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For more examples and particular usages see the entry below

Толкование Перевод

1 better

I 1. ['betə(r)]
aggettivo (compar. di 1.good)

1) (more pleasing)

playing is better than watching — è meglio giocare che guardare

to get better — migliorare

the weather is no better — il tempo non è migliorato

things are getting better — le cose vanno meglio

to look, taste, smell better — avere un aspetto, sapore, odore migliore

that's better! — così va meglio!

2) (recovered)

to be better — [patient, cold] andare meglio

to feel all the better for — sentirsi meglio dopo [rest, meal]

3) (happier) [ mood] migliore

I'd feel better if you didn't do — sarei più contento se tu non facessi

if it makes you feel any better — se ti fa sentire meglio

I feel better about doing — (less nervous) mi sento più a mio agio a fare; (less worried) mi faccio meno problemi a fare

4) (of superior quality) (di qualità) migliore, superiore

one of the better schools — una delle migliori scuole

they sent him to a better school — l'hanno mandato in una scuola migliore

5) (more virtuous) migliore

you're a better man than I am! — sei migliore di me!

to be no better than a thief — non essere (altro) che un ladro

6) (more skilled) [doctor, teacher] migliore

to be a better swimmer than sb. — nuotare meglio di qcn.

to be better at — essere più bravo in [subject, sport]

to be better at doing — essere più bravo a fare

he's no better at driving than she is — non guida meglio di lei

7) (more suitable) [way, excuse, choice] migliore

to be better for doing — andare meglio per fare

to be better than nothing — essere meglio che niente

the sooner, bigger the better — prima è, più grande è meglio è

the less said about that the better — meno se ne parla, meglio è

who better to play the part? — chi meglio di lui potrebbe fare la parte?

8) (more beneficial)

swimming is better for you than running — a te fa meglio il nuoto della corsa

9) (more accurate) [description, view] migliore

in order to get a better look — per vedere meglio
2.
nome

1) (something preferable)

the better — il, la migliore (di due)

2) (more desirable state of affairs)

to deserve better — meritare di meglio

hope for better — sperare per il meglio

so much the better — tanto meglio, ancora meglio

all the better — molto meglio

a change for the better — un miglioramento

to change for the better — migliorare, cambiare in meglio

3) (superior person)

my betters — (in rank) i miei superiori; (in merit) quelli migliori di me

••

for better (or) for worse — comunque vada, in ogni caso; (in wedding vow) nella buona e nella cattiva sorte

to get the better of — avere la meglio su [ enemy]

the problem got the better of her — non è riuscita a risolvere il problema

to go one better — fare ancora meglio ( than di)
••
Note:

When better is used as an adjective, it is translated by migliore or meglio depending on the context (see below, and note that migliore is the comparative form of buono, meglio the comparative form of bene). The choice between migliore e meglio in the construction to be better than depends on whether buono or bene would be used originally with the noun. - Other constructions translate as follows: this is a better bag / car = questa borsa / auto è migliore; it is better to do = è meglio farlo. - For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below
II ['betə(r)]
avverbio (compar. di 2.well)

1) (more adequately) meglio, in modo migliore

to behave better than — comportarsi meglio di

better made, organized than — fatto, organizzato meglio di

better behaved, educated — più educato, istruito

to be better tempered — avere un carattere migliore

to do better — (in career, life) riuscire, meglio; (in exam, essay) fare meglio, ottenere migliori risultati; (in health) andare meglio

the better to see, hear — per vedere, sentire meglio

2) (more appropriately) meglio

it couldn't have been better timed — non sarebbe potuto succedere in un momento migliore

the money would be better spent on — sarebbe meglio spendere il denaro per

you had better do o you'd better do faresti meglio a fare; I'd better go è meglio che vada; "will she come?" - "she'd better!" o "she better!" colloq. "verrà?" - "sarà meglio! better still,... — meglio ancora

••

to think better of it — cambiare idea, ripensarci

to think better of sb. — farsi un'opinione migliore di qcn
III 1. ['betə(r)]
verbo transitivo migliorare [ one's performance]; superare, fare meglio di [ rival's performance]
2.
verbo riflessivo

to better oneself — migliorare le proprie condizioni (sociali)

* * *
['betə]
comparative; = good

* * *
I 1. ['betə(r)]
aggettivo (compar. di 1.good)

1) (more pleasing)

playing is better than watching — è meglio giocare che guardare

to get better — migliorare

the weather is no better — il tempo non è migliorato

things are getting better — le cose vanno meglio

to look, taste, smell better — avere un aspetto, sapore, odore migliore

that's better! — così va meglio!

2) (recovered)

to be better — [patient, cold] andare meglio

to feel all the better for — sentirsi meglio dopo [rest, meal]

3) (happier) [ mood] migliore

I'd feel better if you didn't do — sarei più contento se tu non facessi

if it makes you feel any better — se ti fa sentire meglio

I feel better about doing — (less nervous) mi sento più a mio agio a fare; (less worried) mi faccio meno problemi a fare

4) (of superior quality) (di qualità) migliore, superiore

one of the better schools — una delle migliori scuole

they sent him to a better school — l'hanno mandato in una scuola migliore

5) (more virtuous) migliore

you're a better man than I am! — sei migliore di me!

to be no better than a thief — non essere (altro) che un ladro

6) (more skilled) [doctor, teacher] migliore

to be a better swimmer than sb. — nuotare meglio di qcn.

to be better at — essere più bravo in [subject, sport]

to be better at doing — essere più bravo a fare

he's no better at driving than she is — non guida meglio di lei

7) (more suitable) [way, excuse, choice] migliore

to be better for doing — andare meglio per fare

to be better than nothing — essere meglio che niente

the sooner, bigger the better — prima è, più grande è meglio è

the less said about that the better — meno se ne parla, meglio è

who better to play the part? — chi meglio di lui potrebbe fare la parte?

