 ( ser capaz de)

:

saber hacer algo know how to do sth, be able to do sth;

sé nadar/leer I can swim/read;

saber alemán know German

3 ( enterarse) find out;

lo supe ayer I found out yesterday

II v/i

1 know (de about);

¡vete a saber!, ¡vaya usted a saber! heaven knows;

¡quién sabe! who knows!;

¡qué sé yo! who knows?;

que yo sepa as far as I know;

no que yo sepa not as far as I know;

hace mucho que no sé de ella I haven’t heard from her for a long time

2 ( tener sabor) taste (a of);

me sabe a quemado it tastes burnt to me;

las vacaciones me han sabido a poco my vacation went much too quickly;

me sabe mal fig it upsets me

III m knowledge, learning

IV

:

a saber namely

* * *

saber {71} vt

1) : to know

2) : to know how to, to be able to

sabe tocar el violín: she can play the violin

3) : to learn, to find out

4)

a saber : to wit, namely

saber vi

1) : to know, to suppose

2) : to be informed

supimos del desastre: we heard about the disaster

3) : to taste

esto no sabe bien: this doesn't taste right

4)

saber a : to taste like

sabe a naranja: it tastes like orange

♦ See also the reflexive verb saberse

* * *

saber vb

1. (en general) to know [pt. knew; pp. known]

sabe mucho de política he knows a lot about politics

¿alguien sabe lo que ha pasado? does anyone know what happened?

sé llegar al parque I know how to get to the park

no sé dónde está el coche I don't know where the car is

2. (tener capacidad, habilidad) can [pt. could]

sabe tocar el piano she can play the piano

¿sabes cocinar? can you cook?

3. (hablar) to speak [pt. spoke; pp. spoken]

sabe inglés y francés she speaks English and French

4. (tener noticias) to hear [pt. & pp. heard]

hace mucho tiempo que no sé nada de ellos I haven't heard anything from them for ages

5. (enterarse) to find out [pt. & pp. found]

cuando supe que era su cumpleaños... when I found out it was her birthday...

6. (tener sabor) to taste

este helado sabe a avellana this ice cream tastes of hazelnuts

este potaje no sabe a nada this stew has no taste

saber mal una cosa a alguien (disgustar, enfadar) to be upset / not to like

le supo mal que se fueran sin ella she was upset that they went without her

me sabe mal no acompañarte hasta tu casa I don't like not walking you home

que yo sepa as far as I know

vete a saber goodness knows / it's anyone's guess

vete a saber dónde estarán las llaves it's anyone's guess where the keys are

¡yo qué sé! how should I know?

Spanish-English dictionary > saber
8 etwas

unbest. Pron.

1. Unbestimmtes, nachfolgend Bestimmtes: something; verneinend, fragend oder bedingend: anything; etwas Merkwürdiges something strange, a strange thing; etwas anderes something ( fragend: anything) else; ohne etwas zu sagen without (saying) a word; etwas, das oder was ich nicht verstehe, ist... something ( oder one thing) that I don’t understand is...; da ist noch etwas(, das ich sagen möchte):... there is something else (that I should [Am. would] like to say):...; so etwas habe ich noch nie gehört I’ve never heard anything like it; so etwas kommt schon vor that kind of thing does happen; hast du etwas gegen mich? do you have ( oder have you got) anything against me?; das hat etwas für sich there’s something to be said for it; sie haben etwas miteinander umg. euph. there’s something going on between them; nein, so etwas! umg. überrascht: well, there’s a thing!, well, would you believe it!; verärgert: would you believe it!

2. (ein bisschen) some; any; a little; a bit of; etwas Englisch a little English; etwas Petersilie a touch of parsley; etwas anders slightly different; lass mir noch etwas Zeit give me a little more time; ich muss mich etwas ausruhen I need to rest for a while ( oder to have a little rest); hab etwas Geduld be patient; das ist immerhin oder wenigstens etwas that’s something, at least

3. (ziemlich) quite, somewhat; a little, a bit; ich bin noch nicht fertig, es ist eben etwas schwierig it is quite (Am. fairly) ( oder a little) difficult, you know

4. (ein Teil von) some; nimm dir etwas davon take some; du sollst auch etwas ( davon) haben you’re going to get some too; er versteht etwas davon he knows a thing or two about it; sie hat etwas von einer Katze ( an sich) she’s got something catlike ( oder something of a cat) about her

5. viel, Wichtiges etc.: something; es zu etwas bringen get somewhere umg., make something of o.s.; aus ihm wird noch mal etwas he’ll go a long way; das will schon etwas heißen! umg. now that really is something!, now you’re talking!; ihr Wort gilt etwas beim Vorstand what she says carries weight ( oder counts for a lot) with the management

* * *

a little (Adv.); some (Adv.); slightly (Adv.); somewhat (Adv.); something (Pron.); anything (Pron.); some (Pron.); aught (Pron.)

* * *
Ẹt|was ['ɛtvas]
nt -, no pl
something
das gewisse Etwas — that certain something

ein winziges Etwas — a tiny little thing

* * *

1) (a piece of any size: a bit of advice.) bit

2) (a small quantity of something: He has a little money to spare; 'Is there any soup left?' `Yes, a little.') a little

3) (to a small extent: I'm still slightly worried about it.) slightly

4) (a thing not known or not stated: Would you like something to eat?; I've got something to tell you.) something

5) (a thing of importance: There's something in what you say.) something

6) (rather; a little: He is somewhat sad; The news puzzled me somewhat.) somewhat

7) ((American) somewhat; to a certain extent: I think we've progressed some.) some

8) (rather; in a way; to a certain extent: He was sort of peculiar!; I feel sort of worried about him.) sort of

9) (slightly: She felt vaguely irritated; I feel vaguely uneasy.) vaguely

* * *

Et·was

<->

[ˈɛtvas]

nt kein pl

ein hartes/spitzes/... \Etwas something hard/sharp/...

das gewisse \Etwas that certain something [or liter je ne sais quoi]

ein winziges \Etwas a tiny little thing

* * *

das; Etwas, Etwas: something

das gewisse Etwas — that certain something

* * *

etwas indef pr

1. Unbestimmtes, nachfolgend Bestimmtes: something; verneinend, fragend oder bedingend: anything;

etwas Merkwürdiges something strange, a strange thing;

etwas anderes something ( fragend: anything) else;

ohne etwas zu sagen without (saying) a word;

etwas, das oder

was ich nicht verstehe, ist … something ( oder one thing) that I don’t understand is …;

da ist noch etwas(, das ich sagen möchte): … there is something else (that I should [US would] like to say): …;

so etwas habe ich noch nie gehört I’ve never heard anything like it;

so etwas kommt schon vor that kind of thing does happen;

hast du etwas gegen mich? do you have ( oder have you got) anything against me?;

das hat etwas für sich there’s something to be said for it;

sie haben etwas miteinander umg euph there’s something going on between them;

nein, so etwas! umg überrascht: well, there’s a thing!, well, would you believe it!; verärgert: would you believe it!

2. (ein bisschen) some; any; a little; a bit of;

etwas Englisch a little English;

etwas Petersilie a touch of parsley;

etwas anders slightly different;

lass mir noch etwas Zeit give me a little more time;

ich muss mich etwas ausruhen I need to rest for a while ( oder to have a little rest);

hab etwas Geduld be patient;

das ist immerhin oder

wenigstens etwas that’s something, at least

3. (ziemlich) quite, somewhat; a little, a bit; ich bin noch nicht fertig,

es ist eben etwas schwierig it is quite (US fairly) ( oder a little) difficult, you know

4. (ein Teil von) some;

nimm dir etwas davon take some;

du sollst auch etwas (davon) haben you’re going to get some too;

er versteht etwas davon he knows a thing or two about it;

sie hat etwas von einer Katze (an sich) she’s got something catlike ( oder something of a cat) about her

5. viel, Wichtiges etc: something;

es zu etwas bringen get somewhere umg, make something of o.s.;

aus ihm wird noch mal etwas he’ll go a long way;

das will schon etwas heißen! umg now that really is something!, now you’re talking!;

ihr Wort gilt etwas beim Vorstand what she says carries weight ( oder counts for a lot) with the management

* * *

das; Etwas, Etwas: something

das gewisse Etwas — that certain something

* * *

(ganz) Alltägliches sein ausdr.

to be an everyday occurrence expr. (nichts) aufzuweisen haben ausdr.

to have something (nothing)

to show expr. adv.

aught (UK) adv.

something adv.

somewhat adv. pron.

anything pron.

Deutsch-Englisch Wörterbuch > etwas
9 Etwas

unbest. Pron.

1. Unbestimmtes, nachfolgend Bestimmtes: something; verneinend, fragend oder bedingend: anything; etwas Merkwürdiges something strange, a strange thing; etwas anderes something ( fragend: anything) else; ohne etwas zu sagen without (saying) a word; etwas, das oder was ich nicht verstehe, ist... something ( oder one thing) that I don’t understand is...; da ist noch etwas(, das ich sagen möchte):... there is something else (that I should [Am. would] like to say):...; so etwas habe ich noch nie gehört I’ve never heard anything like it; so etwas kommt schon vor that kind of thing does happen; hast du etwas gegen mich? do you have ( oder have you got) anything against me?; das hat etwas für sich there’s something to be said for it; sie haben etwas miteinander umg. euph. there’s something going on between them; nein, so etwas! umg. überrascht: well, there’s a thing!, well, would you believe it!; verärgert: would you believe it!

2. (ein bisschen) some; any; a little; a bit of; etwas Englisch a little English; etwas Petersilie a touch of parsley; etwas anders slightly different; lass mir noch etwas Zeit give me a little more time; ich muss mich etwas ausruhen I need to rest for a while ( oder to have a little rest); hab etwas Geduld be patient; das ist immerhin oder wenigstens etwas that’s something, at least

3. (ziemlich) quite, somewhat; a little, a bit; ich bin noch nicht fertig, es ist eben etwas schwierig it is quite (Am. fairly) ( oder a little) difficult, you know

4. (ein Teil von) some; nimm dir etwas davon take some; du sollst auch etwas ( davon) haben you’re going to get some too; er versteht etwas davon he knows a thing or two about it; sie hat etwas von einer Katze ( an sich) she’s got something catlike ( oder something of a cat) about her

5. viel, Wichtiges etc.: something; es zu etwas bringen get somewhere umg., make something of o.s.; aus ihm wird noch mal etwas he’ll go a long way; das will schon etwas heißen! umg. now that really is something!, now you’re talking!; ihr Wort gilt etwas beim Vorstand what she says carries weight ( oder counts for a lot) with the management

* * *

a little (Adv.); some (Adv.); slightly (Adv.); somewhat (Adv.); something (Pron.); anything (Pron.); some (Pron.); aught (Pron.)

* * *
Ẹt|was ['ɛtvas]
nt -, no pl
something
das gewisse Etwas — that certain something

ein winziges Etwas — a tiny little thing

* * *

1) (a piece of any size: a bit of advice.) bit

2) (a small quantity of something: He has a little money to spare; 'Is there any soup left?' `Yes, a little.') a little

3) (to a small extent: I'm still slightly worried about it.) slightly

4) (a thing not known or not stated: Would you like something to eat?; I've got something to tell you.) something

5) (a thing of importance: There's something in what you say.) something

6) (rather; a little: He is somewhat sad; The news puzzled me somewhat.) somewhat

7) ((American) somewhat; to a certain extent: I think we've progressed some.) some

8) (rather; in a way; to a certain extent: He was sort of peculiar!; I feel sort of worried about him.) sort of

9) (slightly: She felt vaguely irritated; I feel vaguely uneasy.) vaguely

* * *

Et·was

<->

[ˈɛtvas]

nt kein pl

ein hartes/spitzes/... \Etwas something hard/sharp/...

das gewisse \Etwas that certain something [or liter je ne sais quoi]

ein winziges \Etwas a tiny little thing

* * *

das; Etwas, Etwas: something

das gewisse Etwas — that certain something

* * *

Etwas n; -, - oder hum -se

1. Sache: thing;

was ist das glitzernde Etwas da hinten? what’s that glittering thing back there?

2. (kleines Tier, Baby) little thing

3.

das gewisse Etwas that certain something; → auch was

* * *

das; Etwas, Etwas: something

das gewisse Etwas — that certain something

* * *

(ganz) Alltägliches sein ausdr.

to be an everyday occurrence expr. (nichts) aufzuweisen haben ausdr.

to have something (nothing)

to show expr. adv.

aught (UK) adv.

something adv.

somewhat adv. pron.

anything pron.

Deutsch-Englisch Wörterbuch > Etwas
10 saber2

² = know, learn, find out.

Ex. However, in general, it is unreasonable to expect a user to know the ISBN of a book.

Ex. 'I'd be disappointed to learn that my boss or subordinates -- or peers for that matter -- told tales out of school about me to others'.

Ex. For example, a person can consult the system holdings files to find out whether a library in the network owns a copy of the document.

----

* a saber = namely, viz, to wit.

* capacidad de saber leer y escribir = literacy skills.

* curioso por saber = interrogator.

* de quién sabe dónde = out of the woodwork.

* hacer saber = let + Nombre + know, let + it be known.

* hacer saber la intención de uno = announce + intention.

* nada sabe mejor que sentirse delgado = nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

* no querer saber más nada de = drop + Nombre + like a hot brick.

* no querer saber nada de = want + nothing to do with.

* no saber cómo explicarlo = be at a loss to explain it.

* no saber cómo seguir = be stuck, get + stuck.

* no saber de = have + no understanding of.

* no saber dónde meterse de vergüenza = squirm with + embarrassment.

* no saber expresarse bien = inarticulateness.

* no saber más por ello = be none the wiser.

* no saber qué contestar = stump.

* no saber qué decir = be at a loss for words, be lost for words.

* no saber qué hacer = be at a loss, get out of + Posesivo + depth, be on the horns of a dilemma, be at a nonplus.

* no saber qué hacer a continuación = draw + a blank, be stuck, get + stuck.

* no saber qué hacer con = be at sixes and sevens with.

* no saber qué más hacer = be at + Posesivo + wit's end.

* no saberse cuándo = there + be + no telling when.

* no se sabe todavía = the jury is still out (on).

* nunca se sabe... = one never knows....

* persona que sabe contar anécdotas = raconteur.

* por lo que yo sé = to the best of my knowledge.

* quedar mucho por saber = there + be + a great deal yet to be learned, there + be + still a great deal to be learned.

* que sabe lo que = who knows what.

* ¿quién sabe? = who knows?.

* quién sabe lo que = who knows what.

* quién sabe qué = who knows what.

* saber a ciencia cierta = know for + certain, know for + sure, know for + a fact.

* saber a ciencia cierta que = know + for a fact that.

* saber argumentar Algo convincentemente = make + a business case.

* saber buscar con inteligencia = be search-savvy.

* saber con certeza = know for + certain, know for + sure, know for + a fact.

* saber contestar muy bien = be not at a loss for words.

* saber cúal es la verdad = discern + the truth.

* saber de algún modo = know + on some grounds.

* saber de buena boca = have + it on good word.

* saber de buena tinta = have + it on good word.

* saber defenderse = hold + Posesivo + own.

* saber de lo que Uno estar hablando = know + Posesivo + stuff.

* saber de seguro = know for + certain, know for + sure, know for + a fact.

* saber escuchar = listening skills.

* saber hacer = savoir faire.

* saber hacer cuentas = be numerate.

* saber interiormente = know + underneath.

* saber leer y escribir = be literate.

* saberlo todo = be omniscient.

* saberse Algo al dedillo = know + Nombre + inside-out, learn + Nombre + inside-out.

* saber un poco de todo y mucho de nada = jack of all trades, master of none.

* sabiendo diferenciar entre lo que vale y lo que no = discriminatingly.

* sabiendo que = on the understanding that.

* salir de quién sabe dónde = come out of + the woodwork.

* ser una incógnita = be anyone's guess.

* sin saberlo = unbeknown to, unbeknownst to.

* sin saber qué decir = nonplussed [nonplused].

* un no sé qué = a je ne sais quoi.

* y Dios sabe qué más = and Heaven knows what else.

Spanish-English dictionary > saber2
11 un

adj.

one.

art.

an, a.

* * *

un

► artículo indef

1 a, an

■ un libro a book

■ un ojo an eye

► adjetivo

1 (numeral) one

■ tiene un año he's one year old

2 (indef) some

■ un día volverá he'll come some day Table 1 NOTA See also uno,-a/Table 1

* * *
1. adj.
one
2. = una, art.
a, an

- una vez

- unos I

- unas I

* * *
un, -a
1. ART INDEF

1) [en singular] [refiriéndose a algo no conocido o de forma imprecisa] a; [antes de vocal o de h] an; [dando mayor énfasis, con expresiones temporales] one

una silla — a chair

un paraguas — an umbrella

hacía una mañana espléndida — it was a lovely morning

hay una cosa que me gustaría saber — there is one thing I would like to know

una mañana me llamó — he called me one morning

2) [en plural]

a) [uso indefinido] (=algunos) some; (=pocos) a few

fui con unos amigos — I went with some friends

hay unas cervezas en la nevera — there are a few o some beers in the fridge

unas horas más tarde — a few hours later

b) [con partes del cuerpo]

tiene unas piernas muy largas — she has very long legs

c) [con objetos a pares] some

me he comprado unos zapatos de tacón — I've bought some high-heels

necesito unas tijeras — I need a pair of scissors

d) [con cantidades, cifras] about, around

había unas 20 personas — there were about o around 20 people, there were some 20 people

unos 80 dólares — about o around 80 dollars, some 80 dollars

hacía unos 30 grados — it was about 30 degrees

3) [enfático]

¡se dio un golpe...! — he banged himself really hard!

¡había una gente más rara...! — there were some real weirdos there! *

¡sois unos vagos! — you're so lazy!

2.

ADJ [numeral] one

solo quiero una hoja — I only want one sheet

una excursión de un día — a one-day trip, a day trip

tardamos una mañana entera — it took us a whole morning
uno
* * *

(pl unos), una (pl unas) articulo

[the masculine article un is also used before feminine nouns which begin with stressed a or ha e.g. un arma poderosa, un hambre feroz]

1) (sing) a; (delante de sonido vocálico) an; (pl) some

una nueva droga — a new drug

un asunto importante — an important matter

hay unas cartas para ti — there are some letters for you

los hijos son unas lumbreras — the children are very bright

tiene unos ojos preciosos — he has lovely eyes

2) ( con valor ponderativo)

tú haces unas preguntas... — you do ask some questions!

me dio una vergüenza... — I was so embarrassed!

3) ( con nombres propios) a

es un Miró — it's a Miró

4) (sing) ( como genérico)

un geranio no necesita tanta agua — geraniums don't need so much water

5) (pl) ( expresando aproximación) about

tiene unos 30 años — she's about 30

* * *

(pl unos), una (pl unas) articulo

[the masculine article un is also used before feminine nouns which begin with stressed a or ha e.g. un arma poderosa, un hambre feroz]

1) (sing) a; (delante de sonido vocálico) an; (pl) some

una nueva droga — a new drug

un asunto importante — an important matter

hay unas cartas para ti — there are some letters for you

los hijos son unas lumbreras — the children are very bright

tiene unos ojos preciosos — he has lovely eyes

2) ( con valor ponderativo)

tú haces unas preguntas... — you do ask some questions!

me dio una vergüenza... — I was so embarrassed!

3) ( con nombres propios) a

es un Miró — it's a Miró

4) (sing) ( como genérico)

un geranio no necesita tanta agua — geraniums don't need so much water

5) (pl) ( expresando aproximación) about

tiene unos 30 años — she's about 30

* * *

un²

= a (an).

Ex: A good example is the British Catalogue of Music Classification.

* a uno u otro lado de = on either side of.

* a un paso asombroso = at an astounding pace.

* cada uno = apiece, each.

* cambiar de una vez a otra = vary + from time to time.

* cercano uno del otro = in close proximity.

* cerca uno del otro = in close proximity.

* dedicar unos minutos = take + a few minutes.

* de uno a otro = across.

* en unos momentos = momentarily, at any moment.

* estar hecho el uno para el otro = be well suited to each other, be two of a kind, be a right pair.

* estar un poco anticuado = be some years old.

* los unos a costa de los otros = at each other's expense.

* lo uno es tan malo como lo otro = one is as bad as the other.

* más de unos cuantos + Nombre = not a few + Nombre.

* ni lo uno ni lo otro = in-between, betwixt and between.

* por mencionar sólo unos pocos = to name but a few.

* por mencionar unos pocos = just to name a few.

* por nombrar sólo unos cuantos = to name only some.

* pospuesto una y otra vez = ever-postponed.

* ser complementario el uno del otro = be integral one to another.

* ser uno de entre varios + Nombre = be one of a number of + Nombre.

* todos y cada uno = all and sundry, each and everyone.

* todos y cada uno de = any and every, any and all.

* tropezar los unos con los otros = trip over + each other.

* una amplia gama de = a wide band of, a wide variety of, a wide range of, a broad variety of, a broad range of.

* una amplia variedad de = a broad variety of, a wide range of, a broad range of.

* una apuesta segura = a sure bet.

* una avalancha de = a flood of, a flood tide of.

* un abanico de = a palette of.

* una bobadita = a little something.

* una buena alternativa a = the next best thing to.

* una buena cantidad de = a fair amount of.

* una buena cosa = a good thing.

* una buena forma de empezar = a good way to start.

* una buena parte de = a large measure of, a good deal of, a great deal of.

* una buena pesca = a good catch.

* una cadena de = a necklace of.

* una cadena de + Montañas = a range of + Montañas.

* una cantidad ingente de = a wealth of.

* una capa fina de = a skim of.

* una causa perdida = a dead dog.

* una cierta cantidad de = a measure of, a proportion of.

* una clase de = a kind of.

* una colección desordenada de = a scrapbook of.

* una combinación de = a mixture of, a mix of, a rollup of.

* una comparsa de = a cavalcade of.

* una constelación de = a galaxy of.

* una convocatoria de = a call for.

* una cosa no + tener + nada que ver con la otra = one thing + have + nothing to do with the other.

* una cosita = a little something.

* una cubeta llena de = a pailful of.

* una cucharadita de = a teaspoon of.

* una cuestión de principios = a matter of principle.

* una cuestión de vida o muerte = a matter of life and death.

* una desgracia = a crying shame.

* una de varios = one of a variety of.

* una diversidad de = a variety of, an array of, a mosaic of, a diversity of, a menu of.

* una escasez de = a dearth of.

* una especie de = a kind of.

* una especie de + Nombre = Nombre + of sorts.

* una espléndida variedad de = a panoply of.

* una estaca en el corazón = a stake in the heart.

* una estructura de = a pattern of.

* una eternidad = ages and ages (and ages).

* una fortuna = a king's ransom.

* una fuente de = a treasure trove of.

* una gama de = a suite of, a palette of.

* una gama de posibilidades = a palette of possibilities.

* una gama muy variada de = a whole gamut of.

* una gama variada de = a trawling of.

* una gran = a large measure of.

* una gran cantidad de = a good deal of, a great deal of, a large degree of, a mass of, a plethora of, a supply of, a vast amount of, a city of, a wealth of, a sea of, a cascade of, an army of, a good many, a huge number of, a great number of, a multitude of, scores of, a host of, a vast corpus of, a whole host of.

* una gran cantidad y variedad de = a wealth and breadth of.

* una gran diversidad de = a wide range of, a broad variety of, a wide variety of.