8) (more beneficial)

swimming is better for you than running — a te fa meglio il nuoto della corsa

9) (more accurate) [description, view] migliore

in order to get a better look — per vedere meglio
2.
nome

1) (something preferable)

the better — il, la migliore (di due)

2) (more desirable state of affairs)

to deserve better — meritare di meglio

hope for better — sperare per il meglio

so much the better — tanto meglio, ancora meglio

all the better — molto meglio

a change for the better — un miglioramento

to change for the better — migliorare, cambiare in meglio

3) (superior person)

my betters — (in rank) i miei superiori; (in merit) quelli migliori di me

••

for better (or) for worse — comunque vada, in ogni caso; (in wedding vow) nella buona e nella cattiva sorte

to get the better of — avere la meglio su [ enemy]

the problem got the better of her — non è riuscita a risolvere il problema

to go one better — fare ancora meglio ( than di)
••
Note:

When better is used as an adjective, it is translated by migliore or meglio depending on the context (see below, and note that migliore is the comparative form of buono, meglio the comparative form of bene). The choice between migliore e meglio in the construction to be better than depends on whether buono or bene would be used originally with the noun. - Other constructions translate as follows: this is a better bag / car = questa borsa / auto è migliore; it is better to do = è meglio farlo. - For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below
II ['betə(r)]
avverbio (compar. di 2.well)

1) (more adequately) meglio, in modo migliore

to behave better than — comportarsi meglio di

better made, organized than — fatto, organizzato meglio di

better behaved, educated — più educato, istruito

to be better tempered — avere un carattere migliore

to do better — (in career, life) riuscire, meglio; (in exam, essay) fare meglio, ottenere migliori risultati; (in health) andare meglio

the better to see, hear — per vedere, sentire meglio

2) (more appropriately) meglio

it couldn't have been better timed — non sarebbe potuto succedere in un momento migliore

the money would be better spent on — sarebbe meglio spendere il denaro per

you had better do o you'd better do faresti meglio a fare; I'd better go è meglio che vada; "will she come?" - "she'd better!" o "she better!" colloq. "verrà?" - "sarà meglio! better still,... — meglio ancora

••

to think better of it — cambiare idea, ripensarci

to think better of sb. — farsi un'opinione migliore di qcn
III 1. ['betə(r)]
verbo transitivo migliorare [ one's performance]; superare, fare meglio di [ rival's performance]
2.
verbo riflessivo

to better oneself — migliorare le proprie condizioni (sociali)

English-Italian dictionary > better
2 enough

[ɪ'nʌf] I
avverbio abbastanza, sufficientemente

big enough for us — abbastanza grande per noi

big enough to hold 50 people — abbastanza grande per contenere 50 persone

to eat enough — mangiare abbastanza

it's a common enough complaint — è un reclamo piuttosto frequente

you're not trying hard enough — ci stai provando senza sforzarti abbastanza

is he old enough to vote? — ha l'età per votare?

curiously enough, I like her — per quanto possa sembrare strano, mi piace

she said she would do it and sure enough she did — disse che l'avrebbe fatto e così è stato
II 1.
determinante abbastanza, sufficiente

enough money, seats — abbastanza soldi, sedie
2.
pronome

will that be enough (money)? — basterà?

there's more than enough for everybody — ce n'è più che a sufficienza per tutti

is there enough? — ce n'è abbastanza?

have you had enough to eat? — avete mangiato a sufficienza?

I've had enough of him — ne ho abbastanza di lui

I've had enough of working for one day — ho lavorato abbastanza per oggi

I've got enough to worry about — ho già abbastanza preoccupazioni

I think you have said enough — penso che tu abbia parlato abbastanza

once was enough for me! — una volta mi è bastata!

that's enough (from you)! — basta!

enough said! — ho capito!

enough's enough — basta così

••

enough is as good as a feast — prov. il troppo stroppia
••
Note:

When used as a determiner or a pronoun, enough is generally translated by abbastanza, which may either precede or follow the noun: we haven't bought enough meat = non abbiamo comprato abbastanza carne; there's enough meat for two meals / six people = c'è carne abbastanza per due pasti / sei persone; have you got enough chairs? = avete abbastanza sedie? will there be enough? = ce ne sarà abbastanza? (note that if the sentence does not specify what there is enough of, the pronoun ne, meaning of it / of them, must be added before the verb in Italian). - For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below

* * *
1. adjective
(in the number or quantity etc needed: Have you enough money to pay for the books?; food enough for everyone.) abbastanza
2. pronoun
(the amount needed: He has had enough to eat; I've had enough of her rudeness.) abbastanza
3. adverb
1) (to the degree needed: Is it hot enough?; He swam well enough to pass the test.) abbastanza

2) (one must admit; you must agree: She's pretty enough, but not beautiful; Oddly enough, it isn't raining.) abbastanza

* * *
[ɪ'nʌf] I
avverbio abbastanza, sufficientemente

big enough for us — abbastanza grande per noi

big enough to hold 50 people — abbastanza grande per contenere 50 persone

to eat enough — mangiare abbastanza

it's a common enough complaint — è un reclamo piuttosto frequente

you're not trying hard enough — ci stai provando senza sforzarti abbastanza

is he old enough to vote? — ha l'età per votare?

curiously enough, I like her — per quanto possa sembrare strano, mi piace

she said she would do it and sure enough she did — disse che l'avrebbe fatto e così è stato
II 1.
determinante abbastanza, sufficiente

enough money, seats — abbastanza soldi, sedie
2.
pronome

will that be enough (money)? — basterà?

there's more than enough for everybody — ce n'è più che a sufficienza per tutti

is there enough? — ce n'è abbastanza?

have you had enough to eat? — avete mangiato a sufficienza?

I've had enough of him — ne ho abbastanza di lui

I've had enough of working for one day — ho lavorato abbastanza per oggi

I've got enough to worry about — ho già abbastanza preoccupazioni

I think you have said enough — penso che tu abbia parlato abbastanza

once was enough for me! — una volta mi è bastata!

that's enough (from you)! — basta!

enough said! — ho capito!

enough's enough — basta così

••

enough is as good as a feast — prov. il troppo stroppia
••
Note:

When used as a determiner or a pronoun, enough is generally translated by abbastanza, which may either precede or follow the noun: we haven't bought enough meat = non abbiamo comprato abbastanza carne; there's enough meat for two meals / six people = c'è carne abbastanza per due pasti / sei persone; have you got enough chairs? = avete abbastanza sedie? will there be enough? = ce ne sarà abbastanza? (note that if the sentence does not specify what there is enough of, the pronoun ne, meaning of it / of them, must be added before the verb in Italian). - For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below

English-Italian dictionary > enough
3 better

I.

better n parieur/-ieuse m/f.

II.

better

❢ When better is used as an adjective it is translated by meilleur or mieux depending on the context (see below, and note that meilleur is the comparative form of bon, mieux the comparative form of bien). The choice between meilleur and mieux in the construction to be better than depends on whether bon or bien would be used originally with the noun. Other constructions translate as follows: this is a better bag/car = ce sac/cette voiture est mieux ; it is better to do = il vaut mieux faire or il est mieux de faire. As an adverb, better can almost always be translated by mieux. For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below.