* una gran experiencia = a wealth of experience.

* una gran extensión de = a sea of.

* una gran gama de = a wide range of, a rich tapestry of, a wide band of, a broad variety of, a wide variety of, a broad range of, a whole gamut of.

* una gran mayoría de = a large proportion of.

* una gran parte de = a broad population of, a lion's share of.

* una gran pérdida = a great loss.

* una gran proporción de = a large proportion of.

* una gran variedad de = a wide range of, a multiplicity of, a rich tapestry of, a plurality of, a broad variety of, a broad range of, a whole gamut of.

* una grupo impreciso de = a cloud of.

* una guía general = a rough guide.

* una idea general = a rough guide.

* una inmensa cantidad de = a treasure chest of, a huge number of.

* una intentona de = attempted.

* un aire de = an air of, a whiff of.

* una joya = a little gem.

* una lotería = hit (and/or) miss.

* un alto en el camino = a stop on the road, a pit stop on the road.

* un aluvión de = a flood of, a rash of, a barrage of, a flurry of.

* una manera de empezar = a foot in the door.

* un amante = a little something on the side.

* una mayor variedad de = a wider canvas of.

* una mejor ocasión = a better time.

* una mezcla de = a mixture of, a blend of, a mix of, a rollup of.

* una mina de = a treasure trove of.

* una mina de información = a mine of information.

* una mina inagotable de = a treasure house of.

* una minoría de = a minority of.

* una minoría selecta = a select few.

* una miscelánea de = a miscellany of.

* una misma cosa = one and the same.

* una montaña de = a mountain of.

* un amplio espectro de = a broad band of, a broad spectrum of, a wide band of.

* una muestra variada de = a mosaic of.

* una mujer de mundo = a woman of the world.

* una multidud de = a host of.

* una multiplicidad de = a multiplicity of.

* una multitud de = a swarm of.

* una necesidad cada vez mayor = a growing need.

* una negociación justa = a square deal.

* una noche tras otra = night after night.

* una nube de = a haze of, a cloud of, a swarm of.

* un año tras otro = year after year.

* una ola de = a wave of, a tide of.

* una oleada de = an army of, a flurry of, a swell of.

* una oportunidad casi segura = a sporting chance.

* una oportunidad como es debido = a fair chance.

* una oportunidad de triunfar = a fighting chance.

* una oportunidad única en la vida = once in a lifetime opportunity.

* una organización de = a pattern of.

* una palmada en la espalda = a pat on the back.

* una palmadita en la espala = a pat on the back.

* una pareja ideal = a match made in heaven.

* una pareja perfecta = a match made in heaven.

* una parte de = a share of, a snatch of.

* una pequeña minoría de = a marginal fringe of.

* una pérdida constante de = a haemorrhage of.

* una pila de = a pile of, a stack of, a sackful of, a whole slew of, a raft of, a mass of.

* una pincelada de = a splash of, a hint of.

* una pizca de = a dash of, a grain of, a pinch of.

* una pizca de verdad = a grain of truth.

* una plena convicción de = a strong sense of.

* una posibilidad muy remota = a long shot.

* una primera y última vez = a first and last time.

* una probabilidad muy alta = a sporting chance.

* una profusión de = a profusion of.

* una provisión constante de = a diet of.

* una racha de = a rash of, a stretch of.

* una retahíla de = a volley of, a string of.

* una ristra de = a long tail of, a volley of.

* un arraigado sentido de = a strong sense of.

* un arte = a fine art.

* un arte en extinción = a dying art.

* un arte que se está perdiendo = a dying art.

* una salva de = a volley of.

* una sarta de = a volley of.

* una sarta de mentiras = a sackful of lies, a pack of lies.

* unas cuantas ideas = a rough guide.

* una segunda opinión = a second opinion.

* una segunda vez = a second time around, a second time.

* una selecta minoría, una minoría selecta, unos pocos elegidos = a select few.

* una semblanza de = an air of.

* una serie de = a choice of, a number of, a range of, a series of, a suite of, an array of, a string of, a pattern of, a stream of, a battery of, a succession of.

* una serie de + Nombre + organizados por turnos = a rota of + Nombre.

* un aspecto de = an air of.

* una sucesión de = a succession of.

* una tanda de = a flurry of.

* un ataque de = an access of, a shock of.

* una tentativa de = attempted.

* una tira de = a raft of.

* un atisbo de = a hint of.

* una tontería = a little something.

* una tormenta en un vaso de agua = a tempest in a teapot.

* una última vez = one last time.

* una única fuente para Algo = one-stop, one-stop shopping, one stop shop.

* un auténtico infierno = a living hell.

* una variada gama de = a whole gamut of.

* una variedad de = a range of, a variety of, an array of, an assortment of, a spectrum of, a menu of, a diversity of, a palette of.

* una variedad muy rica de = a treasure of.

* una vasta cantidad de = a vast amount of.

* una verdadera lástima = a crying shame.

* una verdadera pena = a crying shame.

* una vez cada quincena = once a fortnight.

* una vez cumplimentado = completed.

* una vez + Participio = upon + Nombre.

* una vez + Participio Pasado = having + Participio Pasado, having + just + Participio Pasado.

* una vez + Participio Pasado + Nombre = with + Nombre + Participio Pasado.

* una vez que + Frase = once + Frase.

* una vez quincenalmente = once a fortnight.

* una vez relleno = completed.

* una vista digna de contemplar = a sight to behold.

* una vista digna de ver = a sight to behold.

* una yarda de largo = a yard long.

* una zona de = a stretch of.

* un bariburrillo de = a welter of.

* un bebé = a babe in arms.

* un bocadito = a little something.

* un bombardeo de = a barrage of.

* un buen lugar de partida = a good place to start.

* un buen número de = a good number of.

* un buen partido = a good catch.

* un camino largo y difícil = a long haul.

* un camión de = a truckload of.

* un caso perdido = a dead dog.

* un caudal de experiencia = a wealth of experience.

* un centro único = one stop shop.

* un chorreón de = a splash of, a hint of.

* un chorretón de = a splash of, a hint of.

* un cierto grado de = a certain amount of, a modicum of.

* un cierto número de = a number of.

* un conglomerado de = a conglomeration of.

* un conjunto cada vez mayor de = a growing body of.

* un conjunto de = a set of, a suite of, a pool of, an assembly of, a pattern of, a universe of, a harvest of, a complement of.

* un corpus de = a body of.

* un costal de = a sackful of.

* un cuarto = one in four.

* un cuarto de = a quarter of.

* un cúmulo de = a treasure trove of.

* un detalle = a little something.

* un día de descanso = a day away from.

* un día fuera = a day out.

* un día haciendo algo diferente = a day away from.

* un día normal = on a typical day.

* un día sí y otro no = every other day.

* un día sí y otro también = day in and day out.

* un día tras otro = day after day.

* un día y medio = one and a half days.

* un dineral = a king's ransom, a huge amount of money.

* un donnadie = a nobody.

* un ejemplo claro = a case in question, a case in point.

* un ejército de = an army of.

* un enjambre de = a swarm of.

* un equipo de = a team of.

* un espectáculo digno de contemplar = a sight to behold.

* un espectáculo digno de ver = a sight to behold.

* un fuerte sentimiento de = a strong sense of.

* un gran diversidad de = a broad range of.

* un gran espectro de = a wide band of, a wide band of.

* un gran número de = a good deal of, a great deal of, a plethora of, a wide range of, a full roster of, a fair number of, a great number of, a broad variety of, a wide variety of, a broad range of, a vast corpus of.

* un grano de arena en el desierto = a drop in the ocean, a drop of water in a bucket.

* un gran repertorio de = an arsenal of, an armoury of [armory].

* un gran volumen de = a vast corpus of.

* un grupo aferrado de = a hard core of.

* un grupo cada vez mayor de = a growing body of.

* un grupo de = a set of, a bunch of, a crop of, a pool of, a cadre of, a cluster of, a galaxy of, a clutch of, a company of.

* un grupo de gente variada = a cast of people.

* un grupo incondicional de = a hard core of.

* un grupo variado de = a collection of.

* un halo de bruma = a veil of mist.

* un hombre de gentes = a man of the people.

* un hombre de mundo = a man of the world.

* un hombre de palabra = a man of his word.

* un hombre de pocas palabras = a man of few words, a man of few words.

* un intento de = an exercise in, attempted.

* un juego de = a battery of.

* un kaleidoscopio de = a mosaic of.

* un lecho de rosas = a bed of roses.

* un lujo asiático = the lap of luxury.

* un manojo de llaves = a set of + keys.

* un manojo de nervios = a bundle of nerves.

* un mar de = a sea of.

* un mar de papel = a sea of + paper.

* un medio para alcanzar un fin = a means to an end.

* un medio para conseguir un fin = a means to an end.

* un medio para llegar a fin = a means to an end.

* un mejor momento = a better time.

* un mequetrefe = a nobody.

* un minuto en los labios, para siempre en las caderas = a minute on the lips, forever on the hips.

* un momento bueno de = a peak of.

* un momento determinado = a frozen moment in time, a given moment in time.

* un montón = like crazy, like mad.

* un montonazo = like crazy, like mad.

* un montonazo de = a truckload of, a whole slew of, a raft of.

* un montonazo de dinero = a huge amount of money.

* un montón de = a pile of, a stack of, a bundle of, a truckload of, a sackful of, a raft of.

* un montón de dinero = a huge amount of money.

* un mundo aparte = a world apart, a breed apart.

* un + Nombre + a altas horas de la noche = a late night + Nombre.

* un + Nombre + a primera hora de la mañana = an early morning + Nombre.

* un + Nombre + a última hora de la mañana = a late morning + Nombre.

* un + Nombre + por la mañana temprano = an early morning + Nombre.

* un no sé qué = a je ne sais quoi.

* un nuevo comienzo = a fresh start.

* un nuevo impulso = a new lease of life.

* un número cada vez mayor = growing numbers.

* un número cada vez mayor de = a growing number of, a growing body of.

* un número de = a series of.

* un número reducido de = a residue of, a small number of.

* un número variado de + Nombre = any number of + Nombre.

* un oásis de = an oasis of.

* uno de los + Nombre + más + Adjetivo = not the least + Adjetivo + Nombre, not the least of the + Adjetivo + Nombre.

* uno de los + Nombre + más importante = not the least + Nombre.

* uno de los + Nombre + más importantes = not the least of + Nombre.

* uno de tantos = little fish in a big pond.

* uno más = one of equals.

* unos + Cantidad = around + Cantidad.

* unos con otros = one another.

* unos cuantos = a few, a smattering of + Nombre Contable, a sprinkling of.

* unos de otros = one another.

* unos días más tarde = a few days later.

* unos encima de los otros = one on another.

* unos + Fecha = about + Fecha.

* unos + Número = some + Número.

* unos pocos elegidos = a select few.

* unos segundos de reflexión = a moment's thought, a moment's reflection.

* uno u otro = one or another.

* un paquete de = a suite of.

* un paquete integrado de programas = a suite of + programmes.

* un paquete ofimático integrado = a suite of office automation software.

* un par de = a couple of.

* un par de minutos = a couple of moments.

* un pasado oscuro = a dark past.

* un paso por delante de = one step ahead of.

* un pequeño puntito = just a little dot.

* un período de = a stretch of.

* un período determinado = a frozen moment in time.

* un periodo intenso de = a flurry of.

* un pilón de = a raft of, a mass of, a stack of.

* un poco = a bit, somewhat, slightly, something of, a little bit, kinda [kind of].

* un poco áspero = roughish.

* un poco como = kind of like.

* un poco de = a measure of, a touch (of), a bit of, a piece of, a spot of, a splash of, a hint of.

* un poco + Nombre = a shade + Nombre.

* un poco obscuro = dusky.

* un poco perdido = a bit at sea.

* un poco rugoso = roughish.

* un popurrí de = a potpourri of, a welter of.

* un poquito = a wee bit.

* un poquito (de) = a dash of, a tiny bit of, a splash of, a hint of, a touch (of).

* un porrón de tiempo = donkey's years.

* un puñado de = a bunch of, a handful of, a clutch of.

* un querido = a little something on the side.

* un rato = awhile.

* un rayo de = a shimmer of.

* un rayo de esperanza = a faint glimmer of light.

* un rayo de luz esperanzador = a faint glimmer of light, a peep of light.

* un regalito = a little something.

* un revoltijo de = a jumble of, a welter of.

* un rosario de = a rash of.

* un saco de = a sackful of.

* un saco lleno de = a sackful of.

* un servicio las 24 horas = a 24-hour service.

* un sinfín de = a myriad of, a host of, a whole host of.

* un sinnúmero de = a myriad of, a host of, a whole host of.

* un sueño hecho realidad = a dream come true.

* un surtido de = an assortment of.

* un tanto + Adjetivo = vaguely + Adjetivo.

* un tiempo = awhile.

* un tipo de = a kind of.

* un toque de = a touch of, a splash of, a hint of.

* un torrente de = a cascade of.

* un total de = a universe of, a total of.

* un trabajo bien hecho = a job well done.

* un trabajo cualquiera = casual job.

* un tramo de = a stretch of.

* un trato justo = a square deal.

* un trozo de = a piece of, a snatch of, a stretch of.

* un velo de bruma = a veil of mist.

* un viso de = a whiff of.

* variar de una vez a otra = vary + from time to time.

* * *

UN

feminine

(en Col) = Universidad Nacional

* * *

un (pl
◊ unos), una (pl unas) art the masculine article un is also used before feminine nouns which begin with stressed a or ha e.g. un arma poderosa, un hambre feroz

1 ( sing) a;
( delante de sonido vocálico) an;
(pl) some;
◊ una nueva droga a new drug;

un asunto importante an important matter;
hay unas cartas para ti there are some letters for you;
tiene unos ojos preciosos he has lovely eyes
2 ( con valor ponderativo):
◊ tú haces unas preguntas … you do ask some questions!

3 ( con nombres propios) a;
◊ es un Miró it's a Miró

4 (pl) ( expresando aproximación) about;
◊ tiene unos 30 años she's about 30

un, una
I art indet
1 a
una azafata, a hostess
(antes de vocal) an
un paraguas, an umbrella
2 unos,-as, some: pasamos unos días en la playa, we spent some days by the sea
II adj (cardinal) one: solo queda una, there is only one
un kilo de azúcar, one kilo of sugar ➣ tb uno,-a
'un' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
A
- abajo
- abanderar
- abandonar
- abandono
- abanico
- abatirse
- aberración
- abertura
- abierta
- abierto
- abismo
- ablandar
- abogada
- abogado
- abordar
- abrir
- abrazar
- abrazo
- abreviar
- abrigar
- abrochar
- abrupta
- abrupto
- absoluta
- absoluto
- absurda
- absurdo
- abusar
- abusiva
- abusivo
- abusón
- abusona
- acá
- acabada
- acabado
- acariciar
- acaudillar
- accidental
- accidente
- acelerón
- acento
- achatamiento
- achicar
- acidez
- acierto
- aclimatarse
- acoger
- acogida
- acompañar
English:
A
- abandon
- abandoned
- about
- abridged
- abroad
- abrupt
- absent
- absolute
- abuse
- academy
- accent
- accept
- acceptable
- accepted
- accidentally
- accommodation
- accomplishment
- accuracy
- accurate
- accustom
- achievement
- acknowledgement
- across
- act
- action
- actual
- addicted
- adjourn
- adjust
- administer
- administration
- admission
- admit
- advance
- advertise
- advice
- advise
- adviser
- afford
- Afro
- after
- after-sales
- aged
- agent
- aggravating
- aggregate
- aggressive
- agree
- agreement

* * *

un, una¹ (mpl unos, fpl unas) art indeterminado Un is used instead of una before feminine nouns which begin with a stressed “a” or “ha” (e.g. un águila an eagle; un hacha an axe).

1. [singular] a;
[ante sonido vocálico] an;
un hombre/tren a man/train;

una mujer/mesa a woman/table;

una hora an hour;

tengo un hambre enorme I'm extremely hungry;

un Picasso auténtico a genuine Picasso;

un niño necesita cariño children need o a child needs affection

2. [plural] some;

tengo unos regalos para ti I have some presents for you;

llegaremos en unos minutos we will arrive in a few minutes;

había unos coches mal estacionados there were some badly parked cars;

son unas personas muy amables they are very kind people;

tiene unas ganas enormes de viajar he is extremely keen to travel;

unas tijeras/gafas a pair of scissors/glasses;

llevaba unas gafas de sol she was wearing sunglasses

3. [ante números] [indica aproximación]
había unos doce muchachos there were about o some twelve boys there

4. [con valor enfático]
¡me dio una pena! I felt so sorry for her!;

se te ocurren unas ideas you have some really odd ideas

* * *

un, una

art indet a; antes de vocal y h muda an;

unos coches/pájaros some cars/birds

* * *

un uno

un, una art, mpl unos

1) : a, an

2) unos or unas pl

: some, a few

hace unas semanas: a few weeks ago

3) unos or unas pl

: about, approximately

unos veinte años antes: about twenty years before

* * *

un det a / an

un boli a pen

una tarta a cake

una manzana an apple

Si no recuerdas la diferencia entre a y an mira la gramática

Spanish-English dictionary > un
12 Etwas

et·was

1. et·was [ʼɛtvas] pron

indef

1) substantivisch ( eine unbestimmte Sache) something;

hast du nicht eben auch \Etwas gehört? didn't you hear something then as well?;

hast du \Etwas? are you feeling all right?;

merken Sie \Etwas? do you notice anything?;

\Etwas sein to be something;

das ist doch schon mal \Etwas! that's something [or not bad] for a start! ( fam)

das will \Etwas heißen that's saying something;

sein Wort gilt \Etwas beim Chef his word counts for something with the boss;

\Etwas miteinander haben to have something going for each other

2) adjektivisch ( nicht näher bestimmt) something;

\Etwas anderes something else;

\Etwas Dummes/ Neues something stupid/new;

dass ich das vergessen konnte, so \Etwas Dummes! I'm an idiot for forgetting that;

\Etwas Schöneres habe ich noch nie gesehen I have never seen anything more beautiful; ( ein bisschen) a bit;

[noch] \Etwas Geld/ Kaffee some [more] money/coffee;

nimm dir \Etwas von dem Kuchen have a bit of cake

3) adverbial ( ein wenig) a little, somewhat;

du könntest dich ruhig \Etwas anstrengen you might make a bit of an effort;

kannst du dich nicht \Etwas beeilen? can't you hurry up a little?;

sie scheint \Etwas sauer zu sein she seems to be somewhat [or a little] annoyed;

\Etwas seltsam ist das schon, oder? that's a little strange, don't you think?

2. Et·was <-> [ʼɛtvas] nt

kein pl

ein hartes/ spitzes/... \Etwas something hard/sharp/...;

das gewisse \Etwas that certain something [or ( liter) je ne sais quoi];

ein winziges \Etwas a tiny little thing

Deutsch-Englisch Wörterbuch für Studenten > Etwas
13 etwas

et·was

1. et·was [ʼɛtvas] pron

indef

1) substantivisch ( eine unbestimmte Sache) something;

hast du nicht eben auch \etwas gehört? didn't you hear something then as well?;

hast du \etwas? are you feeling all right?;

merken Sie \etwas? do you notice anything?;

\etwas sein to be something;

das ist doch schon mal \etwas! that's something [or not bad] for a start! ( fam)

das will \etwas heißen that's saying something;

sein Wort gilt \etwas beim Chef his word counts for something with the boss;

\etwas miteinander haben to have something going for each other

2) adjektivisch ( nicht näher bestimmt) something;

\etwas anderes something else;

\etwas Dummes/ Neues something stupid/new;

dass ich das vergessen konnte, so \etwas Dummes! I'm an idiot for forgetting that;

\etwas Schöneres habe ich noch nie gesehen I have never seen anything more beautiful; ( ein bisschen) a bit;

[noch] \etwas Geld/ Kaffee some [more] money/coffee;

nimm dir \etwas von dem Kuchen have a bit of cake

3) adverbial ( ein wenig) a little, somewhat;

du könntest dich ruhig \etwas anstrengen you might make a bit of an effort;

kannst du dich nicht \etwas beeilen? can't you hurry up a little?;

sie scheint \etwas sauer zu sein she seems to be somewhat [or a little] annoyed;

\etwas seltsam ist das schon, oder? that's a little strange, don't you think?

2. Et·was <-> [ʼɛtvas] nt

kein pl

ein hartes/ spitzes/... \etwas something hard/sharp/...;

das gewisse \etwas that certain something [or ( liter) je ne sais quoi];

ein winziges \etwas a tiny little thing

Deutsch-Englisch Wörterbuch für Studenten > etwas
14 un2

= a (an).

Ex. A good example is the British Catalogue of Music Classification.

----

* a uno u otro lado de = on either side of.

* a un paso asombroso = at an astounding pace.

* cada uno = apiece, each.

* cambiar de una vez a otra = vary + from time to time.

* cercano uno del otro = in close proximity.

* cerca uno del otro = in close proximity.

* dedicar unos minutos = take + a few minutes.

* de uno a otro = across.

* en unos momentos = momentarily, at any moment.

* estar hecho el uno para el otro = be well suited to each other, be two of a kind, be a right pair.

* estar un poco anticuado = be some years old.

* los unos a costa de los otros = at each other's expense.

* lo uno es tan malo como lo otro = one is as bad as the other.

* más de unos cuantos + Nombre = not a few + Nombre.

* ni lo uno ni lo otro = in-between, betwixt and between.

* por mencionar sólo unos pocos = to name but a few.

* por mencionar unos pocos = just to name a few.

* por nombrar sólo unos cuantos = to name only some.

* pospuesto una y otra vez = ever-postponed.

* ser complementario el uno del otro = be integral one to another.

* ser uno de entre varios + Nombre = be one of a number of + Nombre.

* todos y cada uno = all and sundry, each and everyone.

* todos y cada uno de = any and every, any and all.

* tropezar los unos con los otros = trip over + each other.

* una amplia gama de = a wide band of, a wide variety of, a wide range of, a broad variety of, a broad range of.

* una amplia variedad de = a broad variety of, a wide range of, a broad range of.

* una apuesta segura = a sure bet.

* una avalancha de = a flood of, a flood tide of.

* un abanico de = a palette of.

* una bobadita = a little something.

* una buena alternativa a = the next best thing to.

* una buena cantidad de = a fair amount of.

* una buena cosa = a good thing.

* una buena forma de empezar = a good way to start.

* una buena parte de = a large measure of, a good deal of, a great deal of.

* una buena pesca = a good catch.

* una cadena de = a necklace of.

* una cadena de + Montañas = a range of + Montañas.

* una cantidad ingente de = a wealth of.

* una capa fina de = a skim of.

* una causa perdida = a dead dog.

* una cierta cantidad de = a measure of, a proportion of.

* una clase de = a kind of.

* una colección desordenada de = a scrapbook of.

* una combinación de = a mixture of, a mix of, a rollup of.

* una comparsa de = a cavalcade of.

* una constelación de = a galaxy of.

* una convocatoria de = a call for.

* una cosa no + tener + nada que ver con la otra = one thing + have + nothing to do with the other.

* una cosita = a little something.

* una cubeta llena de = a pailful of.

* una cucharadita de = a teaspoon of.

* una cuestión de principios = a matter of principle.

* una cuestión de vida o muerte = a matter of life and death.

* una desgracia = a crying shame.

* una de varios = one of a variety of.

* una diversidad de = a variety of, an array of, a mosaic of, a diversity of, a menu of.

* una escasez de = a dearth of.

* una especie de = a kind of.

* una especie de + Nombre = Nombre + of sorts.

* una espléndida variedad de = a panoply of.

* una estaca en el corazón = a stake in the heart.

* una estructura de = a pattern of.

* una eternidad = ages and ages (and ages).

* una fortuna = a king's ransom.

* una fuente de = a treasure trove of.

* una gama de = a suite of, a palette of.

* una gama de posibilidades = a palette of possibilities.

* una gama muy variada de = a whole gamut of.

* una gama variada de = a trawling of.

* una gran = a large measure of.

* una gran cantidad de = a good deal of, a great deal of, a large degree of, a mass of, a plethora of, a supply of, a vast amount of, a city of, a wealth of, a sea of, a cascade of, an army of, a good many, a huge number of, a great number of, a multitude of, scores of, a host of, a vast corpus of, a whole host of.

* una gran cantidad y variedad de = a wealth and breadth of.

* una gran diversidad de = a wide range of, a broad variety of, a wide variety of.

* una gran experiencia = a wealth of experience.

* una gran extensión de = a sea of.

* una gran gama de = a wide range of, a rich tapestry of, a wide band of, a broad variety of, a wide variety of, a broad range of, a whole gamut of.

* una gran mayoría de = a large proportion of.

* una gran parte de = a broad population of, a lion's share of.

* una gran pérdida = a great loss.

* una gran proporción de = a large proportion of.

* una gran variedad de = a wide range of, a multiplicity of, a rich tapestry of, a plurality of, a broad variety of, a broad range of, a whole gamut of.

* una grupo impreciso de = a cloud of.

* una guía general = a rough guide.

* una idea general = a rough guide.

* una inmensa cantidad de = a treasure chest of, a huge number of.

* una intentona de = attempted.

* un aire de = an air of, a whiff of.

* una joya = a little gem.

* una lotería = hit (and/or) miss.

* un alto en el camino = a stop on the road, a pit stop on the road.

* un aluvión de = a flood of, a rash of, a barrage of, a flurry of.

* una manera de empezar = a foot in the door.

* un amante = a little something on the side.

* una mayor variedad de = a wider canvas of.

* una mejor ocasión = a better time.

* una mezcla de = a mixture of, a blend of, a mix of, a rollup of.

* una mina de = a treasure trove of.

* una mina de información = a mine of information.

* una mina inagotable de = a treasure house of.

* una minoría de = a minority of.

* una minoría selecta = a select few.

* una miscelánea de = a miscellany of.

* una misma cosa = one and the same.

* una montaña de = a mountain of.

* un amplio espectro de = a broad band of, a broad spectrum of, a wide band of.

* una muestra variada de = a mosaic of.

* una mujer de mundo = a woman of the world.

* una multidud de = a host of.

* una multiplicidad de = a multiplicity of.

* una multitud de = a swarm of.

* una necesidad cada vez mayor = a growing need.

* una negociación justa = a square deal.

* una noche tras otra = night after night.

* una nube de = a haze of, a cloud of, a swarm of.

* un año tras otro = year after year.

* una ola de = a wave of, a tide of.

* una oleada de = an army of, a flurry of, a swell of.

* una oportunidad casi segura = a sporting chance.

* una oportunidad como es debido = a fair chance.

* una oportunidad de triunfar = a fighting chance.

* una oportunidad única en la vida = once in a lifetime opportunity.

* una organización de = a pattern of.

* una palmada en la espalda = a pat on the back.

* una palmadita en la espala = a pat on the back.

* una pareja ideal = a match made in heaven.

* una pareja perfecta = a match made in heaven.

* una parte de = a share of, a snatch of.

* una pequeña minoría de = a marginal fringe of.

* una pérdida constante de = a haemorrhage of.

* una pila de = a pile of, a stack of, a sackful of, a whole slew of, a raft of, a mass of.

* una pincelada de = a splash of, a hint of.

* una pizca de = a dash of, a grain of, a pinch of.

* una pizca de verdad = a grain of truth.

* una plena convicción de = a strong sense of.

* una posibilidad muy remota = a long shot.

* una primera y última vez = a first and last time.

* una probabilidad muy alta = a sporting chance.

* una profusión de = a profusion of.

* una provisión constante de = a diet of.

* una racha de = a rash of, a stretch of.

* una retahíla de = a volley of, a string of.

* una ristra de = a long tail of, a volley of.

* un arraigado sentido de = a strong sense of.

* un arte = a fine art.

* un arte en extinción = a dying art.

* un arte que se está perdiendo = a dying art.

* una salva de = a volley of.

* una sarta de = a volley of.

* una sarta de mentiras = a sackful of lies, a pack of lies.

* unas cuantas ideas = a rough guide.

* una segunda opinión = a second opinion.

* una segunda vez = a second time around, a second time.

* una selecta minoría, una minoría selecta, unos pocos elegidos = a select few.

* una semblanza de = an air of.

* una serie de = a choice of, a number of, a range of, a series of, a suite of, an array of, a string of, a pattern of, a stream of, a battery of, a succession of.

* una serie de + Nombre + organizados por turnos = a rota of + Nombre.

* un aspecto de = an air of.

* una sucesión de = a succession of.

* una tanda de = a flurry of.

* un ataque de = an access of, a shock of.

* una tentativa de = attempted.

* una tira de = a raft of.

* un atisbo de = a hint of.

* una tontería = a little something.

* una tormenta en un vaso de agua = a tempest in a teapot.

* una última vez = one last time.

* una única fuente para Algo = one-stop, one-stop shopping, one stop shop.

* un auténtico infierno = a living hell.

* una variada gama de = a whole gamut of.

* una variedad de = a range of, a variety of, an array of, an assortment of, a spectrum of, a menu of, a diversity of, a palette of.

* una variedad muy rica de = a treasure of.

* una vasta cantidad de = a vast amount of.

* una verdadera lástima = a crying shame.

* una verdadera pena = a crying shame.

* una vez cada quincena = once a fortnight.

* una vez cumplimentado = completed.

* una vez + Participio = upon + Nombre.

* una vez + Participio Pasado = having + Participio Pasado, having + just + Participio Pasado.

* una vez + Participio Pasado + Nombre = with + Nombre + Participio Pasado.

* una vez que + Frase = once + Frase.

* una vez quincenalmente = once a fortnight.

* una vez relleno = completed.

* una vista digna de contemplar = a sight to behold.

* una vista digna de ver = a sight to behold.

* una yarda de largo = a yard long.

* una zona de = a stretch of.

* un bariburrillo de = a welter of.

* un bebé = a babe in arms.

* un bocadito = a little something.

* un bombardeo de = a barrage of.

* un buen lugar de partida = a good place to start.

* un buen número de = a good number of.

* un buen partido = a good catch.

* un camino largo y difícil = a long haul.

* un camión de = a truckload of.

* un caso perdido = a dead dog.

* un caudal de experiencia = a wealth of experience.

* un centro único = one stop shop.

* un chorreón de = a splash of, a hint of.

* un chorretón de = a splash of, a hint of.

* un cierto grado de = a certain amount of, a modicum of.

* un cierto número de = a number of.

* un conglomerado de = a conglomeration of.

* un conjunto cada vez mayor de = a growing body of.

* un conjunto de = a set of, a suite of, a pool of, an assembly of, a pattern of, a universe of, a harvest of, a complement of.

* un corpus de = a body of.

* un costal de = a sackful of.

* un cuarto = one in four.

* un cuarto de = a quarter of.

* un cúmulo de = a treasure trove of.

* un detalle = a little something.

* un día de descanso = a day away from.

* un día fuera = a day out.

* un día haciendo algo diferente = a day away from.

* un día normal = on a typical day.

* un día sí y otro no = every other day.

* un día sí y otro también = day in and day out.

* un día tras otro = day after day.

* un día y medio = one and a half days.

* un dineral = a king's ransom, a huge amount of money.

* un donnadie = a nobody.

* un ejemplo claro = a case in question, a case in point.

* un ejército de = an army of.

* un enjambre de = a swarm of.

* un equipo de = a team of.

* un espectáculo digno de contemplar = a sight to behold.

* un espectáculo digno de ver = a sight to behold.

* un fuerte sentimiento de = a strong sense of.

* un gran diversidad de = a broad range of.

* un gran espectro de = a wide band of, a wide band of.

* un gran número de = a good deal of, a great deal of, a plethora of, a wide range of, a full roster of, a fair number of, a great number of, a broad variety of, a wide variety of, a broad range of, a vast corpus of.

* un grano de arena en el desierto = a drop in the ocean, a drop of water in a bucket.

* un gran repertorio de = an arsenal of, an armoury of [armory].

* un gran volumen de = a vast corpus of.

* un grupo aferrado de = a hard core of.

* un grupo cada vez mayor de = a growing body of.

* un grupo de = a set of, a bunch of, a crop of, a pool of, a cadre of, a cluster of, a galaxy of, a clutch of, a company of.

* un grupo de gente variada = a cast of people.

* un grupo incondicional de = a hard core of.

* un grupo variado de = a collection of.

* un halo de bruma = a veil of mist.

* un hombre de gentes = a man of the people.

* un hombre de mundo = a man of the world.

* un hombre de palabra = a man of his word.

* un hombre de pocas palabras = a man of few words, a man of few words.

* un intento de = an exercise in, attempted.

* un juego de = a battery of.

* un kaleidoscopio de = a mosaic of.

* un lecho de rosas = a bed of roses.

* un lujo asiático = the lap of luxury.

* un manojo de llaves = a set of + keys.

* un manojo de nervios = a bundle of nerves.

* un mar de = a sea of.

* un mar de papel = a sea of + paper.

* un medio para alcanzar un fin = a means to an end.

* un medio para conseguir un fin = a means to an end.

* un medio para llegar a fin = a means to an end.

* un mejor momento = a better time.

* un mequetrefe = a nobody.

* un minuto en los labios, para siempre en las caderas = a minute on the lips, forever on the hips.

* un momento bueno de = a peak of.

* un momento determinado = a frozen moment in time, a given moment in time.

* un montón = like crazy, like mad.

* un montonazo = like crazy, like mad.

* un montonazo de = a truckload of, a whole slew of, a raft of.

* un montonazo de dinero = a huge amount of money.

* un montón de = a pile of, a stack of, a bundle of, a truckload of, a sackful of, a raft of.

* un montón de dinero = a huge amount of money.

* un mundo aparte = a world apart, a breed apart.

* un + Nombre + a altas horas de la noche = a late night + Nombre.

* un + Nombre + a primera hora de la mañana = an early morning + Nombre.

* un + Nombre + a última hora de la mañana = a late morning + Nombre.

* un + Nombre + por la mañana temprano = an early morning + Nombre.

* un no sé qué = a je ne sais quoi.

* un nuevo comienzo = a fresh start.

* un nuevo impulso = a new lease of life.

* un número cada vez mayor = growing numbers.

* un número cada vez mayor de = a growing number of, a growing body of.

* un número de = a series of.

* un número reducido de = a residue of, a small number of.

* un número variado de + Nombre = any number of + Nombre.

* un oásis de = an oasis of.

* uno de los + Nombre + más + Adjetivo = not the least + Adjetivo + Nombre, not the least of the + Adjetivo + Nombre.

* uno de los + Nombre + más importante = not the least + Nombre.

* uno de los + Nombre + más importantes = not the least of + Nombre.

* uno de tantos = little fish in a big pond.

* uno más = one of equals.

* unos + Cantidad = around + Cantidad.

* unos con otros = one another.

* unos cuantos = a few, a smattering of + Nombre Contable, a sprinkling of.

* unos de otros = one another.

* unos días más tarde = a few days later.

* unos encima de los otros = one on another.

* unos + Fecha = about + Fecha.

* unos + Número = some + Número.

* unos pocos elegidos = a select few.

* unos segundos de reflexión = a moment's thought, a moment's reflection.

* uno u otro = one or another.

* un paquete de = a suite of.

* un paquete integrado de programas = a suite of + programmes.

* un paquete ofimático integrado = a suite of office automation software.

* un par de = a couple of.

* un par de minutos = a couple of moments.

* un pasado oscuro = a dark past.

* un paso por delante de = one step ahead of.

* un pequeño puntito = just a little dot.

* un período de = a stretch of.

* un período determinado = a frozen moment in time.

* un periodo intenso de = a flurry of.

* un pilón de = a raft of, a mass of, a stack of.

* un poco = a bit, somewhat, slightly, something of, a little bit, kinda [kind of].

* un poco áspero = roughish.

* un poco como = kind of like.

* un poco de = a measure of, a touch (of), a bit of, a piece of, a spot of, a splash of, a hint of.

* un poco + Nombre = a shade + Nombre.

* un poco obscuro = dusky.

* un poco perdido = a bit at sea.

* un poco rugoso = roughish.

* un popurrí de = a potpourri of, a welter of.

* un poquito = a wee bit.

* un poquito (de) = a dash of, a tiny bit of, a splash of, a hint of, a touch (of).

* un porrón de tiempo = donkey's years.

* un puñado de = a bunch of, a handful of, a clutch of.

* un querido = a little something on the side.

* un rato = awhile.

* un rayo de = a shimmer of.

* un rayo de esperanza = a faint glimmer of light.

* un rayo de luz esperanzador = a faint glimmer of light, a peep of light.

* un regalito = a little something.

* un revoltijo de = a jumble of, a welter of.

* un rosario de = a rash of.

* un saco de = a sackful of.

* un saco lleno de = a sackful of.

* un servicio las 24 horas = a 24-hour service.

* un sinfín de = a myriad of, a host of, a whole host of.

* un sinnúmero de = a myriad of, a host of, a whole host of.

* un sueño hecho realidad = a dream come true.

* un surtido de = an assortment of.

* un tanto + Adjetivo = vaguely + Adjetivo.

* un tiempo = awhile.

* un tipo de = a kind of.

* un toque de = a touch of, a splash of, a hint of.

* un torrente de = a cascade of.

* un total de = a universe of, a total of.

* un trabajo bien hecho = a job well done.

* un trabajo cualquiera = casual job.

* un tramo de = a stretch of.

* un trato justo = a square deal.

* un trozo de = a piece of, a snatch of, a stretch of.

* un velo de bruma = a veil of mist.

* un viso de = a whiff of.

* variar de una vez a otra = vary + from time to time.

Spanish-English dictionary > un2
15 tenir

tenir [t(ə)niʀ]

━━━━━━━━━

1. transitive verb

2. intransitive verb

3. indirect transitive verb

4. impersonal verb

5. reflexive verb

━━━━━━━━━

➭ TABLE 22

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► Lorsque tenir fait partie d'une locution comme tenir compagnie, tenir chaud, reportez-vous aussi à l'autre mot.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. <

   a. (avec les mains) to hold

• la clé qu'il tient à la main the key that he's holding

• la clé qu'il tient dans sa main the key that he's holding

• il tient son fils par la main he's holding his son's hand

• tenir la porte à qn to hold the door open for sb

   b. ( = maintenir dans un certain état) to keep

• tenir les yeux ouverts to keep one's eyes open

• le café le tient éveillé coffee keeps him awake

• tenir qch en place to keep sth in place

• tenir une note (Music) to hold a note

   c. ( = gérer) [+ hôtel, magasin, comptes, maison, ménage] to keep

   d. ( = détenir) to have

• si je le tenais ! just let me get my hands on him!

• nous le tenons we've got him

• parfait, je tiens mon article great, now I have my article

• qu'est-ce qu'il tient ! (inf) ( = il est ivre) he's plastered (inf!) ; ( = il est idiot) he's such an idiot!

• en tenir pour qn (inf) ( = l'aimer) to have a crush on sb (inf)

   e. ( = contrôler) [+ enfant, classe] to have under control

   f. ( = organiser) [+ séance, réunion, conférence] to hold

   g. ( = occuper) [+ place, largeur] to take up ; [+ rôle] to have ; [+ emploi] to hold

• ça tient trop de place it takes up too much room

• il tenait sa droite [conducteur] he was keeping to the right

• elle a bien tenu son rôle de chef she was a good manager

• elle tient le rôle d'Ophélie she plays the role of Ophelia

   h. ( = contenir) [récipient] to hold

   i. ( = résister à) tenir l'alcool (inf) to be able to hold one's drink

• tenir le coup [personne] to survive ; [chose] to last

• avec tout ce travail, est-ce qu'il pourra tenir le coup ? with all that work will he be able to cope?

   j. ( = respecter) [+ promesse, pari, planning] to keep to

• tenir le rythme to keep up the pace

   k. (locutions)

► tenir qn/qch pour ( = considérer comme) to regard sb/sth as

• je le tenais pour un imbécile I regarded him as an idiot

• elle le tient pour responsable de l'accident she holds him responsible for the accident► tenir qch de qn to get sth from sb

• il tient cela de son père he gets that from his father► tiens ! (en donnant) here you are!

• tiens, voilà mon frère ! oh, there's my brother!

• tiens, tiens ! well, well!

2. <

   a. ( = rester en place) [objet fixe, nœud, clou] to hold ; [objets empilés, échafaudage] to stay up

• ce chapeau ne tient pas sur ma tête this hat won't stay on my head

• la branche est cassée mais elle tient encore the branch is broken but it's still attached to the tree

• il tient bien sur ses jambes he's very steady on his legs

   b. ( = durer) [accord, beau temps, coiffure] to hold ; [couleur] to be fast ; [mariage, fleurs] to last

• ça tient toujours, notre pique-nique ? (inf) is our picnic still on?

• il n'y a pas de match qui tienne there's no question of going to any match

   c. ( = résister) to hold out

• tenir bon to hold out

• il fait trop chaud, on ne tient plus ici it's too hot - we can't stand it here any longer

   d. ( = pouvoir être contenu) to fit ( dans into)

• ils ne tiendront pas dans la voiture they won't fit into the car

• à cette table, on peut tenir à huit this table can seat eight

• son discours tient en quelques pages his speech is just a few pages long

3. <

• tenir à ( = être attaché à) [+ réputation, opinion de qn] to care about ; [+ objet, personne] to be fond of ; ( = avoir pour cause) to be due to

• il ne tenait plus à la vie he had lost his will to live

• tu veux aller au cinéma ? -- je n'y tiens pas do you want to go to the cinema? -- not particularly

• il tient beaucoup à vous connaître he's very anxious to meet you

• elle tenait absolument à parler she insisted on speaking

• il tient à ce que nous sachions... he is anxious that we should know...

• tu viens avec nous ? -- si tu y tiens are you coming with us? -- if you really want me to

• ça tient au climat it's because of the climate

• son succès tient à peu de chose his success hangs on very little

• à quoi ça tient ? why is that?

• tenir de ( = ressembler à) [+ parent] to take after

• il tient de son père he takes after his father

• il a de qui tenir it runs in the family

4. <

( = dépendre de) to depend

• il ne tient qu'à vous de décider it's up to you to decide

► qu'à cela ne tienne ! no problem!

5. <

   a. (avec les mains) to hold

• il se tenait le ventre de douleur he was holding his stomach in pain

• se tenir à qch to hold onto sth

• ils se tenaient par la main they were holding hands

• ils se tenaient par la taille they had their arms round each other's waists

   b. ( = être dans une position) se tenir debout to be standing up

• tiens-toi droit (debout) stand up straight ; (assis) sit up straight

• redresse-toi, tu te tiens mal stand up straight, you're slouching

• tenez-vous prêts à partir be ready to leave

• elle se tenait à sa fenêtre she was standing at her window

   c. ( = se conduire) to behave

• il ne sait pas se tenir he doesn't know how to behave

• se tenir tranquille to be quiet

• tiens-toi tranquille keep still

• se tenir mal (à table) to have bad table manners ; (en société) to behave badly

• il n'a qu'à bien se tenir ! he'd better behave himself!

   d. ( = avoir lieu) [conférence, réunion] to be held ; [festival] to take place

   e. ( = être cohérent) [raisonnement] to hold together

• tout se tient it's all connected

   f. (locutions)

► tiens-toi bien ! wait till you hear the next bit!

• tu sais combien elle a gagné ? tiens-toi bien: 3 millions ! do you know how much she won? you won't believe it! - 3 million!► s'en tenir à ( = se limiter à) to confine o.s. to ; ( = se satisfaire de) to content o.s. with

• nous nous en tiendrons là pour aujourd'hui we'll leave it at that for today

• il aimerait savoir à quoi s'en tenir he'd like to know where he stands

• je sais à quoi m'en tenir sur son compte I know the sort of man he is► se tenir pour ( = se considérer comme)

il se tient pour responsable he holds himself responsible

• tenez-vous-le pour dit ! (avertissement) you've been warned!

* * *
təniʀ
1.

verbe transitif

1) ( serrer) to hold

tiens-moi ça — hold this (for me)

tenir quelqu'un par la main — to hold somebody's hand

tenir la rampe — to hold onto the banisters

tiens! — ( voici) here you are!; ( écoute-moi) look!

tiens! c'est pour toi — ( voici un cadeau) here, it's for you; ( voici une gifle) take that!

si je le tenais! — if I could get my hands on him!

bien tenir — to hold on to

2) ( avoir sous son contrôle) to keep [somebody] under control

il nous tient — he's got a hold on us

3) Armée to hold

4) ( avoir attrapé) to hold

je te tiens! — I've caught ou got you!

pendant que je te tiens — fig whilst I've got you

tenir une grippe — (colloq) to have flu GB ou the flu US

5) ( posséder) to have [renseignements]

de qui tenez-vous ce renseignement? — where did you get that information?

elle tient ses bijoux de sa mère — she inherited her jewels from her mother

6) ( avoir la charge de) to hold [emploi]; to run [boutique, maison, journal]; to be in charge of [standard, bureau d'accueil]

bien tenir sa maison — to keep one's house spick and span

tenir la comptabilité — to keep the books

7) ( garder) to keep

tenir quelqu'un occupé — to keep somebody busy

‘tenir hors de portée des enfants’ — ‘keep out of reach of children’

tenir une note — Musique to hold a note

8) ( conserver une position)

tenir sa tête droite — to hold one's head upright

tenir les yeux baissés — to keep one's eyes lowered

9) ( maintenir en place) to hold down [chargement]; to hold up [pantalon, chaussettes]

tenir la porte fermée avec son pied — to hold the door shut with one's foot

10) ( ne pas s'écarter de) to keep to [trajectoire]

11) ( résister)

tenir la mer — [navire] to be seaworthy

tenir le coup — (physiquement, moralement) to hold out

tenir le choc — [matériel] to withstand the impact; [personne] to stand the strain

12) ( contenir) to hold [quantité, litres]

13) ( occuper) [objet] to take up [espace, volume]; [personne] to hold [rôle, position]

14) ( considérer)

tenir quelqu'un/quelque chose pour responsable — to hold somebody/something responsible

je tiens mes renseignements pour exacts — I consider my information to be correct

tenir quelqu'un pour mort — to give somebody up for dead

tenir pour certain que — to regard it as certain that

2.

tenir à verbe transitif indirect

1) ( avoir de l'attachement pour)

tenir à — to be fond of, to like

tenir à sa réputation/à la vie — to value one's reputation/one's life

il tient à son argent — he can't bear to be parted from his money

tenir à son indépendance — to like one's independence

2) ( vouloir)

j'y tiens — I insist

tenir à faire — to want to do

je ne tiens pas à faire — I'd rather not do

tenir à ce que quelqu'un fasse — to insist that somebody should do

je ne tiens pas à ce qu'elle y aille — I'd rather she didn't go

je tiens beaucoup à la revoir — I'd really like to see her again

nous tenons absolument à vous avoir à dîner bientôt — you really must come to dinner soon

3) ( être dû à)

tenir à — to be due to

3.

tenir de verbe transitif indirect

1) ( ressembler à)

tenir de — to take after

il a de qui tenir — (colloq) you can (just) see who he takes after ou where he gets it from

de qui peut-elle tenir pour être si méchante? — where does she get her nastiness from?