A n

1 (something preferable, more excellent) the better le/la meilleur/-e m/f ; much ou by far the better of the two de loin le/la meilleur/-e des deux ;

2 ( more desirable state of affairs) to deserve/expect/hope for better mériter/attendre/espérer mieux ; so much the better, all the better tant mieux ; a change ou turn for the better une amélioration ; to change ou take a turn for the better s'améliorer ; the weather changed, and not for the better le temps a changé, et pas en mieux ;

3 ( superior person) one's betters ses supérieurs mfpl.

B adj ( comparative of good)

1 (more pleasing, satisfactory) [weather, day, news, joke, forecast, review, salary, price, range] meilleur ; [party, game, book, film, activity] mieux ; playing is better than watching jouer, c'est mieux que de regarder ; to get better s'améliorer ; the weather is no better le temps n'est pas meilleur or ne s'est pas amélioré ; things are getting better ça va mieux ; ‘good news?’-‘it couldn't be better!’ ‘bonnes nouvelles?’-‘on ne peut meilleures!’ ; to look/sound better être/sonner mieux ; to taste/smell better être/sentir meilleur, avoir un/-e meilleur/-e goût/odeur ; it would taste all the better for some salt ce serait meilleur avec du sel ; it looked all the better for it cela n'en était que mieux ; that's better! voilà qui est mieux! ;

2 (well, recovered) to be better [patient, cold, headache] aller mieux ; to feel all the better for se sentir mieux après [rest, meal] ; better than I/it was mieux qu'avant ;

3 ( happier) [mood] meilleur ; to feel better se sentir mieux ; I'd feel better if you did/didn't do je me sentirais mieux si tu faisais/ne faisais pas ; if it makes you feel any better ( less worried or awkward) si ça t'aide à te sentir mieux ; ( less sad) si ça peut te consoler ; to feel better about doing ( less nervous) se sentir à même de faire ; (less worried, guilty) avoir moins de scrupules à faire ;

4 (of superior quality, class) [food, result, film, book, quality] meilleur ; [car, carpet, district, family] mieux ; [land, school, hotel] meilleur, mieux ; [coat, shoes, furniture] de meilleure qualité ; one of the better schools une des meilleures écoles ; he went to a better school than I did ou than me il est allé dans une école meilleure que la mienne ;

5 (more virtuous, commendable) [person] mieux ; [life, influence, nature] meilleur ; to be a better man/woman than être mieux que ; you're a better man than I am! tu es mieux que moi! ; to be no better than sb ne pas être mieux que qn ; to be no better than a thief être un voleur ni plus ni moins ;

6 ( more skilled) [doctor, actor, teacher] meilleur ; to be a better poet than sb être meilleur poète que qn ; to be a better swimmer than sb nager mieux que qn ; to be a better singer than dancer chanter mieux que l'on ne danse ; to be a better father than husband être meilleur père que mari ; to be better at être meilleur en [subject, sport] ; to be better at doing faire mieux ; he's no better at driving than she is ou than her il ne conduit pas mieux qu'elle ;

7 (more suitable, valid, appropriate) [tune, tool, way, word, idea, example, reason, excuse, choice] meilleur ; to be better for être meilleur pour [purpose, task] ; to be better for doing être mieux pour faire ; to be better than nothing être mieux que rien ; better a part-time job than no job mieux vaut un travail à mi-temps que pas de travail ; the bigger/sooner the better le plus grand/vite possible ; the faster you work the better plus tu travailles vite, mieux ça vaudra ; the less said about that the better mieux vaut ne pas parler de ça ; who better to play the part? qui mieux pourrait jouer le rôle? ; where/how better to do…? quel meilleur endroit/moyen pour faire…? ;

8 ( more beneficial) [exercise, food] meilleur ; swimming is better for you than running nager est meilleur pour la santé que courir ;

9 ( more accurate) [description, recollection, view, understanding] meilleur ; in order to get a better look pour mieux voir ; to be a better likeness être plus ressemblant.

C adv ( comparative of well)

1 ( more adequately or excellently) mieux ; to fit/behave better than aller/se comporter mieux que ; better made/organized than mieux fait/organisé que ; to think better of sb avoir une meilleure opinion de qn ; better behaved/educated plus sage/cultivé ; to be better tempered/mannered avoir meilleur caractère/de meilleures manières ; to do better (in career, life) réussir mieux ; (in exam, essay) faire mieux ; ( in health) aller mieux ; ‘could do better’ ‘pourrait or peut mieux faire’ ; the better to see/hear pour mieux voir/entendre ; the more she talked, the better I understood plus elle parlait, mieux je comprenais ;

2 ( more advisably or appropriately) mieux ; it couldn't have been better timed ça n'aurait pu mieux tomber ; the money would be better spent on il vaudrait mieux dépenser l'argent en ; he is better left alone il vaut mieux le laisser seul ; you would be better advised to do tu serais mieux avisé de faire ; you would do better to do tu ferais mieux de faire ; you had better do, you'd better do ( advising) tu ferais mieux de faire ; ( warning) tu as intérêt à faire ; I'd better go je ferais mieux de m'en aller ; ‘will she come?’-‘she'd better! ou she better ○ !’ ‘est-ce qu'elle viendra?’-‘elle a intérêt!’ ; ‘will it be open?’-‘it had better be! ou it better had be! ou it better be ○ !’ ‘est-ce que ça sera ouvert?’-‘il y a intérêt!’ ; ‘more cake?’-‘I'd better not’ ‘encore du gâteau?’-‘non merci’ ; ‘shall I come?’-‘better not’ ‘est-ce que je viens?’-‘il vaut mieux pas’ ; better still,… ou mieux,…

D vtr

1 ( surpass) améliorer [score, one's performance, achievement] ; faire mieux que [rival's performance, achievement] ; to better sb's offer offrir un meilleur prix que qn ;

2 ( improve) améliorer [condition, quality].

E v refl to better oneself améliorer sa condition.

Idioms

for better (or) for worse gen advienne que pourra ; ( in wedding vow) pour le meilleur et pour le pire ; to get the better of [person] triompher de, vaincre [enemy, opponent, problem] ; his curiosity got the better of him sa curiosité a pris le dessus ; the problem got the better of her le problème l'a dépassée ; to go one better faire encore mieux (than que) ; to think better of it changer d'avis.

Big English-French dictionary > better
4 better

better [ˈbetə^r]

1. adjective

comparative of good meilleur

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

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

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

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

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

• that's better! voilà qui est mieux !