2) ( s'apparenter à)

tenir de — to border on

4.

verbe intransitif

1) ( rester en place) [attache, corde, étagère, barrage, soufflé] to hold; [timbre, colle, sparadrap] to stick (à to); [assemblage, bandage] to stay in place; [coiffure] to stay tidy; [mise en plis] to stay in

ces chaussures ne me tiennent pas aux pieds — these shoes won't stay on my feet

2) ( résister)

tenir (bon) — ( surmonter les conditions) to hold out; ( refuser de capituler) gén to hang on; Armée to hold out; ( ne pas relâcher sa prise) [personne] to hang on

tenir sans cigarettes jusqu'à la fin de la réunion — to last without cigarettes till the end of the meeting

j'espère que ma voiture va tenir (bon) — I hope my car will last out

il n'y a pas de télévision qui tienne — (colloq) there's no question of watching television

3) ( durer)

le plan tient-il toujours? — is the plan still on?

la neige tient — the snow is settling

les fleurs n'ont pas tenu — the flowers didn't last long

la couleur n'a pas tenu — the colour [BrE] has faded

4) ( rester valable) [théorie, argument] to hold good; [alibi] to stand up

5) ( être contenu) [personnes, objets] to fit ( dans into)

faire tenir six personnes dans une voiture — to fit six people into a car

mon article tient en trois pages — my article takes up only three pages

tenir en hauteur/largeur/longueur — to be short enough/narrow enough/short enough ( dans for)

tenir en hauteur dans une pièce — to fit into a room (heightwise)

ne pas tenir en hauteur — to be too tall ( dans for)

5.

se tenir verbe pronominal

1) ( soi-même) to hold

se tenir la tête de douleur — to hold one's head in pain

2) ( l'un l'autre)

se tenir par le bras — to be arm in arm

ils se tenaient par la taille — they had their arms around each other's waists

se tenir par la main — to hold hands

3) ( s'accrocher) to hold on

se tenir par les pieds — to hold on with one's feet

tiens-toi or tenez-vous bien — (colloq) fig prepare yourself for a shock

4) ( demeurer)

se tenir accroupi/allongé — to be squatting/stretched out

se tenir sans bouger — to stay still

se tenir prêt — to be ready

se tenir tranquille — ( immobile) to keep still; ( silencieux) to keep quiet; ( dans la légalité) to behave oneself

se tenir immobile — ( debout) to stand still

5) ( se comporter) to behave

savoir se tenir — to know how to behave

tiens-toi bien! — behave yourself!

6) ( avoir une posture)

se tenir bien/mal — to have (a) good posture/(a) bad posture

tiens-toi droit! — ( debout) stand up straight!; ( assis) sit straight!

7) ( avoir lieu) [manifestation, exposition] to be held

8) ( être liés) [événements] to fit together

9) ( être cohérent) [raisonnement, œuvre] to hold together

ça se tient — it makes sense

10) ( se considérer)

se tenir pour — to consider oneself to be

tenez-vous le pour dit! — (colloq) I don't want to have to tell you again!

11) ( être fidèle)

s'en tenir à — to stand by

12) ( se limiter)

s'en tenir à — to keep to

s'en tenir aux ordres — to stick to orders

s'en tenir là — to leave it there

ne pas savoir à quoi s'en tenir avec — not to know what to make of

6.

verbe impersonnel

il ne tient qu'à toi de partir — it's up to you to decide whether to leave

qu'à cela ne tienne! — never mind!

7.

tiens exclamation oh!

tiens (donc), vous voilà! — oh, there you are!

tiens, vous croyez? — do you think so?

tiens donc! — iron fancy that!

tiens tiens (tiens)! — well, well!

* * *
t(ə)niʀ
1. vt

1) (avec sa main) to hold

Tu peux tenir la lampe, s'il te plaît? — Can you hold the torch, please?

Il tenait un enfant par la main. — He was holding a child by the hand.

2) (= gérer) [magasin, hôtel] to run

tenir les comptes — to keep the books

tenir un rôle — to play a part

3) [promesse, engagement] to keep

4) (= considérer)

tenir qn pour — to take sb for

5) (= occuper)

tenir de la place — to take up space

6) (= résister à)

tenir l'alcool — to be able to hold a drink

tenir le coup — to hold out

7) (= garder, maintenir)

tenir sa langue fig — to hold one's tongue

tenir au chaud — to keep hot

tenir à l'abri — to keep under cover

tenir prêt — to have ready

Tenez votre chien en laisse. — Keep your dog on the lead.

8) (= avoir reçu)

tenir qch de qn [histoire] — to have heard sth from sb, [qualité, défaut] to have inherited sth from sb, to have got sth from sb

2. vi

1) (= ne pas se défaire) [noeud, joint] to hold

2) (= ne pas disparaître) [neige, gel] to last

3) (= résister) (= survivre) to survive

tenir bon — to stand fast

tenir 3 jours — to last 3 days

4) (en donnant quelque chose)

tiens, voilà le stylo! — there's the pen!

5) (exclamatif)

Tiens, c'est Alain là-bas! — Look, that's Alain over there!

tiens? (surprise) — really?

6)

tenir à [ami, objet] — to be attached to, to care for

Il tient beaucoup à elle. — He's very attached to her., (= avoir pour cause) to be due to, to stem from, (= dépendre de)

ça ne tient qu'à lui — it is entirely up to him

tenir à faire — to really want to do, to be determined to do

Elle tient à y aller. — She's determined to go.

tenir à ce que qn fasse qch — to really want sb to do sth

7)

tenir de (= relever de) — to partake of, (= ressembler à) to take after

Il tient de son père. — He takes after his father.

* * *

tenir verb table: venir

A vtr

1 ( serrer) to hold [objet, personne, animal]; tiens-moi ça hold this (for me); tiens-moi hold me; tiens-moi la main hold my hand; tenir qn par la main/le bras to hold sb's hand/arm; tenir un enfant contre sa poitrine to hold a child to one's breast; tenir qch à la main/dans ses mains to hold sth in one's hand/in one's hands; tenir un couteau par le manche to hold a knife by the handle; tenir la rampe to hold onto the banister; tenir son chien to hold one's dog; tenir fermement qch to hold sth firmly ou tightly; tenir qch serré sous le bras to hold sth firmly ou tightly under one's arm; tiens!, tenez! ( voici) here you are!; ( écoutez-moi) look!; tiens! c'est pour toi ( voici un cadeau) here, it's for you; ( voici une gifle) take that!; si je le tenais! if I could get or lay my hands on him!; bien tenir to hold on to [portefeuille, chien]; faire tenir une lettre/un message à qn† to dispatch a letter/a message to sb; ⇒ deux;

2 ( avoir sous son contrôle) to keep [sb] under control [élèves, enfants]; tenir sa classe to control one's class well; tenir son cheval Équit to keep one's horse well in hand; il nous tient he's got a hold on us;

3 Mil (occuper, contrôler) to hold [colline, pont, ville]; tenir la première place Sport to be in first place;

4 ( avoir attrapé) to hold [animal, coupable, meurtrier]; je te tiens! I've caught ou got you!; pendant que je te tiens fig whilst I've got you; tenir une grippe○ to have flu GB ou the flu US;

5 ( posséder) to have [preuves, renseignements]; il tient le sujet de son prochain roman he's got the subject of his next novel; tenir qch de qn to get sth from sb [trait physique, caractère, information]; il tient ses yeux bleus de son père he gets his blue eyes from his father; il tient ses informations d'un ami he got his information from a friend; je tiens cette nouvelle de Paul I got this news from Paul; d'où or de qui tenez-vous ce renseignement? where did you get that information?; d'où tenez-vous cette certitude? what makes you so certain?; elle tient ses bijoux de sa mère she inherited her jewels from her mother;

6 ( avoir la charge de) to hold [emploi, poste, assemblée]; to run [café, boutique, maison, journal, municipalité]; to be in charge of, to be on duty on [standard, bureau d'accueil]; bien tenir sa maison to keep one's house spick and span; tenir la comptabilité to keep the books;

7 ( garder) to keep; tenir qn occupé to keep sb busy; tenir sa chambre propre to keep one's room tidy; tenir les aliments au frais to keep food in a cool place; ‘tenir hors de portée des enfants’ ‘keep out of reach of children’; tenir un accord secret to keep an agreement secret; tenir la porte fermée to keep the door closed; tenir une note Mus to hold a note; tenir un article† to carry an item; tenir les cours† Fin to maintain prices;

8 ( conserver une position) tenir sa tête droite/immobile to hold one's head upright/still; tenir les bras écartés to hold one's arms apart; tenir les mains/les bras en l'air to hold up one's hands/one's arms; tenir les yeux ouverts/baissés to keep one's eyes open/lowered; tenir les poings serrés to keep one's fists clenched;

9 ( maintenir en place) to hold down [chargement]; to hold up [pantalon, chaussettes]; tenir la porte fermée avec son pied to hold the door shut with one's foot;

10 ( ne pas s'écarter de) to keep to [trajectoire]; to keep [rythme] ; tenir sa droite/sa gauche to keep to the right/to the left; tenir le large to stay in open waters;

11 ( résister) ne pas tenir la comparaison not to bear comparison; tenir l'eau to be waterproof; tenir la mer [navire] to be seaworthy; tenir le coup (physiquement, moralement) to hold out; tenir le choc lit [matériel, appareil, verre] to withstand the impact; [personne] to stand the strain;

12 ( contenir) to hold [quantité]; tenir vingt litres to hold twenty litres^GB; ma voiture ne tient que deux personnes there's room for only two people in my car;

13 ( occuper) [objet] to take up [espace, place, volume]; [personne] to hold [rôle, position]; tenir peu de place not to take up much room; tenir la place de deux personnes to take up as much room as two people; le monument tient le centre de la place the monument stands in the centre^GB of the square;

14 ( considérer) tenir qch pour sacré to hold sth sacred; tenir qn pour responsable to hold sb responsible; je le tiens pour un lâche I consider him (to be) a coward; je tiens mes renseignements pour exacts I consider my information to be correct; tenir qn pour mort to give sb up for dead; tenir pour certain que to regard it as certain that.

B tenir à vtr ind

1 ( avoir de l'attachement pour) tenir à to be fond of, to like [personne, objet]; tenir à sa réputation/à la vie to value one's reputation/one's life; il tient à son argent he can't bear to be parted from his money; tenir à son indépendance to like one's independence; tenir au corps [aliment] to be nourishing;

2 ( vouloir) j'y tiens I insist; si vous y tenez if you insist; tenir à faire to want to do; elle tient à vous parler she insists on speaking to you; je ne tiens pas à faire I'd rather not do; tenir à ce que qn fasse to insist that sb should do; je ne tiens pas à ce qu'elle fasse I'd rather she didn't do; je tiens beaucoup à la revoir I'd really like to see her again; il tient à rentrer avant la nuit he's anxious to get home before dark; nous tenons absolument à vous avoir à dîner bientôt you really must come to dinner soon; ne reste pas si tu n'y tiens pas don't stay if you don't want to;

3 ( être dû à) tenir à to be due to; la mauvaise récolte tient au manque d'eau the poor harvest is due to a lack of water; tes erreurs tiennent à ton inexpérience your mistakes are due to your lack of experience.

C tenir de vtr ind

1 ( ressembler à) tenir de to take after; tenir de sa mère/son père to take after one's mother/one's father; il a de qui tenir○ you can (just) see who he takes after ou where he gets it from; de qui peut-elle tenir pour être si méchante? where does she get her nastiness from?;

2 ( s'apparenter à) tenir de to border on; tenir du délire to border on madness.

D vi

1 ( rester en place) [clou, attache, corde, étagère, barrage, soufflé] to hold; [timbre, colle, sparadrap] to stick; [assemblage, bandage] to stay in place; [coiffure] to stay tidy; [mise en plis] to stay in; tenir au mur avec de la colle/des épingles ( adhérer) to stick to the wall with glue/pins; tenir sur une jambe/un pied to stand on one leg/one foot; ces chaussures ne me tiennent pas aux pieds these shoes won't stay on my feet;

2 ( résister) tenir (bon) ( surmonter les conditions) [personne, matériel] to hold out; ( refuser de capituler) gén to hang on, to hold out; Mil to hold out; ( ne pas relâcher sa prise) [personne] to hang on; tenir sans cigarettes jusqu'à la fin de la réunion to last ou go without cigarettes till the end of the meeting; tenir jusqu'à la fin de la réunion to hold out until the end of the meeting; tenir économiquement to hold ou last out in economic terms; j'espère que ma voiture va tenir (bon) I hope my car will last out; on a voulu me renvoyer mais j'ai tenu (bon) they wanted to fire me but I hung on; je ne peux plus (y) tenir I can't stand it any longer; il n'y a pas de télévision qui tienne○ there's no question of watching television;

3 ( durer) le plan tient-il toujours? is the plan still on?; leur mariage tient encore their marriage is still holding together; le soleil n'a pas tenu longtemps the sun didn't last long; la neige tient/ne tient pas the snow is settling/is not settling; les fleurs n'ont pas tenu the flowers didn't last long; la couleur n'a pas tenu the colour^GB has faded; tenir au lavage [couleur] not to run in the wash GB ou laundry US;

4 ( rester valable) [théorie, argument] to hold good; ton alibi ne tient plus your alibi no longer stands up; ‘ça tient toujours pour demain?’ ‘is it still all right for tomorrow?’;

5 ( être contenu) [personnes, véhicule, meubles, objets] to fit (dans into); mes vêtements tiendront dans une valise my clothes will fit into one suitcase; tenir à six dans une voiture to fit six into a car; faire tenir six personnes dans une voiture to fit six people into a car; mon article tient en trois pages my article takes up only three pages; tenir en hauteur/largeur/longueur to be short enough/narrow enough/short enough (dans for); tenir en hauteur dans une pièce to fit into a room (heightwise); ne pas tenir en hauteur/largeur/longeur to be too tall/wide/long (dans for); ne pas tenir en largeur dans un espace to be too wide for a space.

E se tenir vpr

1 ( soi-même) [personne] to hold [tête, ventre, bras]; se tenir la tête de douleur to hold one's head in pain; se tenir la tête à deux mains to hold one's head in one's hands;

2 ( l'un l'autre) se tenir par le bras [personnes] to be arm in arm; ils se tenaient par la taille they had their arms around each other's waists; se tenir par la main [personnes] to hold hands;

3 ( s'accrocher) to hold on; se tenir par les pieds to hold on with one's feet; se tenir à une branche/à la rampe to hold onto a branch/onto the banisters; se tenir d'une main à qch to hold onto sth with one hand; tiens-toi or tenez-vous bien○ fig prepare yourself for a shock;

4 ( demeurer) se tenir accroupi/allongé/penché/courbé/à genoux to be squatting/stretched out/leaning/bent over/kneeling; se tenir au milieu/à la porte ( debout) to be standing in the middle/at the door; se tenir caché/sans bouger/au chaud to stay hidden/still/in the warm; se tenir prêt to be ready; se tenir tranquille ( immobile) to keep still; ( silencieux) to keep quiet; ( dans la légalité) to behave oneself; se tenir immobile ( debout) to stand still;

5 ( se comporter) to behave; se tenir bien/mal to behave well/badly; savoir se tenir to know how to behave; tiens-toi bien! behave yourself!;

6 ( avoir une posture) se tenir droit or bien/mal to have (a) good posture/(a) bad posture; tiens-toi droit! ( debout) stand up straight!; ( assis) sit straight!;

7 ( avoir lieu) [manifestation, exposition] to be held; la réunion se tiendra au Caire the meeting will be held in Cairo;

8 ( être liés) [événements] to fit together;

9 ( être cohérent) [exposé, raisonnement, œuvre] to hold together; il n'y a rien à dire, tout se tient there's nothing to be said, it all holds together; ça se tient it makes sense;

10 ( se considérer) se tenir pour to consider oneself to be; je me tiens pour satisfait des résultats I consider myself to be satisfied with the results; tenez-vous le pour dit○! I don't want to have to tell you again!;

11 ( être fidèle) s'en tenir à to stand by; je m'en tiendrai à ma promesse/notre accord/leur décision I will stand by my promise/our agreement/their decision;

12 ( se limiter) s'en tenir à to keep to; s'en tenir au minimum/au sujet to keep to a minimum/to the point; s'en tenir aux ordres to stick to orders; s'en tenir là to leave it there; ne pas savoir à quoi s'en tenir avec qn/qch not to know what to make of sb/sth.

F v impers il ne tient qu'à toi de partir it's up to you to decide whether to leave; qu'à cela ne tienne! never mind!

G tiens excl oh!; tiens (donc), vous voilà! oh, there you are!; tiens, je parie que c'est ta mère! oh! I bet it's your mother; tiens, vous croyez? do you think so?; tiens, tu es invité aussi? oh! so you've been invited as well?; tiens, tu n'étais pas au courant? didn't you know?; tiens donc! iron fancy that!; tiens tiens (tiens)! well, well!

Idiome

en tenir pour qn to have a crush on sb.

[tənir] verbe transitif

A.[AVOIR DANS LES MAINS]

1. [retenir] to hold (on to)

tenir la main de quelqu'un to hold somebody's hand

je tenais mal la bouteille et elle m'a échappé I wasn't holding the bottle tightly enough and it slipped

2. [manier] to hold

tu tiens mal ta raquette/ton arc you're not holding your racket/your bow properly

B.[CONSERVER]

1. [maintenir - dans une position] to hold, to keep ; [ - dans un état] to keep

enlève les vis qui tiennent le panneau undo the screws which hold the panel in place

tiens-lui la porte, il est chargé hold the door open for him, he's got his hands full

tenez-lui la tête hors de l'eau hold her head above the water

elle tient ses chiens attachés she keeps her dogs tied up

tenir chaud to keep warm

je veux une robe qui tienne chaud I'd like a warm dress

tenez-le prêt (à partir) make sure he's ready (to leave)

2. [garder - note] to hold

tenir l'accord to stay in tune

‘tenez votre droite’

a. [sur la route] ‘keep (to the) right’

b. [sur un Escalator] ‘keep to the right’

3. (vieilli) [conserver - dans un lieu] to keep

4. (Belgique) [collectionner] to collect

C.[POSSÉDER]

1. [avoir reçu]

tenir quelque chose de quelqu'un [par hérédité] to get something from somebody

les propriétés que je tenais de ma mère [par héritage] the properties I'd inherited from my mother

2. [avoir capturé] to have caught, to have got hold of

[avoir à sa merci] to have got

ah, ah, petit coquin, je te tiens! got you, you little devil!

si je tenais celui qui a défoncé ma portière! just let me get ou lay my hands on whoever smashed in my car door!

elle m'a tenu une heure avec ses histoires de divorce I had to listen to her going on about her divorce for a whole hour

pendant que je vous tiens (au téléphone), pourrais-je vous demander un service? since I'm speaking to you (on the phone), may I ask you a favour?

3. [détenir - indice, information, preuve] to have ; [ - contrat] to have, to have won ; [ - réponse, solution] to have (found) ou got

je crois que je tiens un scoop! I think I've got a scoop!

tenir quelque chose de [l'apprendre] to have (got) something from

il a eu des troubles psychologiques — de qui tenez-vous cela? he's had psychological problems — who told you that?

nous tenons de source sûre/soviétique que... we have it on good authority/we hear from Soviet sources that...

tenir quelque chose de [le tirer de]: je tiens mon autorité de l'État I derive my power from the state

qu'est-ce que je tiens comme rhume! (familier) I've got a stinking (UK) ou horrible cold!

elle en tient une couche! (familier) she's as thick as two short planks (UK), what a dumb bell! (US)

il en tient une bonne ce soir (familier) he's had a skinful (UK) ou he's three sheets to the wind tonight

qu'est-ce qu'il tient!

a. (familier) [il est stupide] what a twit (UK) ou blockhead!

b. [il est ivre] he's really plastered!

c. [il est enrhumé] he's got a stinking (UK) ou horrible cold!

4. [transmettre]

nous vous ferons tenir une copie des documents (soutenu) we will make sure you receive a copy of the documents

D.[CONTRÔLER, AVOIR LA RESPONSABILITÉ DE]

1. [avoir prise sur, dominer] to hold

quand la colère le tient, il peut être dangereux he can be dangerous when he's angry

la jalousie le tenait jealousy had him in its grip, he was gripped by jealousy

ce rhume me tient depuis deux semaines I've had this cold for two weeks

MILITAIRE to control

[avoir de l'autorité sur - classe, élève] to (keep under) control

2. [diriger, s'occuper de - commerce, maison, hôtel] to run ; [ - comptabilité, registre] to keep

tenir la caisse to be at the cash desk, to be the cashier

elle tient la rubrique artistique à "Madame" she has a regular Arts column in "Madame"

le soir, il tenait le bar at night he used to serve behind the bar

tenir la marque JEUX & SPORT to keep score

3. [donner - assemblée, conférence, séance] to hold, to have

le tribunal tiendra audience dans le nouveau bâtiment the court hearings will be held in the new building

4. [prononcer - discours] to give ; [ - raisonnement] to have ; [ - langage] to use

il me tint à peu près ce langage La Fontaine (allusion) here's roughly what he said to me

tenir des propos désobligeants/élogieux to make offensive/appreciative remarks

comment peux-tu tenir un tel raisonnement? how can you possibly think this way?

5. [astreint à]

être tenu à quelque chose: être tenu au secret professionnel to be bound by professional secrecy

nous sommes tenus à la discrétion we're obliged to be very discreet

je me sens tenu de la prévenir I feel morally obliged ou duty-bound to warn her

6. THÉÂTRE [rôle] to play, to have

tenir un rôle dans (figuré) to play a part in

7. ÉQUITATION [cheval] to keep in hand

E.[EXPRIME UNE MESURE]

1. [occuper] to take up (separable), to occupy

le fauteuil tient trop de place the armchair takes up too much room

tenir une place importante to have ou to hold an important place

2. [contenir] to hold

F.[ÊTRE CONSTANT DANS]

1. [résister à] (to be able) to take

il tient l'alcool he can take (especially UK) ou hold his drink

tenir le coup

a. (familier) [assemblage, vêtements] to hold out

b. [digue] to hold (out)

c. [personne] (to be able) to take it

le soir, je ne tiens pas le coup I can't take late nights

tenir la route [véhicule] to have good road-holding (UK), to hold the road well

ton raisonnement ne tient pas la route (figuré) your argument doesn't stand up to scrutiny

2. [respecter] to keep to, to stand by, to uphold

tenir une promesse to keep ou to fulfil a promise

[s'engager dans - pari]

je tiens la gageure ou le pari! I'll take up the challenge!

tenu!, je tiens! JEUX you're on!