• a better class of hotel un hôtel de catégorie supérieure

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

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

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

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

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

• to hope for better things espérer mieux

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

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

• the weather is getting better le temps s'améliore

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

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

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

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

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

2. adverb

comparative of well mieux

• he sings better than you il chante mieux que toi

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

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

• all the better

• so much the better tant mieux

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

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

• better dressed mieux habillé

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

► had better

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

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

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

3. noun

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

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

• to get the better of sb triompher de qn

b. one's betters ses supérieurs mpl

4. transitive verb

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

• to better o.s. améliorer sa condition

* * *

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

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

1)

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

2) ( more desirable state of affairs)

to deserve/hope for better — mériter/espérer mieux

so much the better, all the better — tant mieux

to change for the better — s'améliorer

3) ( superior person)

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

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

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

things are getting better — ça va mieux

to taste better — être meilleur, avoir un meilleur goût

she looks better in red — elle est mieux en rouge

that's better! — voilà qui est mieux!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

to be better than nothing — être mieux que rien

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

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

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

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

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

better made/organized than — mieux fait/organisé que

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

better behaved/educated — plus sage/cultivé

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

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

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

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

you had better do —

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

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

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

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

••

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

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

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

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

to think better of it — changer d'avis

English-French dictionary > better
5 enough

enough [ɪˈnʌf]

1. adjective

assez (de)

• enough books assez de livres

• enough money assez d'argent

• I haven't got enough room je n'ai pas assez de place

• enough's enough! ça suffit comme ça !

• I've had enough (eating) j'ai assez mangé ; (fed up) j'en ai assez

• I've had more than enough wine j'ai bu un peu trop de vin

• there's more than enough for everyone il y en a largement assez pour tout le monde

• enough of this! ça suffit comme ça !

• enough said! (inf) assez parlé ! (inf)

• I think you have said enough je pense que vous en avez assez dit

• that's enough ça suffit

• this noise is enough to drive you mad ce bruit est à rendre fou

• I've got enough to worry about already j'ai assez de soucis comme ça

2. adverb

   a. ( = sufficiently) assez

• the proposed changes don't go far enough les changements proposés ne vont pas assez loin

• I was fool enough to believe him j'ai été assez bête pour le croire

• are you warm enough? avez-vous assez chaud ?

• we have waited long enough nous avons assez attendu

   b. ( = tolerably) assez

• he writes well enough il écrit assez bien

• it's good enough in its way ce n'est pas mal dans le genre (inf)

   c. (intensifying) funnily enough, I saw him too c'est curieux, moi aussi je l'ai vu

* * *
[ɪ'nʌf]
Note: When enough is used as an adverb or a pronoun, it is most frequently translated by assez: is the house big enough? = est-ce que la maison est assez grande? (Note that assez comes before the adjective); will there be enough? = est-ce qu'il y en aura assez? (Note that if the sentence does not specify what it is enough of, the pronoun en, meaning of it/of them, must be added before the verb in French.)

When used as a determiner, enough is generally translated by assez de: we haven't bought enough meat = nous n'avons pas acheté assez de viande; there's enough meat for two meals/six people = il y a assez de viande pour deux repas/six personnes; have you got enough chairs? = avez-vous assez de chaises?

For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below

adverb, determiner, pronoun assez

big enough for us — assez grand pour nous

big enough to hold 50 people — assez grand pour contenir 50 personnes

quite big enough — bien assez grand ( for pour; to do pour faire)

just wide enough — juste assez large ( for pour; to do pour faire)

to eat enough — manger assez

have you had enough to eat? — avez-vous assez mangé?

enough money/seats — assez d'argent/de sièges

there's more than enough for everybody — il y en a plus qu'assez or largement assez pour tout le monde

is there enough? — y en a-t-il assez?

is he old enough to vote? — a-t-il l'âge de voter?

you're not trying hard enough — tu ne fais pas assez d'efforts

curiously enough, I like her — aussi bizarre que cela puisse paraître, je l'aime bien

will that be enough (money)? — est-ce que ça suffira?

I've had enough of him — j'en ai assez de lui

I've had enough of working for one day — j'ai assez travaillé pour aujourd'hui

I've got enough to worry about — j'ai assez de soucis (comme ça)

I think you have said enough — je crois que vous en avez dit assez

once was enough for me! — une fois m'a suffi!

that's enough (from you)! — assez!

enough said! — j'ai compris!

she's a nice enough woman — elle n'est pas désagréable

enough's enough — ça suffit (comme ça)

and sure enough...! — et ça n'a pas manqué...!

••

enough is as good as a feast — Prov ≈ il ne faut pas abuser des bonnes choses

English-French dictionary > enough
6 after

after, US [transcription]["_ft\@r"]

❢ As both adverb and preposition, after is translated in most contexts by après: after the meal = après le repas ; H comes after G = H vient après G ; day after day = jour après jour ; just after 3 pm = juste après 15 heures ; three weeks after = trois semaines après. When after is used as a conjunction it is translated by après avoir (or être) + past participle where the two verbs have the same subject: after I've finished my book, I'll cook dinner = après avoir fini mon livre je vais préparer le dîner ; after he had consulted Bill ou after consulting Bill, he decided to accept the offer = après avoir consulté Bill, il a décidé d'accepter l'offre. When the two verbs have different subjects the translation is après que + indicative: I'll lend you the book after Fred has read it = je te prêterai le livre après que Fred l'aura lu. For more examples and particular usages see the entry below. See also the usage note on time units ⇒ Time units.

A adv

1 ( following time or event) après ; before and after avant et après ; soon ou shortly ou not long after peu après ; for weeks after pendant des semaines après ; straight after GB, right after US tout de suite après ;

2 ( following specific time) the week/year after la semaine/l'année suivante or d'après ; the day after le lendemain.

B prep

1 ( later in time than) après ; after the film après le film ; immediately after the strike aussitôt après la grève ; after that date ( in future) au-delà de cette date ; ( in past) après cette date ; shortly after 10 pm peu après 22 h ; it was after six o'clock il était six heures passées, il était plus de six heures ; after that après (cela) ; the day after tomorrow après-demain ; a ceremony after which there was a banquet une cérémonie après laquelle il y a eu un banquet ; he had breakfast as usual, after which he left il a pris son petit déjeuner comme d'habitude, après quoi il est parti ;

2 ( given) après ; after my attempt at milking, I was nervous après ma tentative de traire les vaches je n'étais pas très sûr de moi ; after the way he behaved après la façon dont il s'est conduit ; after all we did for you! après tout ce que nous avons fait pour toi! ;

3 ( in spite of) malgré, après ; after all the trouble I took labelling the package, it got lost malgré tout le mal que je me suis donné à étiqueter le paquet, il s'est perdu ; after what she's been through, she's still interested? malgré or après ce qu'elle a subi, ça l'intéresse toujours? ;

4 ( expressing contrast) après ; the film was disappointing after all the hype ○ après tout le battage ○ le film était décevant ; it's boring here after Paris après Paris, on s'ennuie ici ;

5 ( behind) to run ou chase after sb/sth courir après qn/qch ; please shut the gate after you refermez la grille derrière vous s'il vous plaît ;

6 ( following in sequence) après ; your name comes after mine on the list ton nom vient après le mien sur la liste ; the adjective comes after the noun l'adjectif vient après le nom ;

7 (following in rank, precedence) après ; she's next in line after Bob for promotion elle sera la prochaine après Bob à avoir une promotion ; he was placed third after Smith and Jones il est arrivé troisième après Smith et Jones ; after you! ( letting someone pass ahead) après vous! ;

8 ( in the direction of) to stare after sb regarder qn s'éloigner ; ‘don't forget!’ Mimi called after her ‘n'oublie pas!’ lui a crié Mimi ;

9 ( in the wake of) derrière ; I'm not tidying up after you! je n'ai pas l'intention de ranger derrière toi! ;

10 ( in pursuit of) to be after sth chercher qch ; that's the house they're after c'est la maison qu'ils veulent acheter ; the police are after him il est recherché par la police ; to come ou go after sb poursuivre qn ; he'll come after me il va essayer de me retrouver ; it's me he's after ( to settle score) c'est à moi qu'il en veut ; I wonder what she's after? je me demande ce qu'elle veut? ; I think he's after my job je pense qu'il veut (me) prendre ma place ; to be after sb ○ ( sexually) s'intéresser à qn ;

11 ( beyond) après ; about 400 metres after the crossroads environ 400 mètres après le carrefour ;

12 (stressing continuity, repetitiveness) day after day jour après jour ; generation after generation génération après génération ; time after time maintes et maintes fois ; mile after mile of bush des kilomètres et des kilomètres de brousse ; it was one disaster after another on a eu catastrophe sur catastrophe ;

13 ( about) to ask after sb demander des nouvelles de qn ;

14 ( in honour or memory of) to name a child after sb donner à un enfant le nom de qn ; named after James Joyce [monument, street, institution, pub] portant le nom de James Joyce ; we called her Kate after my mother nous l'avons appelée Kate comme ma mère ;

15 ( in the manner of) ‘after Millet’ ‘d'après Millet’ ; it's a painting after Klee c'est un tableau fait à la manière de Klee ; ⇒ fashion A 1 ;

16 US ( past) it's twenty after eleven il est onze heures vingt.

C conj

1 ( in sequence of events) après avoir or être (+ pp), après que (+ indic) ; don't go for a swim too soon after eating ne va pas nager trop tôt après avoir mangé ; after we had left we realized that après être partis nous nous sommes rendu compte que ; after she had confessed to the murder, he was released après qu'elle a avoué le meurtre, il a été relâché ; we return the bottles after they have been washed nous retournons les bouteilles après qu'elles ont été lavées ;

2 ( given that) after hearing all about him we want to meet him après tout ce que nous avons entendu sur lui nous voulons le rencontrer ; after you explained the situation they didn't call the police une fois que tu leur as expliqué la situation ils n'ont pas appelé la police ;

3 ( in spite of the fact that) why did he do that after we'd warned him of the consequences? pourquoi a-t-il fait ça alors que nous l'avions prévenu des conséquences?

D afters ○ npl GB dessert m ; what's for afters? qu'est-ce qu'il y a comme dessert?

E after all adv, prep

1 ( when reinforcing point) après tout ; after all, nobody forced you to leave après tout personne ne t'a obligé à partir ;

2 (when reassessing stance, opinion) après tout, finalement ; it wasn't such a bad idea after all après tout or finalement ce n'était pas une si mauvaise idée ; he decided not to stay after all finalement il a décidé de ne pas rester.

Big English-French dictionary > after
7 after

after [ˈα:ftə^r]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► When after is an element in a phrasal verb, eg look after, take after, look up the verb.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. preposition

   a. après

• after that après cela

• after dinner après le dîner

• after this date passé cette date

• after a week au bout d'une semaine

• shortly after 10 o'clock peu après 10 heures

• it was after 2 o'clock il était plus de 2 heures

• it was 20 after 3 (US) il était 3 heures 20

• after seeing her après l'avoir vue

• after which he... après quoi il...

• after what has happened après ce qui s'est passé

• the noun comes after the verb le substantif vient après le verbe

• after you, sir après vous, Monsieur

► after all après tout

• after all I said to him après tout ce que je lui ai dit

• after all I've done for you! après tout ce que j'ai fait pour toi !

   b. (place) come in and shut the door after you entrez et fermez la porte derrière vous

   c. (succession) day after day jour après jour

• for kilometre after kilometre sur des kilomètres et des kilomètres

• kilometre after kilometre of forest des kilomètres et des kilomètres de forêt

• she gave one excuse after another elle a avancé une excuse après l'autre

• time after time maintes fois

• he ate 3 biscuits, one after the other il a mangé 3 biscuits l'un après l'autre

   d. (pursuit) to be after sb/sth chercher qn/qch ; (after loss, disappearance) rechercher qn/qch

• the police are after him il est recherché par la police

• what are you after? (inf) ( = want) qu'est-ce que vous voulez ? ; ( = have in mind) qu'avez-vous en tête ?

2. adverb

après

• for years after pendant des années après cela

• soon after bientôt après

• the week after la semaine d'après

• what comes after? qu'est-ce qui vient ensuite ?

3. conjunction

après que

• after he had closed the door, she spoke après qu'il eut fermé la porte, elle a parlé

• after he had closed the door, he spoke après avoir fermé la porte, il a parlé

4. plural noun

(British)

afters (inf) ( = dessert) dessert m

• what's for afters? qu'est-ce qu'il y a comme dessert ?

5. compounds

► after-sales adjective [service] après-vente

► after-sales service noun service m après-vente

► after-school adjective [activities] extrascolaire

• after-school club or center (British, US) garderie f ► after-sun adjective [lotion, cream] après-soleil noun ( = lotion) lotion f après-soleil ; ( = cream) crème f après-soleil

* * *

Note: As both adverb and preposition, after is translated in most contexts by après: after the meal = après le repas; H comes after G = H vient après G; day after day = jour après jour; just after 3 pm = juste après 15 heures; three weeks after = trois semaines après

When after is used as a conjunction it is translated by après avoir (or être) + past participle where the two verbs have the same subject: after I finished my book, I cooked dinner = après avoir fini mon livre j'ai préparé le dîner; after he had consulted Bill or after consulting Bill, he decided to accept the offer = après avoir consulté Bill, il a décidé d'accepter l'offre

When the two verbs have different subjects the translation is après que + indicative: I'll lend you the book after Fred has read it = je te prêterai le livre après que Fred l'aura lu

For more examples and particular usages see the entry below

See also the usage note on time units
['ɑːftə(r)], US ['æftər] 1.
adverb

1) ( following time or event) après

soon ou not long after — peu après

straight after — GB

right after — US tout de suite après

2) ( following specific time)

the year after — l'année suivante or d'après

the day after — le lendemain
2.
preposition

1) ( later in time than) après

immediately/shortly after the strike — aussitôt/peu après la grève

after that date — ( in future) au-delà de cette date; ( in past) après cette date

it was after six o'clock — il était plus de six heures

after that — après (cela)

the day after tomorrow — après-demain

2) ( given) après

after all we did! — après tout ce que nous avons fait!

after what she's been through? — malgré or après ce qu'elle a subi?