G.[CONSIDÉRER] (soutenu) to hold, to consider

tenir quelqu'un/quelque chose pour to consider somebody/something to be, to look upon somebody/something as

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[tənir] verbe intransitif

1. [rester en position - attache] to hold ; [ - chignon] to stay up, to hold ; [ - bouton, trombone] to stay on ; [ - empilement, tas] to stay up

tenir en place to stay in place

mets du gel, tes cheveux tiendront mieux use gel, your hair'll hold its shape better

la porte du placard ne tient pas fermée the cupboard door won't stay shut

tout ça tient avec de la colle all this is held together with glue

le porridge vous tient au corps ou à l'estomac porridge keeps you going

faire tenir quelque chose avec de la colle/des clous to glue/to nail something into position

tenir à

a. [être fixé à] to be fixed on ou to

b. [être contigu à] to be next to

[personne]

il ne tient pas encore bien sur sa bicyclette/ses skis/ses jambes he's not very steady on his bike/his skis/his legs yet

je ne tiens plus sur mes jambes [de fatigue] I can hardly stand up any more

cet enfant ne tient pas sur sa chaise this child can't sit still ou is always fidgeting in his chair

elle ne tient pas en place she can't sit still

2. [résister - union] to last, to hold out ; [ - chaise, vêtements] to hold ou to last out ; [ - digue] to hold out ; [ - personne] to hold ou to last out

je ne tiens plus au soleil, je rentre I can't stand the sun any more, I'm going in

le cœur ne tiendra pas his heart won't take it

tes arguments ne tiendront pas longtemps face à la réalité your arguments won't hold for very long when faced with reality

tenir bon ou ferme

a. [s'agripper] to hold firm ou tight

b. [ne pas céder] to hold out

tenez bon, les secours arrivent hold ou hang on, help's on its way

il me refusait une augmentation, mais j'ai tenu bon he wouldn't give me a rise but I held out ou stood my ground

le dollar tient toujours bon the dollar is still holding firm

ne pas y tenir, ne (pas) pouvoir y tenir: n'y tenant plus, je l'appelai au téléphone unable to stand it any longer, I phoned him

ça sent si bon le chocolat, je ne vais pas pouvoir y tenir there's such a gorgeous smell of chocolate, I just won't be able to resist it

3. [durer, ne pas s'altérer - fleurs] to keep, to last ; [ - tissu] to last (well) ; [ - beau temps] to last, to hold out ; [ - bronzage] to last ; [ - neige] to settle, to stay

aucun parfum ne tient sur moi perfumes don't stay on me

4. [être valable, être d'actualité - offre, pari, rendez-vous] to stand ; [ - promesse] to hold

ça tient toujours pour demain? is it still on for tomorrow?

il n'y a pas de... qui tienne: il n'y a pas de congé qui tienne there's no question of having leave

il n'y a pas de "mais ma tante" qui tienne, tu vas te coucher! there's no "but Auntie" about it, off to bed with you!

5. [pouvoir être logé] to fit

le compte rendu tient en une page the report takes up one page

tenir en hauteur/largeur (dans) to fit vertically/widthwise (in)

on tient facilement à cinq dans la barque the boat sits five in comfort

son histoire tient en peu de mots his story can be summed up in a few words

6. (locution)

en tenir pour quelqu'un (familier) to have a crush on somebody

en tenir pour quelque chose

a. (familier) [aimer] to be hooked on something

b. [ne considérer que] to stick to something

elle en tient vraiment pour l'hypothèse de l'assassinat she seems convinced it was murder

tiens, tenez [en donnant quelque chose] here

tiens, tenez [pour attirer l'attention, pour insister]: tiens, le tonnerre gronde listen, it's thundering

tiens, rends-toi utile here, make yourself useful

tenez, je ne vous ferai même pas payer l'électricité look, I won't even charge you for the electricity

s'il est intéressé par le salaire? tiens, bien sûr que oui! is he interested in the salary? you bet he is!

tiens, tenez [exprime la surprise, l'incrédulité]: tiens, Bruno! que fais-tu ici? (hello) Bruno, what are you doing here?

tiens, je n'aurais jamais cru ça de lui well, well, I'd never have expected it of him

elle a refusé? tiens donc! (familier & ironique) she said no? you amaze me! ou surprise, surprise!

un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras (proverbe) a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush (proverbe)

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tenir à verbe plus préposition

1. [être attaché à - personne] to care for, to be very fond of ; [ - objet] to be attached to ; [ - réputation] to care about ; [ - indépendance, liberté] to value

si tu tiens à la vie... if you value your life...

2. [vouloir]

tenir à faire quelque chose to be eager to do ou to be keen on doing something

je tiens à être présent à la signature du contrat I insist on being there when the contract is signed

tu veux lui parler? — je n'y tiens pas vraiment would you like to talk to him? — not really ou not particularly

tenir à ce que: je tiens à ce qu'ils aient une bonne éducation I'm most concerned that they should have a good education

tiens-tu à ce que cela se sache? do you really want it to become known?

je voudrais t'aider — je n'y tiens pas I'd like to help you — I'd rather you didn't

venez dîner, j'y tiens absolument! come and have dinner, I insist!

3. [résulter de] to stem ou to result from, to be due to, to be caused by

le bonheur tient parfois à peu de chose sometimes it's the little things that give people the most happiness

à quoi ça tient? (familier) what's the reason for it?, what's it due to?

qu'à cela ne tienne never mind, fear not (humoristique)

4. (tournure impersonnelle) [être du ressort de]

il ne tient qu'à toi de mettre fin à ce désordre it's entirely up to you to sort out this shambles

s'il ne tenait qu'à moi if it was up to me ou my decision

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tenir de verbe plus préposition

1. [ressembler à] to take after

ce chien tient à la fois de l'épagneul et du setter this dog is a sort of cross between a spaniel and a setter

elle est vraiment têtue/douée — elle a de qui tenir! she's so stubborn/gifted — it runs in the family!

2. [relever de]

sa guérison tient du miracle his recovery is something of a miracle

des propos qui tiennent de l'injure remarks verging on the insulting

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se tenir verbe pronominal (emploi réciproque)

ils marchaient en se tenant la main they were walking hand in hand

se tenir par le cou/la taille to have one's arms round each other's shoulders/waists

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se tenir verbe pronominal (emploi passif)

[se dérouler - conférence] to be held, to take place ; [ - festival, foire] to take place

le festival se tient en plusieurs endroits there are several venues for the festival

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se tenir verbe pronominal transitif

se tenir la tête à deux mains to hold ou to clutch one's head in one's hands

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se tenir verbe pronominal intransitif

1. [se retenir] to hold on (tight)

se tenir à

a. to hold on to

b. [fortement] to cling to, to clutch, to grip

2. [se trouver - en position debout] to stand, to be standing ; [ - en position assise] to sit, to be sitting ou seated

se tenir (légèrement) en retrait to stand back (slightly)

se tenir debout to be standing (up)

se tenir droit

a. [debout] to stand up straight

b. [assis] to sit up straight

tiens-toi mieux sur ta chaise sit properly on your chair

c'est parce que tu te tiens mal que tu as mal au dos you get backaches because of bad posture

se tenir aux aguets to be on the lookout, to watch out

se tenir coi to remain silent

3. [se conduire] to behave

bien se tenir to behave oneself

mal se tenir to behave oneself badly

4. [être cohérent]

se tenir (bien)

a. [argumentation, intrigue] to hold together, to stand up

b. [raisonnement] to hold water, to hold together

je voudrais trouver un alibi qui se tienne I'm looking for a plausible excuse

[coïncider - indices, événements] to hang together, to be linked

5. (locution)

s'en tenir à: tenez-vous-en aux ordres confine yourself to carrying out orders

d'abord ingénieur puis directrice d'usine, elle ne s'en est pas tenue là she started out as an engineer, then became a factory manager, but she didn't stop there

je ne m'en tiendrai pas à ses excuses I won't be content with a mere apology from him

ne pas se tenir de [joie, impatience] to be beside oneself with

on ne se tenait plus de rire we were in absolute fits (of laughter)

tiens-toi bien, tenez-vous bien: ils ont détourné, tiens-toi bien, deux millions d'euros! they embezzled, wait for it, 2 million euros!

elle a battu le record, tenez-vous bien, de plus de deux secondes! she broke the previous record and by over two seconds, would you believe!

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se tenir pour verbe pronominal plus préposition

1. [se considérer comme]

je ne me tiens pas encore pour battu I don't reckon I'm ou I don't consider myself defeated yet

se tenir pour satisfait to feel satisfied

je ne me tiens pas pour un génie I don't regard myself as ou think of myself as ou consider myself a genius

2. (locution)

je ne supporterai pas tes insolences, tiens-le-toi pour dit! I'll say this only once, I won't put up with your rudeness!

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > tenir

16 rien

rien [ʀjɛ̃]

━━━━━━━━━

1. indefinite pronoun

2. masculine noun

━━━━━━━━━

1. <

   a. nothing

• qu'est-ce qui ne va pas ? -- rien what's wrong? -- nothing

• ça ou rien, c'est pareil it makes no odds

► ne... rien not... anything nothing

• il n'a rien fait he didn't do anything he did nothing

• je n'ai rien entendu I didn't hear anything

• il n'y a plus rien there's nothing left

• elle ne mange presque rien she hardly eats anything

• il n'en sait rien he has no idea

• je n'en sais trop rien I haven't a clue (PROV) on n'a rien sans rien(PROV) nothing ventured, nothing gained► avoir + rien

• ils n'ont rien (possessions) they haven't got anything they have nothing ; (maladie, blessure) they're OK

• ça va, tu n'as rien ? are you OK?

• n'avoir rien contre qn/qch to have nothing against sb/sth

• il n'a rien d'un politicien he's got nothing of the politician about him

• il n'y a rien à manger there's nothing to eat

• j'en ai rien à foutre (inf!) I don't give a damn (inf!)

• on n'a rien sans rien you don't get anything for nothing► être + rien

• n'être rien [personne] to be a nobody ; [chose] to be nothing

• pour lui, 50 km à vélo, ce n'est rien cycling 50 kilometres is nothing for him

• il n'est plus rien pour moi he means nothing to me anymore

• il n'en est rien it's nothing of the sort

• élever quatre enfants, ce n'est pas rien bringing up four children is quite something

• tu t'es fait mal ? -- non, c'est rien (inf) did you hurt yourself? -- no, it's nothing

• pardon ! -- c'est rien or ce n'est rien (inf) sorry! -- it doesn't matter► faire + rien

• il ne fait rien he does nothing ; ( = ne travaille pas) he doesn't work

• huit jours sans rien faire a week doing nothing

• il ne nous a rien fait he hasn't done anything to us

• ça ne lui fait rien he doesn't care

• ça ne fait rien it doesn't matter

• il n'y a rien à faire there's nothing we can do

• rien à faire ! it's no good!

• rien n'y fait ! nothing's any good!► en rien

• il n'est en rien responsable de la situation he's not in any way responsible for the situation

• ce tableau ne ressemble en rien au reste de son œuvre this picture is nothing like his other works► rien de + adjectif ou adverbe nothing

• rien d'autre nothing else

• je ne veux rien d'autre I don't want anything else

• je t'achèterai le journal, rien d'autre ? I'll get you a newspaper - do you want anything else?

• rien de neuf nothing new

• rien de plus nothing else

• rien de plus facile nothing easier

• nous n'avons rien de plus à ajouter we have nothing further to add

• ça n'a rien d'impossible it's perfectly possible

• rien de tel qu'une bonne douche chaude ! there's nothing like a nice hot shower!

   b. ( = quelque chose) anything

• as-tu jamais rien vu de pareil ? have you ever seen anything like it?

   c. (Sport) nil

• il mène par deux sets à rien he's leading by two sets to love

   d. (locutions) rien à signaler nothing to report

• rien à déclarer nothing to declare

• c'est mieux que rien it's better than nothing

• c'est ça ou rien it's that or nothing

• deux fois rien next to nothing

• trois fois rien next to nothing

• il ne comprend rien à rien he hasn't got a clue

• ça ne me dit rien qui vaille I don't like the look of that

► de rien !

• je vous remercie -- de rien ! (inf) thank you -- you're welcome!

• excusez-moi ! -- de rien ! (inf) sorry! -- no trouble!► rien au monde nothing on earth

• il ne quitterait son pays pour rien au monde he wouldn't leave his country for anything► rien du tout nothing at all

• qu'as-tu vu ? -- rien du tout what did you see? -- nothing at all

• une petite éraflure de rien du tout a tiny little scratch

• qu'est-ce que c'est que ce cadeau de rien du tout ? what on earth can I (or you etc) do with this stupid little present?► rien de rien (inf) absolutely nothing

• il ne fait rien, mais rien de rien (inf) he does nothing, and I mean nothing► pour rien ( = inutilement) for nothing ; ( = pour peu d'argent) for next to nothing

• pourquoi tu dis ça ? -- pour rien why do you say that? -- no reason

• ce n'est pas pour rien que... it's not for nothing that...► rien que

• la vérité, rien que la vérité the truth and nothing but the truth

• rien que la chambre coûte déjà très cher the room alone already costs a lot

• rien qu'à le voir, j'ai deviné I guessed by just looking at him

• je voudrais vous voir, rien qu'une minute could I see you just for a minute?

• il le fait rien que pour t'embêter (inf) he just does it to annoy you

• c'est à moi, rien qu'à moi it's mine and mine alone

• il voulait 500 €, rien que ça ! he wanted a mere 500 euros!

• elle veut être actrice, rien que ça ! she wants to be an actress, no less!

2. <

► un rien a mere nothing ; (avec adjectif) a tiny bit

• un rien l'effraie the slightest thing frightens him

• un rien la fait rire she laughs at every little thing

• un rien l'habille she looks good in anything

• j'ai failli rater le train, il s'en est fallu d'un rien I came within a hair's breadth of missing the train

• il pourrait te casser le bras comme un rien (inf) he could break your arm, no trouble

• un rien plus grand a tiny bit bigger

• un rien plus petit a tiny bit smaller

• « moi pas » dit-elle un rien insolente "I'm not", she said rather insolently► un rien de a touch of

• avec un rien d'ironie with a touch of irony

• en un rien de temps in no time► pour un rien

• il pleure pour un rien he cries at the slightest little thing

• il s'inquiète pour un rien he worries about the slightest little thing► des riens trivia

* * *

I
1. ʀjɛ̃
pronom indéfini

1) ( nulle chose)

rien n'est impossible — nothing is impossible

un mois à ne rien faire — a month doing nothing

il n'y a rien qui puisse la consoler — nothing can console her

il n'y a plus rien — there's nothing left

ce n'est rien — it's nothing

elle n'est rien — she's a nobody

il n'est rien pour moi — he means ou is nothing to me

il n'en est rien — it's nothing of the sort

elle ne t'a rien fait — she hasn't done anything to you

rien n'y fait! — nothing's any good!

il n'a rien d'un intrigant — there's nothing of the schemer about him

elle n'a rien de sa sœur — she's nothing like her sister

rien de bon — nothing good

rien d'autre — nothing else

il n'y a rien eu de cassé — nothing was broken

rien à déclarer — nothing to declare

partir de rien — to start from nothing

pour rien — ( en vain) for nothing; ( à bas prix) for next to nothing

‘pourquoi?’ - ‘pour rien’ — ‘why?’ - ‘no reason’

parler pour rien — to waste one's breath

‘merci’ - ‘de rien’ — ‘thank you’ - ‘you're welcome’ ou ‘not at all’

en moins de rien — in no time at all

‘que prends-tu?’ - ‘rien du tout’ — ‘what are you having?’ - ‘nothing at all’

ça ou rien, c'est pareil — it makes no odds

c'est trois fois rien — (colloq) it's next to nothing

rien de rien — (colloq) absolutely nothing

faire quelque chose comme rien — to do something very easily

2) ( seulement)

rien que la bouteille pèse deux kilos — the bottle alone weighs two kilos

elle voudrait un bureau rien qu'à elle — (colloq) she would like an office all to herself

la vérité, rien que la vérité — the truth and nothing but the truth

rien que pour te plaire — just to please you

rien que ça? — (colloq) ( en réponse) is that all?

ils habitent un château, rien que ça! — iron they live in a castle, no less! ou if you please!

3) ( quoi que ce soit) anything

avant de rien signer — before signing anything

sans que j'en sache rien — without my knowing anything about it

4) Sport gén nil; ( au tennis) love

2.

de rien (du tout) locution adjective

fille de rien — worthless girl

un petit bleu de rien (du tout) — a tiny bruise

une affaire de rien du tout — a trivial matter

3.

(colloq) un rien locution adverbiale a (tiny) bit

un rien pédant — a bit pedantic

4.

en rien locution adverbiale at all, in any way

••

rien à faire! — ( c'est impossible) it's no good ou use!; ( refus) no way! (colloq)

on n'a rien pour rien — you get nothing for nothing

ce n'est pas rien! — ( exploit) it's quite something!; ( tâche) it's no joke, it's not exactly a picnic! (colloq); ( somme) it's not exactly peanuts! (colloq)

II ʀjɛ̃
nom masculin

1) ( vétille)

un rien le fâche — the slightest thing annoys him

se disputer pour un rien — to quarrel over nothing

perdre son temps à des riens — to waste one's time on trivial things

les petits riens qui rendent la vie agréable — the little things which make life pleasant

faire quelque chose comme un rien — (colloq) to do something very easily

2) (colloq) ( petite quantité)

un rien de — a touch of

un rien de cognac — a dash of brandy

en un rien de temps — in next to no time

3) (colloq) ( personne)

un/une rien du tout — ( insignifiant) a nobody; ( sans moralité) a no-good (colloq), a worthless person

* * *
ʀjɛ̃
1. pron

1) (= sans 'ne') nothing

"Qu'est-ce que vous avez?" — "Rien." — "What have you got?" — "Nothing."

"Qu'est-ce que tu as acheté?" — "Rien." — "What have you bought?" — "Nothing."

pour rien au monde; Pour rien au monde je ne le vendrais. — I wouldn't sell it for anything in the world.

2) (avec 'ne')

ne... rien — not... anything, nothing

Il n'a rien dit. — He didn't say anything., He hasn't said anything.

Il n'a rien fait. — He didn't do anything., He hasn't done anything.

il n'a rien (= n'est pas blessé) — he's all right

ça ne fait rien — it doesn't matter

il n'y est pour rien — he's got nothing to do with it

ça n'a rien à voir — it has nothing to do with it

il n'en est rien! — nothing of the sort!

3) (= quelque chose)

A-t-il jamais rien fait pour nous? — Has he ever done anything for us?

4) (autres locutions)

rien de; rien d'intéressant — nothing interesting

rien d'autre — nothing else

rien du tout — nothing at all

n'avoir rien de; Il n'a rien d'un champion. — He's no champion.

rien que — just, only

rien que pour lui faire plaisir — just to please him

rien que la vérité — nothing but the truth

rien que cela — that alone

Rien que la voiture coûte un million. — The car alone costs a million.

de rien! — not at all!, don't mention it!

"Merci beaucoup!" — "De rien!" — "Thank you very much!" — "Not at all!"

rien à faire! — it's no good!, it's no use!

en rien; il ne lui ressemble en rien — he's nothing like him

2. nm

1) (= quantité infime)

un rien de — a hint of

en un rien de temps — in no time at all

2) (= chose insignifiante)

avoir peur d'un rien — to be frightened of the slightest thing

Il se met en colère pour un rien. — He loses his temper over the slightest thing.

des petits riens; des riens — trivial things pl little things pl

un petit rien — a little something

* * *

I.

rien

A pron indéf

1 ( nulle chose) rien n'est impossible nothing is impossible; un mois à ne rien faire a month doing nothing; j'ai décidé de ne rien dire I decided to say nothing ou not to say anything; il n'y a rien qui puisse la consoler nothing can console her; il n'y a plus rien there's nothing left; il n'y a plus rien à faire ( comme travail) there's nothing left ou else to do; ( pour le sauver) there's nothing more ou else that can be done; ce n'est rien it's nothing; elle n'est rien she's a nobody; il n'est rien pour moi he means ou is nothing to me; ils ne nous sont rien they're nothing to do with us; il n'en est rien it's nothing of the sort; elle ne t'a rien fait she hasn't done anything to you; n'avoir rien à faire avec qn to have nothing to do with sb; rien n'y fait! nothing's any good!; il n'a rien d'un intrigant there's nothing of the schemer about him; elle n'a rien de sa sœur she's nothing like her sister; rien de bon nothing good; rien d'autre nothing else; rien de moins/de plus nothing less/more (que than); rien de meilleur/de pire/de mieux nothing better/worse/better (que than); il n'y a rien de tel/de tel que la marche pour garder la forme there's nothing like it/like walking to keep you fit; il n'y a rien eu de cassé nothing was broken; ça n'a rien de luxueux there's nothing luxurious about it; je n'ai jamais rien vu de pire I've never seen anything worse; rien à déclarer/signaler nothing to declare/report; partir de rien to start from nothing; faire un drame d'un rien to make a drama out of nothing; pour rien ( en vain) for nothing; ( à bas prix) for next to nothing; ‘pourquoi?’-‘pour rien’ ‘why?’-‘no reason’; ce n'est pas pour rien que it's not without reason ou not for nothing that; parler pour rien to waste one's breath; ‘merci’-‘de rien’ ‘thank you’-‘you're welcome’, ‘not at all’; en moins de rien in no time at all; ‘que prends-tu?’-‘rien du tout’ ‘what are you having?’-‘nothing at all’; c'est ça ou rien it's that or nothing, take it or leave it; ‘mais vous avez un contrat’-‘ça ou rien(, c'est pareil)’ ‘but you have a contract’-‘I might as well not have one’, ‘it makes no odds’; c'est mieux que rien it's better than nothing; c'est moins que rien it's nothing at all; c'est trois fois rien it's next to nothing; rien à rien, rien de rien○ absolutely nothing; faire qch comme rien to do sth very easily;

2 ( seulement) rien que la bouteille pèse deux kilos the bottle alone weighs two kilos; j'en ai eu pour 35 euros rien qu'avec les fleurs the flowers alone cost me 35 euros; c'est à lui et rien qu'à lui it's his and his alone; elle voudrait un bureau rien qu'à elle○ she would like an office all to herself; il n'est rien qu'un scribouillard he's nothing but ou he's just a penpusher; ‘qu'y a-t-il à boire?’-‘rien que de l'eau’ ‘what is there to drink?’-‘just water’; la vérité, rien que la vérité the truth and nothing but the truth; rien que pour te plaire just to please you; j'en ai la nausée rien que d'y penser I feel sick just thinking about it; rien qu'à voir comment il s'habille just by looking at the way he dresses; rien que ça○? ( en réponse) is that all?; ils habitent un château, rien que ça! iron they live in a castle, no less! ou if you please! iron;

3 ( quoi que ce soit) anything; avant de rien signer before signing anything; sans que j'en sache rien without my knowing anything about it; il m'a demandé si je n'avais rien vu he asked me if I had seen anything; as-tu jamais rien fait pour eux? have you ever done anything for them?;

4 Sport gén nil; ( au tennis) love; rien partout, rien à rien nil nil; rien à 15 ( au tennis) love 15.

B de rien (du tout) loc adj fille de rien worthless girl; un petit bleu de rien (du tout) a tiny bruise; une affaire de rien du tout a trivial matter.

C ○adv c'est rien moche! it isn't half ugly○! GB, it's really ugly.

D ○ un rien loc adv a (tiny) bit; un rien pédant/trop cuit a bit pedantic/overcooked.

E en rien loc adv at all, in any way; cela ne me concerne en rien that doesn't concern me at all ou in any way; ce n'est en rien nécessaire it's not at all necessary, it's in no way necessary; il ne te ressemble en rien he's not at all like you, he's nothing like you.