3) ( expressing contrast) après

it's boring here after Paris — après Paris, on s'ennuie ici

4) ( behind)

to chase after somebody/something — courir après quelqu'un/quelque chose

to tidy up after somebody — ranger derrière quelqu'un

5) (following in sequence, rank) après

the adjective comes after the noun — l'adjectif vient après le nom

after you! — ( letting someone pass ahead) après vous!

6) ( in the direction of)

to stare after somebody — regarder quelqu'un s'éloigner

‘don't forget!’ Mimi called after her — ‘n'oublie pas!’ lui a crié Mimi

7) ( in pursuit of)

that's the house they're after — c'est la maison qu'ils veulent acheter

the police are after him — il est recherché par la police

he'll come after me — il va essayer de me retrouver

it's me he's after — ( to settle score) c'est à moi qu'il en veut

to be after somebody — (colloq) ( sexually) s'intéresser à quelqu'un

8) ( beyond) après

9) ( stressing continuity)

generation after generation — génération après génération

year after year — tous les ans

it was one disaster after another — on a eu catastrophe sur catastrophe

10) ( about)

to ask after somebody — demander des nouvelles de quelqu'un

11) ( in honour or memory of)

named after — [street, institution] portant le nom de

we called her Kate after my mother — nous l'avons appelée Kate comme ma mère

12) ( in the manner of)

‘after Millet’ — ‘d'après Millet’

13) US ( past)

it's twenty after eleven — il est onze heures vingt
3.
conjunction

1) ( in sequence of events) après avoir or être (+ pp), après que (+ indic)

after we had left we realized that — après être partis nous nous sommes rendu compte que

2) ( once)

after you explained the situation they left — une fois que tu leur as expliqué la situation ils sont partis

3) ( in spite of the fact that)

why did he do that after we'd warned him? — pourquoi a-t-il fait ça alors que nous l'avions prévenu?
4.
afters (colloq) plural noun GB dessert m
5.
after all adverb, preposition après tout

English-French dictionary > after
8 enough

enough

❢ When enough is used as an adverb or a pronoun, it is most frequently translated by assez: is the house big enough? = est-ce que la maison est assez grande? (Note that assez comes before the adjective) ; will there be enough? = est-ce qu'il y en aura assez? Note that if the sentence does not specify what it is enough of, the pronoun en, meaning of it/of them, must be added before the verb in French.

When used as a determiner, enough is generally translated by assez de: we haven't bought enough meat = nous n'avons pas acheté assez de viande ; there's enough meat for two meals/six people = il y a assez de viande pour deux repas/six personnes ; have you got enough chairs? = avez-vous assez de chaises? For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below. adv, det, pron assez ; tall/sweet enough assez grand/sucré ; big enough for us assez grand pour nous ; big enough to hold 50 people assez grand pour contenir 50 personnes ; quite big enough bien assez grand (for pour ; to do pour faire) ; just wide enough juste assez large (for pour ; to do pour faire) ; to eat/have enough manger/en avoir assez ; have you had enough to eat? avez-vous assez mangé? ; enough money/seats assez d'argent/de sièges ; he has enough money to buy a car il a assez d'argent pour acheter une voiture ; there's more than enough for everybody il y en a plus qu'assez or largement assez pour tout le monde ; she seems happy enough elle a l'air assez heureuse ; it's a common enough complaint c'est un sujet de plainte assez courant ; there was hardly enough il y en avait à peine assez ; is there enough? y en a-t-il assez? ; is he old enough to vote? a-t-il l'âge de voter? ; you're not trying hard enough tu ne fais pas assez d'efforts ; curiously enough, I like her aussi bizarre que cela puisse paraître, je l'aime bien ; will that be enough (money)? est-ce que ça suffira? ; I've had enough of him/of his rudeness j'en ai assez de lui/de sa grossièreté ; I've had enough of working for one day j'ai assez travaillé pour aujourd'hui ; I've got enough to worry about j'ai assez de soucis (comme ça) ; I think you have said enough je crois que vous en avez dit assez ; once was enough for me! une fois m'a suffi! ; that's enough (from you)! assez! ; enough said! j'ai compris! ; it's enough to put you off ça suffirait à vous dégoûter ; he's enough of a fool ou he's fool enough to believe it il est suffisamment or assez bête pour le croire ; she's a nice enough woman elle n'est pas désagréable ; enough's enough ça suffit (comme ça) ; and sure enough…! et ça n'a pas manqué…!

Idiom

enough is as good as a feast Prov ≈ il ne faut pas abuser des bonnes choses.

Big English-French dictionary > enough
9 until

until [ənˈtɪl]

1. preposition

jusqu'à

• until such time as... (in future) jusqu'à ce que... + subj en attendant que... + subj ; (in past) avant que... + subj

• until the next day jusqu'au lendemain

• until now jusqu'à maintenant

• until then jusque-là

• not until (in future) pas avant ; (in past) ne... que

• it won't be ready until tomorrow ce ne sera pas prêt avant demain

• he didn't leave until the following day il n'est parti que le lendemain

• I had heard nothing of it until five minutes ago j'en ai entendu parler pour la première fois il y a cinq minutes

2. conjunction

(in future) jusqu'à ce que + subj, en attendant que + subj ; (in past) avant que + subj

• wait until I come attendez que je vienne

• until they build the new road en attendant qu'ils fassent la nouvelle route

• until they built the new road avant qu'ils (ne) fassent la nouvelle route

• he laughed until he cried il a ri aux larmes

• not until (in future) tant que... ne + indic pas ; (in past) tant que... ne + indic pas

• do nothing until I tell you ne faites rien tant que je ne vous l'aurai pas dit

• do nothing until you get my letter ne faites rien avant d'avoir reçu ma lettre

• wait until you get my letter attendez d'avoir reçu ma lettre

* * *

Note: When used as a preposition in positive sentences until is translated by jusqu'à: they're staying until Monday = ils restent jusqu'à lundi

Remember that jusqu'à + le becomes jusqu'au and jusqu'à + les becomes jusqu'aux: until the right moment = jusqu'au bon moment; until the exams = jusqu'aux examens

In negative sentences not until is translated by ne...pas avant: I can't see you until Friday = je ne peux pas vous voir avant vendredi

When used as a conjunction in positive sentences until is translated by jusqu'à ce que + subjunctive: we'll stay here until Maya comes back = nous resterons ici jusqu'à ce que Maya revienne

In negative sentences where the two verbs have different subjects not until is translated by ne...pas avant que + subjunctive: we won't leave until Maya comes back = nous ne partirons pas avant que Maya revienne

In negative sentences where the two verbs have the same subject not until is translated by ne...pas avant de + infinitive: we won't leave until we've seen Claire = nous ne partirons pas avant d'avoir vu Claire

For more examples and particular usages see the entry below
[ən'tɪl] 1.
preposition

1) (also till) ( up to a specific time) jusqu'à; ( after negative verb) avant

until Tuesday — jusqu'à mardi

until the sixties — jusqu'aux années soixante

until very recently — il n'y a encore pas si longtemps

until a year ago — jusqu'à il y a un an

until now — jusqu'à présent

until then — jusqu'à ce moment-là, jusque-là

(up) until 1901 — jusqu'en or jusqu'à 1901

valid (up) until April 1993 — valable jusqu'en avril 1993

until the day he died — jusqu'à sa mort

until well after midnight — bien au-delà de minuit

to wait until after Easter — attendre après Pâques

from Monday until Saturday — du lundi au samedi

put it off until tomorrow — remets-le à demain

until such time as you find work — jusqu'à ce que tu trouves (subj) du travail, en attendant que tu trouves (subj) du travail

I won't know until Tuesday — je n'aurai pas la réponse avant mardi

they didn't ring until the following day — ils n'ont pas appelé avant le lendemain

it wasn't until the 50's that... — ce n'est qu'à partir des années cinquante que...

2) ( as far as) jusqu'à
2.
conjunction (also till) jusqu'à ce que (+ subj); ( in negative constructions) avant que (+ subj), avant de (+ infinitive)

we'll stay until a solution is reached — nous resterons jusqu'à ce que nous trouvions une solution

let's watch TV until they arrive — regardons la télévision en attendant qu'ils arrivent (subj)

things won't improve until we have democracy — la situation ne s'améliorera pas tant que nous ne serons pas en démocratie

stir mixture until (it is) smooth — Culinary mélangez bien jusqu'à obtenir une pâte lisse

until you are dead — Law jusqu'à ce que mort s'ensuive

wait until I get back — attends que je rentre (subj)

I'll wait until I get back — j'attendrai d'être rentré ( before doing pour faire)

she waited until she was alone/they were alone — elle a attendu d'être seule/qu'ils soient seuls

don't look until I tell you to — ne regarde pas avant que je te le dise

you can't leave until you've completed the course — tu ne peux pas partir avant d'avoir fini le stage

English-French dictionary > until
10 used

used

1. adjective

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

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

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

   d. ( = accustomed)

► used to

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

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

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

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

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

2. compounds

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

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

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

* * *

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

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

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

I used to do — je faisais

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

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

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

it used to be thought that — avant on pensait que

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

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

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

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

to get used to — s'habituer à

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

to get used to doing — s'habituer à faire

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

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

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

English-French dictionary > used
11 used

I.

used prét, pp, pp adj ⇒ use B C, D.

II.

used

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

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

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

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

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

Big English-French dictionary > used
12 yours

[jɔːz, jʊəz]
pronome (of one person: informal) (il) tuo, (la) tua; (of one person: polite) (il) suo, (la) sua; (of more than one person) (il) vostro, (la) vostra

my car is red but yours is blue — la mia auto è rossa ma la tua, sua, vostra è blu

which house is yours? — qual è la tua, sua, vostra casa?

he's a friend of yours — è un tuo, suo, vostro amico

it's not yours — non è tuo, suo, vostro

the money wasn't yours to give away — non dovevi, doveva, dovevate dare soldi non tuoi, non suoi, non vostri

yours was not an easy task — il tuo, suo, vostro non è stato un compito facile

I'm fed up with that dog of yours! — colloq. sono stufo di quel tuo, vostro cagnaccio!
••
Note:

In Italian, possessive pronouns have the same forms as the corresponding adjectives, are usually preceded by an article, and reflect the gender and number of the noun they are standing for. So yours is translated by il tuo, la tua, i tuoi, le tue, according to what is being referred to: my book and yours = il mio libro e il tuo; the blue car is yours = la macchina blu è la tua; his children are younger than yours = i suoi bambini sono più giovani dei tuoi; my shoes are brown, while yours are black = le mie scarpe sono marroni, mentre le tue sono nere. - When yours is used to refer to more than one person, it is translated by il vostro, la vostra, i vostri, le vostre, according to what is being referred to: my boss and yours = il mio capo e il vostro; this room is yours = questa stanza è la vostra; their children are younger than yours = i loro bambini sono più giovani dei vostri; my shoes are brown, while yours are black = le mie scarpe sono marroni, mentre le vostre sono nere. - When yours is used as a polite form when speaking to anyone you do not know very well, it is translated by il Suo, la Sua, i Suoi, le Sue, according to what is being referred to: my book and yours = il mio libro e il Suo; the blue car is yours = la macchina blu è la Sua; my children are younger than yours = i miei bambini sono più giovani dei Suoi; my shoes are brown, while yours are black = le mie scarpe sono marroni, mentre le Sue sono nere. - Yours can also be used as a polite form when speaking to more than one person; in this case, the Italian equivalent is il Loro, la Loro, i Loro or le Loro according to the gender and number of the noun referred to: my taxi and yours are waiting outside = il mio taxi e il Loro stanno aspettando fuori. - For a full note on the use of the tu, voi and Lei forms in Italian, see the entry you. - Since Italian possessive adjectives, unlike English ones, may be preceded by an article, a demonstrative adjective or a numeral, an English possessive pronoun is often translated by an Italian possessive adjective: a cousin of yours = un tuo / vostro / Suo cugino; that school friend of yours = quel tuo / vostro / Suo compagno di scuola; four books of yours = quattro tuoi / vostri / Suoi libri. - For examples and particular usages, see the entry below

* * *
[jɔːz, jʊəz]
pronome (of one person: informal) (il) tuo, (la) tua; (of one person: polite) (il) suo, (la) sua; (of more than one person) (il) vostro, (la) vostra

my car is red but yours is blue — la mia auto è rossa ma la tua, sua, vostra è blu

which house is yours? — qual è la tua, sua, vostra casa?