Idiomes

rien à faire! ( c'est impossible) it's no good ou use!; ( refus) no way○!; on n'a rien pour rien you get nothing for nothing; ce n'est pas rien! ( exploit) it's quite something!; ( tâche) it's no joke, it's not exactly a picnic○!; ( somme) it's not exactly peanuts○!

II.

rien nm

1 ( vétille) être puni pour un rien to be punished for the slightest thing; un rien le fâche the slightest thing annoys him; un rien l'habille, elle s'habille d'un rien she looks good in the simplest thing; se disputer pour un rien to quarrel over nothing; perdre son temps à des riens to waste one's time on trivial things; les petits riens qui rendent la vie agréable the little things which make life pleasant; faire qch comme un rien to do sth very easily;

2 ( petite quantité) un rien de a touch of; un rien d'humour a touch of humour^GB; un rien de sel a tiny pinch of salt; un rien de cognac a dash of brandy; en un rien de temps in next to no time;

3 ( personne) un/une rien du tout ( insignifiant) a nobody; ( sans moralité) a no-good○, a worthless person.

[rjɛ̃] pronom indéfini

1. [nulle chose] nothing

créer quelque chose à partir de rien to create something out of nothing

rien de tel qu'un bon (roman) policier there's nothing like a good detective story

rien de cassé/grave, j'espère? nothing broken/serious, I hope?

rien d'autre nothing else

rien de nouveau no new developments

rien de plus nothing else ou more

rien de moins nothing less

[en réponse négative à une question]

à quoi tu penses? — à rien! what are you thinking about? — nothing!

qu'est-ce que tu lui laisses? — rien de rien! what are you leaving him — not a thing!

rien du tout nothing at all

je vous remercie — de rien! thanks — you're welcome ou not at all ou don't mention it

une affaire de rien du tout a trifling ou trivial matter

une égratignure de rien du tout a little scratch

c'est ça ou rien take it or leave it

c'est tout ou rien it's all or nothing

rien à dire, c'est parfait! what can I say, it's perfect!

rien à faire, la voiture ne veut pas démarrer it's no good, the car (just) won't start

rien à déclarer nothing to declare

j'en ai rien à faire (familier) ou àcirer (très familier) I don't give a damn ou a toss (très familier)

faire semblant de rien to pretend that nothing happened

2. [en corrélation avec 'ne']

rien n'est plus beau que... there's nothing more beautiful than...

plus rien n'a d'importance nothing matters any more

rien de grave n'est arrivé nothing serious happened

rien n'y a fait, elle a refusé (there was) nothing doing, she said no

ce n'est rien, ça va guérir it's nothing, it'll get better

ce n'est pas rien it's no small thing ou matter

je croyais avoir perdu, il n'en est rien I thought I'd lost, but not at all ou quite the contrary

ils se disaient mariés, en fait il n'en est rien they claimed they were married but they're nothing of the sort

je ne suis rien sans mes livres I'm lost without my books

il n'est (plus) rien pour moi he's ou he means nothing to me (anymore)

et moi alors, je ne suis rien (dans tout ça)? and what about me (in all this), don't I count for anything ou don't I matter?

je ne me souviens de rien I remember nothing, I don't remember anything

on ne voit rien avec cette fumée you can't see anything ou a thing with all this smoke

il n'y a rien entre nous there is nothing between us

cela ou ça ne fait rien it doesn't matter

ça ne (te) fait rien si je te dépose en dernier? would you mind if I dropped you off last?, is it OK with you if I drop you off last?

cela ne fait rien à l'affaire that makes no difference (to the matter in hand)

dis-lui — je n'en ferai rien tell him — I shall do nothing of the sort

ça n'a rien à voir avec toi it's got nothing to do with you, it doesn't concern you

Paul et Fred n'ont rien à voir l'un avec l'autre there's no connection between Paul and Fred

je n'ai rien contre lui I have nothing against him, I don't have anything against him

ne t'inquiète pas, tu n'y es pour rien don't worry, it's not your fault

ça n'a rien d'un chef-d'œuvre it's far from being a masterpiece

il n'a rien du séducteur there's nothing of the lady-killer about him

il n'y a rien de moins sûr nothing could be less certain

rien de moins que nothing less than

rien tant que nothing so much as

pour ne rien vous cacher... to be completely open with you...

elle n'avait jamais rien vu de semblable she had never seen such a thing ou anything like it

je ne sais rien de rien I don't know a thing

rien ne sert de courir (il faut partir à point) La Fontaine (allusion) slow and steady wins the race (proverbe)

3. [quelque chose] anything

y a-t-il rien d'autre? is there anything else?

y a-t-il rien que je puisse faire? is there nothing I can do?

j'ai compris sans qu'il dise rien I understood without him having to say anything

4. JEUX

rien ne va plus rien ne va plus

5. [au tennis] love

rien partout love all

40 à rien 40 love

6. (locution)

rien moins que [bel et bien]: elle est rien moins que décidée à le poursuivre en justice she's well and truly determined to take him to court

elle est rien moins que sotte [nullement] she is far from stupid

————————

[rjɛ̃] adverbe

(très familier)

really

ils sont rien riches they really are rolling in it (très familier & UK), they sure as hell are rich (US)

————————

[rjɛ̃] nom masculin

1. [néant]

le rien nothingness

2. [chose sans importance]

un rien the merest trifle ou slightest thing

un rien l'habille she looks good in anything

il se fâche pour un rien he loses his temper over the slightest little thing

il a passé son examen comme un rien he took the exam in his stride

perdre son temps à des riens to waste one's time over trivia ou trifles

les petits riens dont la vie est faite the little things in life

3. un rien de [très peu de] a touch of

un rien de frivolité a touch ou tinge ou hint of frivolity

en un rien de temps in (next to) no time

————————

en rien locution adverbiale

il ne ressemble en rien à son père he looks nothing like his father

ça n'a en rien affecté ma décision it hasn't influenced my decision at all ou in the least ou in any way

pour rien locution adverbiale

ne le dérange pas pour rien don't disturb him for no reason

il est venu pour rien he came for nothing

ça compte pour rien that doesn't mean anything

j'ai acheté ça pour rien chez un brocanteur I bought it for next to nothing in a second-hand shop

pour deux/trois fois rien for next to nothing

————————

rien du tout nom masculin et féminin

un/une rien du tout a nobody

————————

rien que locution adverbiale

rien que cette fois just this once

rien qu'une fois just ou only once

viens, rien qu'un jour do come, (even) if only for a day

rien que le billet coûte une fortune the ticket alone costs a fortune

rien que d'y penser, j'ai des frissons the mere thought of it ou just thinking about it makes me shiver

la vérité, rien que la vérité the truth and nothing but the truth

rien que ça? (ironique) is that all?

————————

un rien locution adverbiale

a touch, a shade, a tiny bit

sa robe est un rien trop étroite her dress is a touch ou a shade ou a tiny bit too tight

elle est un rien farce! (familier & vieilli) she's a bit of a clown!

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > rien

17 donner

donner [dɔne]

━━━━━━━━━

1. transitive verb

2. intransitive verb

3. reflexive verb

━━━━━━━━━

➭ TABLE 1

1. <

   a. to give

• donner qch à qn to give sth to sb to give sb sth

• donner à boire à qn to give sb something to drink

• donner son corps à la science to donate one's body to science

• donner sa vie pour une cause to give one's life for a cause

• donnez-moi un kilo d'oranges I'd like a kilo of oranges

• j'ai déjà donné ! I've already made a donation! ; ( = on ne m'y reprendra plus !) I've been there!(PROV) donner c'est donner, reprendre c'est voler a gift is a gift

• donner quelque chose à faire à qn to give sb something to do

• donner ses chaussures à ressemeler to take one's shoes to be resoled

• le médecin lui donne 3 mois the doctor has given him 3 months

• je vous le donne en mille ! (inf) you'll never guess!

• donner une punition à qn to punish sb

• donner un coup de balai à la pièce to give the room a quick sweep

   b. ( = céder) [+ vieux vêtements] to give away

• donner sa place à une dame to give up one's seat to a lady

   c. ( = distribuer) to hand out ; [+ cartes] to deal

• c'est à vous de donner (les cartes) it's your deal

   d. ( = indiquer) [+ détails, idée, avis, ton] to give ; [+ sujet de devoir, tempo] to set

• pouvez-vous me donner l'heure ? can you tell me the time?

   e. ( = causer) [+ plaisir, courage] to give ; [+ peine, mal] to cause

• ça donne faim it makes you hungry

• donner le vertige à qn to make sb giddy

• mangez ça, ça va vous donner des forces eat this, it'll give you some energy

   f. ( = organiser) [+ réception, bal] to give ; [+ pièce] to perform

   g. ( = attribuer) quel âge lui donnez-vous ? how old would you say he was?

• je lui donne 50 ans I'd say he was 50

   h. ( = produire) [+ fruits, récolte] to yield ; [+ résultat] to produce

• elle lui a donné un fils she gave him a son

• cette méthode ne donne rien this method is totally ineffective

• qu'est-ce que ça donne ? (inf) how's it going?

   i. (locutions) donner un fait pour certain to present a fact as a certainty

• on l'a donné pour mort he was given up for dead

• tout donne à croire que... everything suggests that...

• c'est ce qu'on m'a donné à entendre that's what I was given to understand

2. <

   a. ( = produire) les pommiers ont bien donné cette année the apple trees have produced a good crop this year

   b. (locutions)

► donner de

• je ne sais plus où donner de la tête I don't know which way to turn► donner dans [+ piège] to fall into

• il donne dans le sentimentalisme he's got to be rather sentimental► donner sur [pièce, porte] to open onto ; [fenêtre] to overlook

• la maison donne sur la mer the house overlooks the sea

3. <

► se donner

   a. ( = se consacrer)

se donner à to devote o.s. to

• il s'est donné à fond he gave his all

   b. ( = échanger) ils se donnaient des baisers they were kissing each other

   c. (à soi-même) donne-toi un coup de peigne give your hair a comb

• se donner bien du mal to go to a lot of trouble

• il s'est donné la peine de me prévenir he took the trouble to warn me

• se donner bonne conscience to ease one's conscience

• se donner un président to choose a president

• s'en donner à cœur joie to have a whale of a time (inf)

* * *
dɔne
1.

verbe transitif

1) gén

donner quelque chose à quelqu'un — to give something to somebody, to give somebody something [livre, adresse, emploi, temps, autorisation, conseil, courage, rhume]; Jeux to deal [cartes] (à to)

donner pour les œuvres — to give to charity

donner l'heure à quelqu'un — to tell somebody the time

je lui donne 40 ans — I'd say he/she was 40

on ne lui donne pas d'âge — you can't tell how old he/she is

donner froid/faim à quelqu'un — to make somebody feel cold/hungry

donner à croire or penser or comprendre que... — to suggest that...

donner à quelqu'un à penser/croire que... — to make somebody think/believe that...

donne-moi ton genou que j'examine cette blessure — let me see your knee so that I can look at that wound

2) ( confier) to give [objet, tâche] ( à faire to do)

elle donne sa fille à garder à mes parents — she has my parents look after her daughter

j'ai donné ma voiture à réparer — I've taken my car in to be repaired

3) ( présenter) [salle, cinéma] to show [film]; [théâtre] to put on [pièce]; [troupe] to give [spectacle, représentation]

qu'est-ce qu'on donne au Marignan? — Cinéma what's showing ou on at the Marignan?; Théâtre what's playing at the Marignan?

4) ( organiser) to give [dîner, gala] ( pour quelqu'un for somebody)

5) ( assurer) to give [cours, exposé] (à, devant to)

6) ( considérer) to give [personne, œuvre] (comme, pour as)

les sondages le donnent en tête — the polls put him in the lead

7) ( produire) to give [sentiment, impression]; to give [ombre, aspect, teinte]; to produce, to yield [fruits, jus]; to produce [résultats]

leur intervention n'a rien donné — their intervention didn't have any effect

8) ( manifester) to show [signes] (à to)

9) (colloq) ( dénoncer) to inform on [complice] (à to)

10) ( entreprendre)

donner l'assaut à quelqu'un — to attack somebody

donner la charge contre quelqu'un — to charge at somebody

2.

verbe intransitif

1) ( produire)

le poirier va bien donner cette année — the pear tree will produce GB ou yield a good crop this year

2) ( émettre un son) [radio] to be playing

donner du cor — ( à la chasse) to sound the horn

3) ( heurter)

donner sur ou contre — [personne, animal, véhicule] to hit, to run into

donner de la tête or du front contre quelque chose — to hit one's head against something

ne plus savoir où donner de la tête — fig not to know which way to turn

4) ( être orienté)

donner sur — [chambre, fenêtre] to overlook [mer, rue]; [porte] to give onto

donner au nord/sud — [façade, pièce] to face ou look north/south

la cuisine donne dans le salon — the kitchen leads into the living-room

5) ( avoir tendance à)

donner dans — to tend toward(s)

en ce moment, il donne dans la musique baroque — at the moment, he's into (colloq) baroque music

6) ( se lancer)

donner dans un piège — to fall into a trap

7) ( consacrer)

donner de soi-même or de sa personne — to give of oneself

8) ( attaquer) [troupe, chars] to attack, to go into action

3.

se donner verbe pronominal

1) ( se livrer)

se donner à — to devote oneself to [travail, cause]

se donner à fond dans quelque chose — to give one's all to something

2) ( s'octroyer)

se donner le temps de faire — to give oneself time to do

se donner les moyens de faire — to find the means to do

pays qui se donne un nouveau président — country which is getting a new president

3) ( s'imposer)

se donner pour or comme but/mission de faire — to make it one's aim/mission to do

se donner pour tâche de faire — to set oneself the task of doing

4) ( affecter)

se donner pour intelligent/pacifiste — to make oneself out to be intelligent/a pacifist

se donner de grands airs — to give oneself airs

5) ( échanger)

se donner des coups — to exchange blows

se donner des baisers — to kiss one another

se donner rendez-vous — to arrange to meet

se donner le mot — to pass the word on

••

donnant donnant: je garde ton chat à Noël, tu gardes le mien à Pâques — fair's fair: I keep your cat at Christmas, you keep mine at Easter

avec lui, c'est donnant donnant — he never does anything for nothing

je te le donne en mille — (colloq) you'll never guess

* * *
dɔne
1. vt

1) [objet personnel, argent] to give, (= faire don de) to give away

"Tu as toujours ta veste en daim?"- - "Non, je l'ai donnée." — "Have you still got your suede jacket?" - - "No, I've given it away."

donner qch à qn [cadeau, renseignement] — to give sb sth, to give sth to sb

Elle m'a donné son adresse. — She gave me her address.

2) [spectacle] to put on, [film] to show

3) [résultat, effet] to produce

Cela donne un résultat surprenant. — It produces a surprising result.

4) (autres locutions)

donner l'heure à qn — to tell sb the time

donner un coup à qn — to hit sb

donner faim à qn — to make sb feel hungry

Ça m'a donné faim. — That made me feel hungry.

2. vi

1) (= faire un don) to give

Il donne toujours quand c'est pour Médecins Sans Frontières. — He always gives something when it's for Médecins Sans Frontières.

non merci, j'ai déjà donné ironique — no thanks, I've had my fair share of that

2)

donner de sa personne (= se sacrifier) — to give of o.s.

3) [soleil] to shine

Le soleil donnait à fond. — The sun was beating down.

4) [arbre fruitier] to bear fruit

Notre noyer n'a pas donné cette année. — Our walnut tree didn't have any nuts this year.

5) (= laisser croire)

donner à penser que... — to make one think that...

donner à entendre que... — to give to understand that...

6) (= avoir vue)

donner sur [fenêtre, chambre] — to look onto, to overlook

une fenêtre qui donne sur la mer — a window that looks onto the sea, a window overlooking the sea

7) (se laisser prendre)

donner dans [piège] — to fall into, [genre, style] to slip into

8) MILITAIRE (= charger, attaquer)

faire donner l'infanterie — to send in the infantry

* * *

donner verb table: aimer

A vtr

1 ( mettre en la possession de) to give [livre, jouet, argent, salaire]; donner qch à qn to give sth to sb, to give sb sth; donner pour les œuvres to give to charity; j'ai déjà donné! lit I've already made a donation!; fig been there, done that!; je donnerais beaucoup or cher pour savoir qui/comment I'd give a lot to know who/how; ⇒ chat;

2 ( attribuer) to give [nom, titre] (à to); donner un sens particulier à un mot to give a word a particular meaning; je lui donne 40 ans I'd say he/she was 40; on ne lui donne pas d'âge you can't tell how old he/she is; il me donnait du ‘Maître’ he was calling me ‘Maître’;

3 ( faire avoir) to give [migraine, appétit, courage, cauchemars] (à to); donner froid/faim à qn to make sb feel cold/hungry;

4 ( procurer) to give [objet, emploi, nourriture, réponse, conseil] (à to); Jeux to deal [cartes] (à to); donner le bras/la main à qn to give sb one's arm/hand; donner à boire à qn to give sb something to drink; c'est à toi de donner Jeux it's your deal; donner à croire or penser or comprendre que… to suggest that…; donner à qn à penser/croire que… to make sb think/believe that…; donne-moi ton genou que j'examine cette blessure let me see your knee so that I can look at that wound; ⇒ main;

5 (transmettre, communiquer) to give [renseignement] (à to); je vais vous donner mon adresse I'll give you my address; elle m'a donné son rhume she's given me her cold; donner l'heure à qn to tell sb the time;

6 ( confier) to give [objet, tâche] (à faire to do); il m'a donné son chat/ses livres à garder he gave me his cat/his books to look after; elle donne sa fille à garder à mes parents she has my parents look after her daughter; j'ai donné ma voiture à réparer I've taken my car in to be repaired;

7 ( accorder) to give [temps, moyens, autorisation]; je ne te donne pas deux mois pour te faire renvoyer I'd give you less than two months before you're sacked; donner tout son temps au club to devote all one's time to the club;

8 ( présenter) [salle, cinéma] to show [film]; [théâtre] to put on [pièce]; [troupe] to give [spectacle, représentation] ; qu'est-ce qu'on donne au Marignan? Cin what's showing ou on at the Marignan?; Théât what's playing at the Marignan?; cette pièce a été donnée pour la première fois en 1951 this play was first performed in 1951;

9 ( organiser) to give [dîner, réception, gala] (pour qn for sb);

10 ( assurer) to give [cours, exposé] (à, devant to);

11 ( considérer) to give [personne, œuvre] (comme, pour as); les sondages le donnent en tête the polls put him in the lead; on donne ce texte pour authentique this text is given as authentic; les spécialistes le donnent comme futur champion the experts point to him as the future champion;

12 ( produire) [aspect] to give [sentiment, impression]; [plante] to give [ombre]; to produce, to yield [fruits, jus, substance]; [expérience, méthode] to produce [résultats]; [procédé, éclairage, maquillage] to give [aspect, teinte]; leur intervention n'a rien donné their intervention didn't have any effect; elle lui a donné trois fils she gave him three sons; mange des carottes, ça te donnera bonne mine eat carrots, they're good for your complexion;

13 ( manifester) to show [signes] (à to); donner des signes de faiblesse to show signs of weakness;

14 ○( dénoncer) to grass on○ GB, to fink on○ US, to inform on [complice] (à to);

15 ( entreprendre) [troupe, infanterie, police] donner l'assaut à qn to attack sb; donner la charge contre qn to charge at sb.

B vi

1 ( produire) [plante] to produce a crop GB, to yield a crop; le poirier va bien donner cette année the pear tree will produce GB ou yield a good crop this year;

2 ( émettre un son) [radio, hi-fi] to be playing; leur téléviseur donne à fond their television is on full blast; donner du cor Chasse to sound the horn;

3 ( heurter) donner sur ou contre [personne, animal] to run into; [tête] to hit; [véhicule] to hit, to run into; donner de la tête or du front contre qch to hit one's head against sth; ne plus savoir où donner de la tête fig not to know which way to turn;

4 ( être orienté) donner sur or dans [porte, chambre, fenêtre] ( d'une hauteur) to overlook, to look out over; ( de plain-pied) to look onto [mer, cour, rue]; donner au nord/sud [façade, pièce] to face ou look north/south; la cuisine donne dans le salon the kitchen leads into the living-room; la fenêtre donne sur la mer the window overlooks the sea;

5 ( avoir tendance à) donner dans to tend toward(s); donner dans le masochisme [roman, film] to tend toward(s) masochism; [personne] to have masochistic tendencies; en ce moment, il donne dans la musique baroque at the moment, he's into○ baroque music;

6 ( se lancer) donner dans une embuscade/un piège to fall into an ambush/a trap;

7 ( consacrer) donner de soi-même or de sa personne to give of oneself; donner de soi-même pour faire/pour qch to devote oneself to doing/to sth;

8 ( attaquer) [troupe, chars] to attack, to go into action; faire donner la troupe to send the troops into action.

C se donner vpr

1 ( se livrer) se donner à to devote oneself to [travail, cause, peinture]; se donner à fond dans qch to give one's all to sth; se donner à un homme to give oneself to a man;

2 ( s'octroyer) se donner le temps de faire to give oneself time to do; se donner les moyens de faire to find the means to do; pays qui se donne un nouveau président country which is getting a new president; il se donnait le nom de Brutus/le titre de docteur he called himself Brutus/gave himself the title of doctor; ⇒ joie, temps;

3 ( s'imposer) se donner pour or comme but/mission de faire to make it one's aim/mission to do; il se donne le détachement comme objectif he makes it his aim to be detached; il se donne comme objectif de perdre 15 kilos he has set himself the target of losing 15 kilos; se donner pour tâche de faire to set oneself the task of doing; je me donne trois jours pour finir I'll give myself three days to finish;

4 ( affecter) se donner pour intelligent/pacifiste to make oneself out to be intelligent/a pacifist; il se donne pour plus compétent qu'il n'est he makes himself out to be more competent than he really is; elle se donne des airs de Marilyn Monroe she walks around as if she's Marylin Monroe; se donner de grands airs to give oneself airs; un prétentieux qui se donne des airs de savant a pretentious man who acts as if he is a scholar; se donner bonne conscience to affect a clear conscience; se donner une nouvelle image to give oneself a new image; il se donne une importance qu'il n'a pas he acts as if he's important when he isn't;

5 ( échanger) se donner des coups to exchange blows; se donner des baisers to kiss one another; se donner rendez-vous to arrange to meet; se donner le mot to pass the word on;

6 ( être joué) [film] to be showing (à at); [spectacle] to be put on (à at); [pièce] to be playing (à at).

Idiomes

donnant donnant: je garde ton chat à Noël, tu gardes le mien à Pâques fair's fair: I keep your cat at Christmas, you keep mine at Easter; avec lui, c'est donnant donnant he never does anything for nothing; je te le donne en mille○ you'll never guess.

[dɔne] verbe transitif

A.[CÉDER, ACCORDER]

1. [offrir] to give

[se débarrasser de] to give away (separable)

[distribuer] to give out (separable)

donner quelque chose à quelqu'un to give something to somebody, to give somebody something

donner quelque chose en cadeau à quelqu'un to make somebody a present of something

donner quelque chose en souvenir à quelqu'un to give ou to leave somebody something as a souvenir

il est joli, ce tableau! — je te le donne what a lovely picture! — please have it

à ce prix-là, ma petite dame, je vous le donne! at that price, dear, I'm giving it away!

c'était donné, l'examen, cette année! (familier) the exam was a piece of cake this year!

dis donc, on te l'a donné, ton permis de conduire! (humoristique) how on earth did you pass your driving test!

donner sa place à quelqu'un dans le train to give up one's seat to somebody on the train

donner à boire à un enfant to give a child a drink ou something to drink

donner à manger aux enfants/chevaux to feed the children/horses

(en usage absolu) to give

donner aux pauvres to give to the poor

donner de son temps to give up one's time

donner de sa personne to give of oneself

j'ai déjà donné! (familier) I've been there ou through that already!

2. DROIT [léguer] to leave

[faire don public de - argent, œuvre d'art, organe] to donate, to give

3. [accorder - subvention] to give, to hand out (separable) ; [ - faveur, interview, liberté] to give, to grant ; [ - prix, récompense] to give, to award

donner sa fille en mariage à quelqu'un to marry one's daughter to somebody

donner la permission à quelqu'un de faire quelque chose to allow somebody to do something, to give somebody permission to do something

donner rendez-vous à quelqu'un

a. ADMINISTRATION to make an appointment with somebody

b. [ami, amant] to make a date with somebody

donner à quelqu'un l'occasion de faire quelque chose to give somebody the opportunity to do something ou of doing something

donner son soutien à quelqu'un to give one's support to somebody, to support somebody

(tournure impersonnelle)

il n'est pas donné à tout le monde de... not everybody is fortunate enough to...

4. [laisser - délai] to give, to leave

5. [confier] to give, to hand, to pass

donner une tâche à quelqu'un to entrust somebody with a job

elle m'a donné sa valise à porter she gave me her suitcase to carry

donner ses enfants à garder to have one's children looked after

6. [remettre - généralement] to give ; [ - devoir] to give, to hand in (separable)

donne la balle, Rex, donne! come on Rex, let go (of the ball)!

donnez vos papiers hand over your papers

7. [vendre - suj: commerçant] to give

8. [payer] to give

combien t'en a-t-on donné? how much did you get for it?

je donnerais cher pour le savoir I'd give a lot to know that

je donnerais n'importe quoi pour le retrouver I'd give anything to find it again

9. [administrer - médicament, sacrement] to give, to administer (soutenu) ; [ - bain] to give

donner 15 ans de prison à quelqu'un to give somebody a 15-year prison sentence

donner une punition à quelqu'un to punish somebody

10. [appliquer - coup, baiser] to give

donner une fessée à quelqu'un to smack somebody's bottom, to spank somebody

donner un coup de rabot/râteau/pinceau à quelque chose to go over something with a plane/rake/paintbrush

11. [passer, transmettre] to give, to pass on (separable)

son père lui a donné le goût du théâtre she got her liking for the theatre from her father

12. [organiser - dîner, bal] to give, to throw

13. (locution)

je vous le donne en cent ou mille (familier) you'll never guess in a month of Sundays ou in a million years

B.[CONFÉRER]

1. [assigner] to give

donner un nom à quelqu'un to give somebody a name, to name somebody

je donne peu d'importance à ces choses I attach little importance to these things

2. [attribuer]

on ne lui donnerait pas son âge he doesn't look his age

quel âge me donnez-vous? how old would you say I am?

3. [prédire] to give

je ne lui donne pas trois mois

a. [à vivre] I give her less than three months to live

b. [avant d'échouer] I'll give it three months at the most

C.[GÉNÉRALEMENTÉRER]

1. [suj: champ] to yield

[suj: arbre fruitier] to give, to produce

2. [susciter, provoquer - courage, énergie, espoir] to give ; [ - migraine] to give, to cause ; [ - sensation] to give, to create ; [ - impression] to give, to produce

donner du souci à quelqu'un to worry somebody

les enfants donnent du travail children are a lot of work

donner des boutons à quelqu'un to make somebody come out in spots

faire la vaisselle me donne des boutons (figuré) I'm allergic to washing-up

ça donne la diarrhée it gives you ou causes diarrhoea

donner chaud/froid/faim/soif à quelqu'un to make somebody hot/cold/hungry/thirsty

donner mal au cœur à quelqu'un to make somebody (feel) sick ou nauseous

3. [conférer - prestige] to confer, to give ; [ - aspect, charme] to give, to lend

le grand air t'a donné des couleurs the fresh air has brought colour to your cheeks

pour donner plus de mystère à l'histoire to make the story more mysterious

4. [aboutir à - résultats] to give, to yield ; [ - effet] to result in

en ajoutant les impôts, cela donne la somme suivante when you add (in) ou on the tax, it comes to the following amount

et ta candidature, ça donne quelque chose? have you had anything about your application?

les recherches n'ont rien donné the search was fruitless

la robe ne donne pas grand-chose comme cela, essaie avec une ceinture the dress doesn't look much like that, try it with a belt

j'ai ajouté du vin à la sauce — qu'est-ce que ça donne? I've added some wine to the sauce — what is it like now?

D.[EXPRIMER, COMMUNIQUER]

1. [présenter, fournir - garantie, preuve, précision] to give, to provide ; [ - explication] to give ; [ - argument] to put forward (separable) ; [ - ordre, consigne] to give

donner un conseil à quelqu'un to give somebody a piece of advice, to advise somebody

donner ses sources to quote one's sources

donner une certaine image de son pays to show one's country in a particular light

donner à entendre ou comprendre que to let it be understood that

ces faits nous ont été donnés comme vrais we were led to believe that these facts were true

donner quelque chose pour certain to give something as a certainty

on le donnait pour riche he was said ou thought to be rich

2. [dire] to give

donner des nouvelles à quelqu'un to give somebody news

donnez-moi de ses nouvelles tell me how he is

je te le donne pour ce que ça vaut (familier) that's what I was told, anyway

3. [indiquer - suj: instrument] to give, to indicate, to show

4. (familier) [dénoncer] to give away (separable), to rat on, to shop (UK)

5. [rendre public - causerie, cours] to give ; [ - œuvre, spectacle] to put on

qu'est-ce qu'on donne au Rex? what's on at the Rex?

————————

[dɔne] verbe intransitif

1. [produire - arbre] to bear fruit, to yield ; [ - potager, verger, terre] to yield

la vigne a bien/mal donné cette année the vineyard had a good/bad yield this year

dis donc, elle donne, ta chaîne hi-fi! (familier) that's a mean sound system you've got there!

donner à plein

a. [radio] to be on full blast, to be blaring (out)

b. [campagne de publicité, soirée] to be in full swing

le soleil donne à plein the sun is beating down

2. CARTES to deal

à toi de donner your deal

3. [attaquer] to charge

faire donner la garde/troupe to send in the guards/troops

————————

donner dans verbe plus préposition

1. [tomber dans]

donner dans une embuscade to be ambushed

sans donner dans le mélodrame without becoming too melodramatic

2. [se cogner contre]

l'enfant est allé donner dans la fenêtre the child crashed into the window

3. [déboucher sur] to give out onto

l'escalier donne dans une petite cour the staircase gives out onto ou leads to ou leads into a small courtyard

————————

donner de verbe plus préposition

1. [cogner avec]

donner du coude/de la tête contre une porte to bump one's elbow/one's head against a door

2. [utiliser]

donner du cor to sound the horn

donner de la voix to raise one's voice

donner de la tête [animal] to shake its head

ne plus savoir où donner de la tête (figuré) to be run off one's feet

3. NAUTIQUE

donner de la bande to list

4. (locution)

elle lui donne du "monsieur" she calls him "Sir"

————————

donner sur verbe plus préposition

1. [se cogner contre]

la barque alla donner sur le rocher the boat crashed into the rock

2. [être orienté vers]

la chambre donne sur le jardin/la mer the room overlooks the garden/the sea

chambre donnant sur la mer room with a sea view

————————

se donner verbe pronominal (emploi passif)

[film, pièce] to be on

————————

se donner verbe pronominal intransitif

1. [employer son énergie]

monte sur scène et donne-toi à fond get on the stage and give it all you've got

se donner à: se donner à une cause to devote oneself ou one's life to a cause

elle s'est donnée à fond ou complètement dans son entreprise she put all her effort into her business

2. (soutenu) [sexuellement]

se donner à quelqu'un to give oneself to somebody

————————

se donner verbe pronominal transitif

1. [donner à soi-même]

se donner un coup de marteau sur les doigts to hit one's fingers with a hammer

se donner les moyens de faire quelque chose to give oneself the means to do something

se donner du bon temps

a. [généralement] to have fun

b. (euphémisme) to give oneself a good time

[s'accorder - délai] to give ou to allow oneself

2. [échanger] to give one another ou each other

se donner un baiser to give each other a kiss, to kiss

ils se sont donné leurs impressions they swapped views

3. [se doter de] to give oneself

4. [prétendre avoir]

il se donne trente ans he claims to be thirty

5. (locution)

s'en donner à cœur joie, s'en donner: les enfants s'en sont donné au square the children had the time of their lives in the park

————————

se donner pour verbe pronominal plus préposition

to pass oneself off as, to claim to be

————————

donnant donnant locution adverbiale

that's fair, fair's fair

d'accord, mais c'est donnant donnant OK, but I want something in return

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > donner

18 coup

coup [ku]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► Lorsque coup est suivi d'un complément de nom désignant une partie du corps ou un instrument, par exemple coup de pied, coup de téléphone, reportez-vous à l'autre mot.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━masculine noun

   a. ( = heurt, choc) blow

• il a pris un coup sur la tête ( = il s'est cogné) he banged his head ; ( = on l'a frappé) he was hit on the head

• la voiture a reçu un coup the car has had a bump

• donner des coups dans la porte to bang on the door

• en prendre un sacré coup (inf) [carrosserie] to have a nasty bang ; [personne, confiance, moral] to take a (real) knock

• ça lui a fichu un coup (inf) it's given him a shock

• coup dur hard blow

• il m'a donné un coup he hit me

• en venir aux coups to come to blows

• coups et blessures assault and battery

   b. (Sport, Jeux) (Cricket, golf, tennis) stroke ; (Boxing) punch ; (Shooting) shot ; (Chess) move ; (aux dés) throw

• coup droit (Tennis) drive

• faire un coup droit to do a forehand drive

• coup bas blow below the belt

• c'était un coup bas it was below the belt

• coup franc (Football, rugby) free kick ; (Basketball) free-throw shot

• tous les coups sont permis no holds barred

   c. [d'arme à feu] shot

• il jouait avec le fusil quand le coup est parti he was playing with the rifle when it went off

   d. ( = habileté) avoir le coup to have the knack

• attraper or prendre le coup to get the knack

   e. ( = bruit) knock

• sonner 3 coups to ring 3 times

• les douze coups de minuit the twelve strokes of midnight

• sur le coup de minuit (inf) on the stroke of midnight

   f. ( = événement) coup du sort blow dealt by fate

• coup de chance or de bol (inf) stroke of luck

   g. ( = action) [de cambrioleurs] job (inf)

• il est sur un coup (inf) he's up to something

• elle voulait cette maison, mais ils étaient plusieurs sur le coup (inf) she wanted that house but there were several people after it (inf)

• c'est un coup à tenter it's worth a go (inf)

• il a raté son coup he blew it (inf)

• c'est un coup à se tuer ! (inf) you could get yourself killed doing that!

• c'est encore un coup de 1 000 € (inf) that'll be another 1,000 euros to fork out (inf)

• coup monté set-up (inf)

• tu ne vas pas nous faire le coup d'être malade you're not going to go and be ill on us (inf)

• il nous fait le coup chaque fois he always does that

• faire un coup en vache à qn (inf) to pull a dirty trick on sb (inf)

   h. ( = fois) (inf) time

• à tous les coups every time

• du même coup at the same time

• pleurer un bon coup to have a good cry

   i. ( = boisson) (inf) aller boire un coup to go and have something to drink ; (au café) to go for a drink

• j'ai bu un coup de rouge I had a glass of red wine

• il a bu un coup de trop he's had one too many (inf)

   j. ( = partenaire sexuel) (vulg!) être un bon coup to be a good lay (vulg!)

   k. (locutions) en mettre un coup (inf) to pull out all the stops (inf)

► à coup(s) de

• le théâtre ne fonctionne qu'à coups de subventions ( = au moyen de) the theatre can only function thanks to subsidies► à coup sûr definitely

► après coup afterwards

► au coup par coup [agir] on an ad hoc basis ; [embaucher, acheter] as and when the need arises

► dans le coup

• être dans le coup (impliqué) to be in on it (inf) ; (au courant) to know all about it ; (à la page) to be with it (inf)

• mettre qn dans le coup to get sb involved► du coup as a result

► d'un seul coup ( = soudain) all at once ; ( = en une seule fois) in one go

► du premier coup [reconnaître, voir] straight away

• il a eu son permis de conduire du premier coup he passed his driving test first time► pour le coup

• là, pour le coup, il m'a étonné he really surprised me there► sous le coup de

• être sous le coup d'une forte émotion to be in a highly emotional state

• il l'a fait sous le coup de la colère he did it in a fit of anger

• être sous le coup d'une condamnation to have a current conviction

• tomber sous le coup de la loi to be a statutory offence► coup sur coup in quick succession

• deux victoires coup sur coup two successive wins► sur le coup ( = instantanément) outright

• mourir sur le coup to be killed outright

• sur le coup je n'ai pas compris at the time I didn't understand► tout à coup all of a sudden

► tout d'un coup all of a sudden

► valoir le coup

• ça vaut le coup it's worth it

• c'est un film qui vaut le coup the film is worth seeing

* * *
ku
Note: Les expressions comme coup de barre, coup de maître, coup de téléphone etc seront normalement dans le dictionnaire sous le deuxième élément donc respectivement sous barre, maître, téléphone etc

nom masculin

1) ( choc physique) ( neutre) knock; ( brutal) blow, whack (colloq); (dur, par accident) bang; ( qui entaille) stroke; ( d'un mouvement tranchant) chop; ( du plat de la main) smack; ( sec et rapide) rap; ( léger et direct) tap; ( léger et fouettant) flick; ( de la pointe) poke, prod, jab

coup à la porte — knock at the door

coup de marteau — hammer blow

d'un coup de hache — [couper, tuer] with a single blow from an axe GB ou ax US

à coups de hache — [couper, tuer] with an axe GB ou ax US

casser la porte à (grands) coups de marteau — to break down the door with a hammer

à coups de subventions — by means of subsidies

fièvre combattue à coups d'antibiotiques — fever controlled with antibiotics

sous le coup d'un embargo — under an embargo

donner un coup de quelque chose à quelqu'un — gén to hit ou strike somebody with something

donner un coup de poing/pied/couteau à quelqu'un — to punch/kick/stab somebody

prendre un coup — [personne, voiture] to get a knock

en avoir pris un coup — (colloq) fig ( être très abîmé) to have taken (quite) a punishing

rendre coup pour coup — lit to fight back; fig to give tit for tat

en venir aux coups — to come to blows ( pour over)

les trois coups — Théâtre three knocks signalling [BrE] that the curtain is about to rise

2) ( choc moral) gén blow; ( plus modéré) knock

porter un coup (sévère) à — to deal [somebody/something] a (severe) blow [personne, organisation]

en cas de coup dur — ( accident) should anything really bad happen; ( difficulté) if things get rough

ça m'a donné un (sacré) coup — (colloq) it gave me an awful shock

sous le coup de la colère — in (a fit of) anger

sous le coup de la fatigue/peur — out of tiredness/fear

être sous le coup d'une forte émotion — to be in a highly emotional state

tomber sous le coup d'une condamnation — to be liable to conviction

3) ( bruit) gén knock; ( retentissant) bang; ( sourd) thump, thud

au douzième coup de minuit — on the last stroke of midnight

sur le coup de dix heures — (colloq) around ten

coup de gong — stroke of a gong

coup de sifflet — whistle blast

4) ( mouvement rapide)

se donner un (petit) coup de brosse/peigne — to give one's hair a (quick) brush/comb GB, to brush/comb one's hair (quickly)

donner un coup sur la table — to dust the table

les volets ont besoin d'un coup de peinture — the shutters need a lick of paint

d'un coup d'aile — with a flap of its wings

5) Jeux, Sport (au tennis, golf, cricket) gén stroke; ( qu'on juge) shot; (aux échecs, dames) move; ( aux dés) throw; ( à la boxe) blow, punch; ( au karaté) ( du poing) punch; ( du tranchant) chop; ( du pied) kick

tous les coups sont permis — lit, fig no holds barred

coup défendu — Jeux, Sport foul

6) ( d'arme à feu) (décharge, détonation) shot; ( munition) round

blesser quelqu'un d'un coup de fusil or pistolet — to shoot and wound somebody

tuer quelqu'un d'un coup de fusil or pistolet — to shoot somebody dead

7) (colloq) ( action organisée) ( opération illégale) job (colloq), racket (colloq); ( vilain tour) trick (colloq); ( manœuvre) move

monter un coup — to plan a job (colloq)

coup monté! — set-up! (colloq)

mettre quelqu'un dans le coup — to cut somebody in on the deal (colloq)

être sur un gros coup — to be onto something big (colloq)

il a raté son coup — (colloq) he blew it (colloq)

réussir son coup — to pull it off

être dans le coup — ( impliqué) to be in on it; ( au courant) to be up to date, to know what's going on

tu n'es plus dans le coup! — fig you're behind the times!

être/rester hors du coup — ( non impliqué) to have/to keep one's nose clean (colloq)

8) (fois, moment)

essayer encore un coup — to have another shot

du premier coup — ( immédiatement) straight off; ( à la première tentative) at the first attempt

(encore) un coup pour rien — no go again (colloq)

à chaque coup, à tout coup, à tous les coups — every time

ce coup-ci/-là — this/that time

du coup — (colloq) as a result

du même coup — (colloq) by the same token

pour le coup — (colloq) this time

après coup — afterwards, in restropect

au coup par coup — as things come

coup sur coup — in succession

tout d'un coup, tout à coup — suddenly, all of a sudden

d'un coup, d'un seul coup — just like that

en un seul coup — in one go (colloq)

sur le coup — ( à ce moment-là) at the time; ( immédiatement) instantly, on the spot

pleure un bon coup — have a good cry

respire un grand coup — take a deep breath

boire à petits coups — to sip

boire à grands coups — to swig

9) (colloq) ( boisson) drink

je te paye un coup (à boire) — I'll buy you a drink

donne-moi encore un petit coup de gin — give me another shot (colloq) of gin

•

Phrasal Verbs:

- coup bas

- coups et blessures

- coup droit

- coup fourré

- coup franc

••

tenir le coup — ( résister à l'épreuve) [personne] to make it (colloq); [véhicule, chaussures] to last out; [lien, réparation] to hold; ( ne pas abandonner) [personne] to hold on; [armée] to hold out; ( faire face) to cope

j'ai vu venir le coup — I could see it coming

faire coup double — to kill two birds with one stone

en mettre un coup — (colloq) to give it all one's got (colloq)

être aux cent coups — (colloq) to be worried sick (colloq), to be in a state (colloq)

faire les quatre cents coups — (colloq) to be up to no good

attraper le coup pour faire quelque chose — (colloq) to get the knack of doing something; pierre

* * *
ku nm
1) (donné par qn ou qch) blow

porter un rude coup à qch — to deal a severe blow to sth

porter un coup fatal à qch fig — to deal a death blow to sth

donner un coup de couteau à qn — to stab sb

recevoir un coup de couteau — to be stabbed

donner un coup de coude à qn — to nudge sb

un coup de poignard dans le dos fig — a stab in the back

à coups de hache — with an axe

à coups de marteau — with a hammer

2) [fusil, pistolet, revolver] shot

un coup de fusil — a rifle shot

tuer qn à coups de fusil — to shoot sb dead (with a rifle)

tué à coups de fusil — shot dead (with a rifle)

tuer qn à coups de revolver — to shoot sb dead (with a handgun)

blessé à coups de revolver — shot and wounded (with a handgun)

3) (= bruit) [horloge]

sur le coup de minuit — on the stroke of midnight

sur le coup de midi — at the stroke of noon

sur le coup de huit heures — at the stroke of eight o'clock

coup de sonnette — ring of the bell

4) (affectif) blow, shock

Ça m'a fait un coup de le voir comme ça! — It gave me a shock to see him like that!

5) (= mouvement) stroke

coup de crayon — pencil line

coup de pinceau — brushstroke

donner un coup de balai — to sweep up, to give the floor a sweep

donner un coup de chiffon — to dust, to do some dusting

6) (= accès) wave

un coup de fatigue — a wave of tiredness

7) (action ponctuelle)

un coup de génie — a stroke of genius

un coup médiatique — a media stunt

réussir son coup — to pull it off *

8) TENNIS shot

9) FOOTBALL kick

See:

coup de pied de coin,

coup franc,

coups de pied arrêtés

10) BOXE punch, blow

11) (= fois) time

du premier coup — first time, at the first attempt

Il a été reçu au permis du premier coup. — He passed his driving test first time.

du même coup — at the same time

à tous les coups — every time

Je me trompe de rue à tous les coups. — I get the street wrong every time.

d'un seul coup (= subitement) — suddenly, (= à la fois) at one go

12) ÉCHECS move

13) (autres locutions)

avoir le coup — to have the knack

être dans le coup (= à la page) — to be with it

être sur un coup — to be on to something

boire un coup — to have a drink

du coup — as a result

à coup sûr — definitely, without fail

après coup — afterwards

Après coup j'ai regretté de m'être mis en colère. — Afterwards I was sorry I'd lost my temper.

coup sur coup — in quick succession

sur le coup; Il est mort sur le coup. — He died instantly.

Sur le coup je ne l'ai pas reconnu. — I didn't recognize him at first.

sous le coup de; agir sous le coup de la colère — to do sth out of anger

tomber sous le coup de la loi — to constitute a statutory offence

* * *

coup nm Les expressions comme coup de barre, coup de maître, coup de téléphone etc seront normalement dans le dictionnaire sous le deuxième élément, donc respectivement sous barre, maître, téléphone etc.

1 ( choc physique) ( neutre) knock; ( brutal) blow, whack○; (dur, par accident) bang; ( qui entaille) stroke; ( d'un mouvement tranchant) chop; ( du plat de la main) smack; ( sec et rapide) rap; ( léger et direct) tap; ( léger et fouettant) flick; ( de la pointe) poke, prod, jab; coup sur la tête knock ou blow ou bang on the head; coup à la porte knock at the door; coup de marteau hammer blow; d'un coup de hache [couper, tuer] with a single blow from an axe GB ou ax US; à coups de hache/machette [couper, tuer] with an axe GB ou ax US/a machete; frapper qn à coups de gourdin to club sb, to beat sb with a club; assommer qn à coups de gourdin to knock sb senseless with a club; tuer qn à coups de gourdin to club sb to death; casser qch à coups de gourdin to take a club to sth; casser la porte à (grands) coups de marteau to break down the door with a hammer; à coups de dollars by forking out dollars; à coups de subventions by means of subsidies; fièvre combattue à coups d'antibiotiques fever controlled with antibiotics; disperser des manifestants à coups de gaz lacrymogène to disperse demonstrators by using ou with teargas; sous le coup d'un embargo under an embargo; céder sous les coups de l'ennemi to cave in under enemy pressure; donner or porter un coup à qn/qch gén to hit sb/sth; donner un coup de qch à qn gén to hit ou strike sb with sth; donner un coup de poing/pied/coude/dents/couteau à qn to punch/kick/nudge/bite/stab sb; recevoir un coup [personne] to get hit; recevoir un coup de qch gén to get hit with sth; recevoir un coup de poing/pied/coude/couteau to be punched/kicked/nudged/stabbed; prendre un coup [personne, appareil, voiture] to get a knock; en avoir pris un coup○ ( être très abîmé) to have taken (quite) a punishing; rendre un coup to hit back; rendre coup pour coup lit to fight back; fig to give tit for tat; en venir aux coups to come to blows (pour over); frapper trois coups à la porte to knock on the door three times, to give three knocks on the door; les trois coups Théât three knocks signalling^GB that the curtain is about to rise;

2 ( choc moral) gén blow; ( plus modéré) knock; porter un coup (sévère) à to deal [sb/sth] a (severe) blow [personne, organisation, théorie]; être un coup terrible to be a terrible ou real blow (pour to); sa fierté en a pris un coup it was a blow to his/her pride; ce fut un coup dur pour eux/pour l'économie it was a great blow for ou to them/for ou to the economy; porter un coup très dur à qn to deal sb a major blow; en cas de coup dur ( accident) should anything really bad happen; ( difficulté) if things get rough; ça m'a donné un (sacré) coup○ it gave me an awful shock; sous le coup de la colère in (a fit of) anger; sous le coup de la fatigue/peur out of tiredness/fear; être sous le coup d'une forte émotion to be in a highly emotional state; tomber sous le coup d'une condamnation to be liable to conviction; être sous le coup d'une condamnation to have a conviction; être sous le coup d'une procédure d'extradition to be facing extradition proceedings; ⇒ mauvais;

3 ( bruit) gén knock; ( retentissant) bang; ( sourd) thump, thud; j'ai entendu un coup à la porte I heard a knock at the door; au douzième coup de minuit on the last stroke of midnight; sur le coup de dix heures○ around ten; coup de gong stroke of a gong; coup de sifflet whistle blast; donner un coup de gong to strike the gong; donner un coup de sifflet to blow one's whistle;

4 ( mouvement rapide) coup de brosse/peigne brush/comb; se donner un (petit) coup de brosse/peigne to give one's hair a (quick) brush/comb GB, to brush/comb one's hair (quickly); donner un (petit) coup d'aspirateur à une pièce to give a room a (quick) hoover® GB, to vacuum a room (quickly); donner un coup sur la table to dust the table; les volets ont besoin d'un coup de peinture the shutters need a lick of paint; d'un coup d'aile with a flap of its wings;

5 Jeux, Sport (au tennis, golf, cricket) gén stroke; ( dont on juge) shot; (aux échecs, dames) move; ( aux dés) throw; ( à la boxe) blow, punch; ( au karaté) ( du poing) punch; ( du tranchant) chop; ( du pied) kick; tous les coups sont permis lit, fig no holds barred; coup défendu Jeux, Sport foul;

6 ( d'arme à feu) (décharge, détonation) shot; ( munition) round; chasser qn à coups de fusil to scare sb off with gunshots; blesser qn d'un coup de fusil or pistolet to shoot and wound sb; tuer qn d'un coup de fusil or pistolet to shoot sb dead;

7 ○( action organisée) ( opération illégale) job○, racket○; ( vilain tour) trick○; ( manœuvre) move; monter un coup to plan a job○, to set up a racket○; c'est encore un coup des enfants! the children have been up to their tricks again!; c'était un beau coup de vendre tes actions it was a good ou shrewd move to sell your shares; monter un coup contre qn gén to set sb up; ( en vue d'une fausse accusation) to frame sb; c'est un coup monté! it's a set-up○!; monter le coup à qn to pull a fast one on sb○; expliquer le coup à qn to put sb in the picture; mettre qn dans le coup to bring sb in on the job○, to cut sb in on the racket○ ou deal; ils m'ont mis sur or dans le coup they've let me in on it ou on the racket○ ou on the deal○; se mettre dans le coup to get in on the action○; mettre qn sur un coup to put sb in on a job○, to put sb onto a racket○; être sur un gros coup to be onto something big○; préparer un sale or mauvais coup to be up to mischief; manquer or rater○ or foirer◑ son coup to blow it○, not to pull it off; il a raté son coup○ he blew it○; réussir son coup to pull it off; être dans le coup ( impliqué) to be in on it ou on the racket○ ou on the deal○; ( au courant) to be up to date, to know what's going on, to know what's what○; tu n'es plus dans le coup! fig you're behind the times!; être/rester hors du coup ( non impliqué) to have/to keep one's nose clean○; être sur le coup ( opération d'envergure) to be in on it ou on the job○; qui a fait le coup? gén who did it?; ( opération minutieuse) whose work is it, who did the job?; elle m'a fait le coup de la veuve éplorée she did the weeping widow act with me; ce n'est pas la première fois qu'il me fait le coup it's not the first time he's done that to me;

8 (fois, moment) essayer un coup/encore un coup to have a shot/another shot; du premier coup ( immédiatement) straight off; ( à la première tentative) at the first attempt; au deuxième/troisième coup at the second/third attempt; (encore) un coup pour rien no go again○; à chaque coup, à tout coup, à tous les coups every time; ce coup-ci/-là this/that time; du coup○ as a result; du même coup○ by the same token; pour le coup○ this time; après coup afterwards, in restropect; au coup par coup as things come; coup sur coup in succession; tout d'un coup, tout à coup suddenly, all of a sudden; d'un coup, d'un seul coup just like that; d'un seul coup d'un seul○ in one fell swoop; en un seul coup in one go○; sur le coup ( à ce moment-là) at the time; [mourir, tuer] instantly, on the spot; rigoler un bon coup to have a good laugh; pleure un bon coup have a good cry; mouche-toi un bon coup give your nose a good blow; respire un grand coup take a deep breath; boire à petits coups to sip; boire à grands coups to swig;

9 ○( boisson) drink; viens, je te paye un coup (à boire) come on, I'll buy you a drink; un coup de rouge/blanc a glass of red/white wine; donne-moi encore un petit coup de gin give me another shot○ of gin;

10 ●( partenaire sexuel) un bon or beau coup a good fuck● ou lay●.

Composés

coup bas ( en boxe) blow ou punch below the belt; fig blow below the belt; c'était un coup bas fig that was below the belt; coups et blessures Jur assault and battery; coups et blessures volontaires malicious wounding ¢; coup droit ( au tennis) (forehand) drive; faire un coup droit ( au tennis) to drive; coup fourré dirty trick; coup franc ( au football) free kick.

Idiomes

tenir le coup ( résister à l'épreuve) [personne] to make it○; [véhicule, appareil, chaussures] to last out; [lien, réparation] to hold; ( ne pas abandonner) [personne] to hold on; [forces, armée] to hold out; ( faire face) to cope; j'ai vu venir le coup I could see it coming; faire coup double to kill two birds with one stone; compter les coups ( rester neutre) to stay ou stand on the sidelines; en mettre un coup○ to give it all one's got○; être aux cent coups○ to be worried sick○, to be in a state○; faire les quatre cents coups○ to be up to no good; les coups sont bons mais rares○! any chance of another drop of wine?; avoir/attraper le coup pour faire qch○ to have/to get the knack of doing sth; tirer un or son coup● to have a screw●.

[ku] nom masculin

A.[HEURT, DÉFLAGRATION]

1. [généralement] blow, knock

[avec le poing] punch, blow

[avec le pied] kick

un coup violent a hard knock

elle a failli mourir sous ses coups he thrashed her to within an inch of her life, he nearly battered her to death

frapper à coups redoublés to hit twice as hard

donner un petit coup à ou sur quelque chose to tap something lightly

donner un coup sec sur quelque chose to give something a (hard ou smart) tap

il frappait sur la porte à grands coups/à petits coups he banged on the door/he knocked gently at the door

donner un coup sur la table [avec le poing] to bang one's fist (down) on the table

en arriver ou en venir aux coups to come to blows

j'ai pris un coup sur la tête I got a knock ou a bang on the head

prendre des coups to get knocked about

recevoir un coup to get hit

rendre coup pour coup (sens propre & figuré) to hit back, to give as good as one gets

coups et blessures DROIT grievous bodily harm

porter un coup à quelqu'un (sens propre & figuré) to deal somebody a blow

les grandes surfaces ont porté un (rude) coup au petit commerce (figuré) small traders have been dealt a (severe) blow by large retail chains

le coup a porté (sens propre & figuré) the blow struck home

2. [attaque, choc] blow, shock

ça m'a fait un coup

a. [émotion] it gave me a shock

b. [déception] it was a blow

sale coup (pour la fanfare)! (familier) that's a bit of a blow ou downer!

en prendre un coup (familier) : trois échecs d'affilée, son moral en a pris un coup with three successive failures, her morale has taken a bit of a bashing

avec le krack boursier, l'économie en a pris un coup the economy has suffered a great deal from the crash

tenir le coup: j'ai trop de travail, je ne sais pas si je tiendrai le coup I've got too much work, I don't know if I'll be able to cope

3. [en boxe] punch, blow

coup bas

a. (sens propre) blow ou punch below the belt

b. (figuré) blow below the belt

c'est un coup bas that's below the belt

tous les coups sont permis (sens propre & figuré) (there are) no holds barred

compter les coups (sens propre & figuré) to keep score

4. ARMEMENT shot, blast

un coup de revolver a shot, a gunshot

le coup est parti

a. [revolver] the gun went off

b. [fusil] the rifle went off

tirer un coup de canon to fire ou to blast a cannon

(revolver à) six coups six-shot gun

faire coup double

a. CHASSE to do a right and left

b. (figuré) to kill two birds with one stone

5. [bruit - généralement] knock ; [ - sec] rap

[craquement] snap

des coups au carreau knocking ou knocks on the window

un coup de gong a bang on a gong

[heure sonnée] stroke

6. (vulgaire) [éjaculation]

tirer un ou son coup to shoot one's load (vulgaire)

B.[GESTE, ACTION]

1. [mouvement d'une partie du corps]

un coup de corne a butt

un coup de langue a lick

elle nettoyait ses chatons à (grands) coups de langue she was licking the kittens clean

un coup de bec

a. (sens propre) a peck

b. (figuré) cutting remark

un coup de dent

a. (sens propre) a bite

b. (figuré) cutting remark

coup de griffe ou patte

a. (sens propre) swipe of the paw

b. (figuré) cutting remark

2. [emploi d'un instrument]

donner un (petit) coup de brosse/chiffon à quelque chose to give something a (quick) brush/wipe

je vais me donner un coup de peigne I'll just comb my hair ou give my hair a (quick) comb

je viens pour un coup de peigne [chez le coiffeur] I just want a quick comb through

passe un coup d'aspirateur au salon give the living room a quick vacuum

passe un coup d'éponge sur la table give the table a wipe (with the sponge)

un coup de marteau a blow with a hammer

il s'est donné un coup de marteau sur le doigt he hit his finger with a hammer

en deux coups de rame nous pouvons traverser la rivière we can cross the river in a couple of strokes

passe un coup dans la salle de bains (familier) give the bathroom a going-over

en donner ou ficher (familier) ou mettre (familier) un coup to get down to business

il a fallu qu'ils en mettent un sacré coup they really had to pull out the stops

3. [au golf, au billard] stroke

TENNIS shot, stroke

coup droit (forehand) drive

4. (familier) [savoir-faire] knack

ah, tu as le coup pour mettre la pagaille! you really have a gift ou a knack for creating havoc, don't you!

une fois que tu auras pris le coup, ça ira tout seul! you'll find it's very easy once you get used to it ou once you've got the knack!

5. MÉTÉOROLOGIE

coup de chaleur heatwave

coup de mer heavy swell

coup de vent gust of wind

6. [effet soudain] wave

j'ai un coup de cafard I feel down all of a sudden

j'ai eu un coup de fatigue I suddenly felt tired, a wave of tiredness came over me

il a eu un coup de folie et a acheté une Rolls he went mad and bought himself a Rolls-Royce

avoir un coup de chaleur to feel the beginnings of sunstroke

7. (familier) [boisson] drink

j'ai le hoquet — bois un coup I've got (the) hiccups — drink something ou have a drink

tu me sers un coup (à boire)? could you pour me a drink?

boire un coup de trop to have one too many

un coup de rouge a glass of red wine

8. [lancer] throw

elle a renversé toutes les boîtes de conserve en un seul coup she knocked down all the cans in one throw

[aux dés] throw (of the dice)

[action, JEUX] move

CARTES go

c'est un coup pour rien

a. [essai] it's a trial run

b. [échec] it's a failure

C.[ACTE OU SITUATION EXCEPTIONNELS]

1. (familier) [mauvais tour] trick

il prépare un coup he's up to something

(faire) un mauvais ou sale coup (à quelqu'un) (to play) a dirty trick (on somebody)

je parie que c'est un coup de Julie! I bet Julie's behind this!

coup en traître stab in the back

monter un coup contre quelqu'un to set somebody up, to frame somebody

il nous a encore fait le coup he's pulled the same (old) trick on us again

faire le coup de... à quelqu'un: il a essayé de me faire le coup de la panne he tried to pull the old running-out-of-petrol trick on me

ne me fais pas le coup de ne pas venir! now don't stand me up, will you!

coup monté put-up job, frame-up

faire un coup en douce: il fait toujours ses coups en douce he's always going behind people's backs

2. (très familier & argot milieu) [vol, escroquerie] job

3. (familier) [affaire]

je suis sur un coup I'm onto something

je veux l'acheter mais on est plusieurs sur le coup I want to buy it but there are several people interested

expliquer le coup à quelqu'un to explain the situation ou set-up to somebody

être dans tous les coups to have a finger in every pie

rattraper le coup to sort things out

il a manqué ou raté son coup he didn't pull it off

elle a réussi son coup she pulled it off

c'est un coup à avoir un accident, ça! that's the sort of thing that causes accidents!

combien crois-tu que ça va coûter? — oh, c'est un coup de 3 000 euros how much do you think it will cost? — oh, about 3,000 euros

[personne - sexuellement] (vulgaire)

c'est un bon coup he/she's a good lay (très familier)

4. [action remarquable, risquée] coup

faire un beau ou joli coup to pull a (real) coup

quand il s'agit d'un gros coup, elle met la main à la pâte when it's something really important, she lends a hand

tenter le coup to have a go, to give it a try

c'est un coup à faire ou tenter it's worth trying ou a try

5. [circonstance marquante]

marquer le coup to mark the occasion

un coup de chance ou de pot (familier) ou de bol (familier) a stroke of luck, a lucky break

D.[FOIS] time, go

du premier coup first time, at the first attempt

au prochain coup, tu vas y arriver you'll do it next time ou at your next go

essaie encore un coup have another go

ce coup-ci, on s'en va this time, we're off

pour un coup (familier) just for (this) once

un bon coup (familier) : c'est ça, pleure un bon coup that's it, have a good cry

vous devriez vous expliquer un bon coup! you should have it out once and for all!

un grand coup (familier) [en se mouchant, sur des bougies]: souffle un grand coup! blow hard!

respire un grand coup take a deep breath

————————

à coups de locution prépositionnelle

démoli à coups de marteau smashed to pieces with a hammer

la productivité a été augmentée à coups de primes spéciales productivity was increased through ou by dint of special bonuses

à coup sûr locution adverbiale

undoubtedly, certainly, for sure

elle ne s'engage qu'à coup sûr she only commits herself when she's certain of the outcome

————————

après coup locution adverbiale

afterwards, later on

son attitude, après coup, s'expliquait bien it was easy to explain her attitude afterwards ou in retrospect

à tous les coups locution adverbiale

(familier)

1. [chaque fois] every time

ça marche à tous les coups it never fails

2. [sans aucun doute]

à tous les coups, il a oublié he's bound to have forgotten

au coup par coup locution adverbiale

(familier) bit by bit

négocier au coup par coup to have piecemeal negotiations

coup sur coup locution adverbiale

one after the other, in quick succession

dans le coup (familier) locution adjectivale

elle est dans le coup

a. [complice] she's in on it ou involved in it

b. [au courant] she knows all about it

c. [à la page] she's hip ou with it

moi, je ne suis plus dans le coup

a. [dans l'affaire] count me out ou leave me out of it

b. [au courant] I'm a bit out of touch ou out of it

dans le coup (familier) locution adverbiale

mettre quelqu'un dans le coup to let somebody in on the act

————————

du coup locution adverbiale

so, as a result

elle ne pouvait pas venir, du coup j'ai reporté le dîner as she couldn't come, I put the dinner off, she couldn't come so I put the dinner off

————————

d'un (seul) coup locution adverbiale

1. [en une seule fois] in one (go), all at once

il a tout bu d'un coup he drank the whole lot in one go, he downed it in one

2. [soudainement] all of a sudden

j'ai eu envie de pleurer/de le gifler, ça m'a pris d'un coup (familier) I got a sudden urge to cry/to slap him

pour le coup locution adverbiale

pour le coup, je ne savais plus quoi faire at that point, I didn't know what to do next

j'ai aussi failli renverser le lait, c'est pour le coup qu'il aurait été en colère! (familier) I nearly spilt the milk as well, he really would have been furious then!

sous le coup de locution prépositionnelle

faire quelque chose sous le coup de la colère to do something in anger

sous le coup de la colère, on dit des choses qu'on regrette après you often say things in anger which you regret later

il est encore sous le coup de l'émotion he still hasn't got over the shock

tomber sous le coup de quelque chose to come within the scope of something

tomber sous le coup de la loi to be punishable by law

sur le coup locution adverbiale

1. [mourir] instantly

2. [à ce moment-là] straightaway, there and then

je n'ai pas compris sur le coup I didn't understand immediately ou straightaway

sur le coup de locution prépositionnelle

sur le coup de 6 h/de midi roundabout ou around 6 o'clock/midday

————————

coup d'aile nom masculin

tous les moineaux se sont envolés d'un coup d'aile all the sparrows took wing suddenly

Paris-Bruxelles en un coup d'aile (figuré) Paris-Brussels in one short hop

coup de balai nom masculin

donner un coup de balai to sweep up

je vais donner un coup de balai dans la cuisine I'm going to sweep (out) the kitchen

la cuisine a besoin d'un bon coup de balai the kitchen needs a good sweep

le comité aurait besoin d'un bon coup de balai (figuré) the committee could do with a shake-up

coup de barre nom masculin

(familier)

j'ai le coup de barre I feel tired all of a sudden

coup de chapeau nom masculin

praise

donner un coup de chapeau à quelqu'un to praise somebody

son livre mérite un coup de chapeau his book deserves some recognition

coup de cœur nom masculin

avoir un ou le coup de cœur pour quelque chose to fall in love with something, to be really taken with something

voici nos coups de cœur dans la collection de printemps here are our favourite spring outfits

(comme adjectif invariable)

des prix coup de cœur special offers

coup de coude nom masculin

donner un coup de coude à quelqu'un

a. [en signe] to nudge somebody

b. [agressivement] to dig one's elbow into somebody

————————

coup d'éclat nom masculin

feat

faire un coup d'éclat to pull off a coup

————————

coup d'État nom masculin

[putsch] coup (d'état)

coup de feu nom masculin

1. [tir] shot

tirer un coup de feu to fire a shot, to shoot

on a entendu des coups de feu we heard shots being fired ou gunshots

2. (figuré)

c'est le coup de feu there's a sudden rush on

coup de fil

→ link=coupcoup de téléphone

coup de filet nom masculin

[poissons] draught, haul

[suspects] haul

coup de foudre nom masculin

1. MÉTÉOROLOGIE flash of lightning

2. (figuré) love at first sight

ça a été le coup de foudre it was love at first sight

coup de fouet nom masculin

donner un coup de fouet à quelqu'un

a. (sens propre) to lash ou to whip somebody

b. (figuré) to give somebody a boost

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coup fourré nom masculin

(figuré) low trick

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coup franc nom masculin

free kick

coup de fusil nom masculin

1. [acte] shot

[bruit] shot, gunshot

on entendait des coups de fusil you could hear shooting ou shots being fired

recevoir un coup de fusil to get shot

2. (figuré)

on y mange bien, mais après c'est le coup de fusil! it's a good restaurant, but the bill is a bit of a shock!

coup de grâce nom masculin

(sens propre & figuré) coup de grâce, deathblow

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coup du lapin nom masculin

[coup] rabbit punch

[dans un accident de voiture] whiplash (substantif non comptable)

coup de main nom masculin

1. [raid] smash-and-grab (attack)

MILITAIRE coup de main

2. [aide]

donner un coup de main à quelqu'un to give ou to lend somebody a hand

3. [savoir-faire]

avoir le coup de main to have the knack ou the touch

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coup d'œil nom masculin

1. [regard] look, glance

elle s'en rendit compte au premier coup d'œil she noticed straight away ou immediately ou at a glance

donner ou jeter un petit coup d'œil à to have a quick look ou glance at

d'un coup d'œil, il embrassa le tableau he took in the situation at a glance

avoir le coup d'œil to have a good eye

valoir le coup d'œil to be (well) worth seeing

2. [panorama] view

coup de pied nom masculin

[d'une personne, d'un cheval] kick

le coup de pied de l'âne (figuré) the parting shot

donner un coup de pied à quelqu'un/dans quelque chose to kick somebody/something

coup de poing nom masculin

punch

donner un coup de poing à quelqu'un to give somebody a punch, to punch somebody

faire le coup de poing to brawl, to fight

coup de poing adjectif invariable

‘opération coup de poing’ ‘prices slashed’

coup de poker nom masculin

(bit of a) gamble

on peut tenter la chose, mais c'est un coup de poker we can try it but it's a bit risky

coup de pompe nom masculin

(familier)

sudden feeling of exhaustion

j'ai un coup de pompe I suddenly feel completely shattered (UK) ou beat (US)

coup de pouce nom masculin

bit of help

donner un coup de pouce à quelqu'un to pull (a few) strings for somebody

donner un coup de pouce à quelque chose to give something a bit of a boost

coup de sang nom masculin

1. MÉDECINE stroke

2. (figuré) angry outburst

elle a eu un coup de sang she exploded (with rage)

coup de soleil nom masculin

sunburn (substantif non comptable)

prendre ou attraper un coup de soleil to get sunburnt

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coup du sort nom masculin

[favorable] stroke of luck

[défavorable] stroke of bad luck

coup de téléphone nom masculin

(phone) call

donner ou passer un coup de téléphone to make a call

donner ou passer un coup de téléphone à quelqu'un to phone ou to call ou to ring (UK) somebody

recevoir un coup de téléphone to receive ou to get a phone call

coup de tête nom masculin

1. [dans une bagarre] head butt

donner un coup de tête à quelqu'un to head-butt somebody

2. SPORT header

3. (figuré) (sudden) impulse

sur un coup de tête on (a sudden) impulse

coup de théâtre nom masculin

THÉÂTRE coup de théâtre, sudden twist in the action

(figuré) sudden turn of events

et alors, coup de théâtre, on lui demande de démissionner and then, out of the blue, he was asked to resign

coup de torchon nom masculin

(familier) [bagarre] fist-fight

[nettoyage] clear-out (UK), cleanup

coup de vent nom masculin

1. [rafale] gust (of wind)

2. (locution)

en coup de vent in a flash ou a whirl

entrer/partir en coup de vent to rush in/off

elle est passée par Lausanne en coup de vent she paid a flying visit to Lausanne

manger en coup de vent to grab something to eat

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > coup

См. также в других словарях:

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to have a certain je ne sais quoi

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Словари и энциклопедии на Академике

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to have a certain je ne sais quoi

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