he's a friend of yours — è un tuo, suo, vostro amico

it's not yours — non è tuo, suo, vostro

the money wasn't yours to give away — non dovevi, doveva, dovevate dare soldi non tuoi, non suoi, non vostri

yours was not an easy task — il tuo, suo, vostro non è stato un compito facile

I'm fed up with that dog of yours! — colloq. sono stufo di quel tuo, vostro cagnaccio!
••
Note:

In Italian, possessive pronouns have the same forms as the corresponding adjectives, are usually preceded by an article, and reflect the gender and number of the noun they are standing for. So yours is translated by il tuo, la tua, i tuoi, le tue, according to what is being referred to: my book and yours = il mio libro e il tuo; the blue car is yours = la macchina blu è la tua; his children are younger than yours = i suoi bambini sono più giovani dei tuoi; my shoes are brown, while yours are black = le mie scarpe sono marroni, mentre le tue sono nere. - When yours is used to refer to more than one person, it is translated by il vostro, la vostra, i vostri, le vostre, according to what is being referred to: my boss and yours = il mio capo e il vostro; this room is yours = questa stanza è la vostra; their children are younger than yours = i loro bambini sono più giovani dei vostri; my shoes are brown, while yours are black = le mie scarpe sono marroni, mentre le vostre sono nere. - When yours is used as a polite form when speaking to anyone you do not know very well, it is translated by il Suo, la Sua, i Suoi, le Sue, according to what is being referred to: my book and yours = il mio libro e il Suo; the blue car is yours = la macchina blu è la Sua; my children are younger than yours = i miei bambini sono più giovani dei Suoi; my shoes are brown, while yours are black = le mie scarpe sono marroni, mentre le Sue sono nere. - Yours can also be used as a polite form when speaking to more than one person; in this case, the Italian equivalent is il Loro, la Loro, i Loro or le Loro according to the gender and number of the noun referred to: my taxi and yours are waiting outside = il mio taxi e il Loro stanno aspettando fuori. - For a full note on the use of the tu, voi and Lei forms in Italian, see the entry you. - Since Italian possessive adjectives, unlike English ones, may be preceded by an article, a demonstrative adjective or a numeral, an English possessive pronoun is often translated by an Italian possessive adjective: a cousin of yours = un tuo / vostro / Suo cugino; that school friend of yours = quel tuo / vostro / Suo compagno di scuola; four books of yours = quattro tuoi / vostri / Suoi libri. - For examples and particular usages, see the entry below

English-Italian dictionary > yours
13 each other

pronome (anche one another)

they know each other — si conoscono

they're fond of each other — si vogliono molto bene

to help each other — aiutarsi l'un l'altro

they wear each other's clothes — si scambiano i vestiti

to worry about each other — preoccuparsi l'uno per l'altro

kept apart from each other — tenuti l'uno lontano dall'altro
••
Note:

Each other - which is never used as the subject of a sentence - is very often translated in Italian by using a reflexive pronoun. For examples and particular usages see the entry below

* * *

(used as the object when an action takes place between two (loosely, more than two) people etc: They wounded each other.) l'un l'altro

* * *

pronome (anche one another)

they know each other — si conoscono

they're fond of each other — si vogliono molto bene

to help each other — aiutarsi l'un l'altro

they wear each other's clothes — si scambiano i vestiti

to worry about each other — preoccuparsi l'uno per l'altro

kept apart from each other — tenuti l'uno lontano dall'altro
••
Note:

Each other - which is never used as the subject of a sentence - is very often translated in Italian by using a reflexive pronoun. For examples and particular usages see the entry below

English-Italian dictionary > each other
14 yours

yours [jʊəz]

possessive pronoun

le tien, la tienne les tiens, les tiennes le vôtre, la vôtre les vôtres

• this is my book and that is yours voici mon livre et voilà le tien or le vôtre

• this book is yours ce livre est à toi or à vous

• she is a cousin of yours c'est une de tes or de vos cousines

• it's no fault of yours ce n'est pas de votre faute (à vous)

• how's that thesis of yours getting on? (inf) et ta thèse, elle avance ? (inf)

• where's that husband of yours? (inf) où est passé ton mari ?

• that stupid son of yours (inf) ton or votre idiot de fils

• what's yours? (inf) (buying drinks) qu'est-ce que tu prends or vous prenez ?

* * *
[jɔːz], US [jʊərz]
Note: For a full note on the use of the vous and tu forms in French, see the entry you

In French, possessive pronouns reflect the gender and number of the noun they are standing for. When yours is referring to only one person it is translated by le vôtre, la vôtre, les vôtres or, more familiarly, le tien, la tienne, les tiens, les tiennes. When yours is referring to more than one person it is translated by le vôtre, la vôtre, les vôtres

For examples and particular usages see the entry below

pronoun

my car is red but yours is blue — ma voiture est rouge mais la vôtre or la tienne est bleue

which house is yours? — votre or ta maison c'est laquelle?

he's a colleague of yours — c'est un de vos or tes collègues

it's not yours — ce n'est pas à vous or à toi

the money wasn't yours to give away — vous n'aviez pas à donner cet argent

yours was not an easy task — votre tâche n'était pas facile

I'm fed up (colloq) with that dog of yours! — j'en ai marre de ton sale chien! (colloq)

English-French dictionary > yours
15 yours

yours, US [transcription][jU\\@rz]

❢ For a full note on the use of the vous and tu forms in French, see the entry you.

In French, possessive pronouns reflect the gender and number of the noun they are standing for. When yours is referring to only one person it is translated by le vôtre, la vôtre, les vôtres or, more familiarly, le tien, la tienne, les tiens, les tiennes. When yours is referring to more than one person it is translated by le vôtre, la vôtre, les vôtres. For examples and particular usages see the entry below. pron my car is red but yours is blue ma voiture est rouge mais la vôtre or la tienne est bleue ; which house is yours? votre maison c'est laquelle, ta maison c'est laquelle? ; he's a colleague of yours c'est un de vos or tes collègues ; it's not yours ce n'est pas à vous or à toi ; the money wasn't yours to give away vous n'aviez pas à donner cet argent ; yours was not an easy task votre tâche n'était pas facile ; I'm fed up ○ with that dog of yours! j'en ai marre de ton sale chien ○ !

Big English-French dictionary > yours
16 never

never [ˈnevə^r]

1. adverb

a. ne... jamais

• I never eat strawberries je ne mange jamais de fraises

• I have never seen him je ne l'ai jamais vu

• I've never seen him before je ne l'ai jamais vu

• he will never come back il ne reviendra jamais

• never in all my life jamais de ma vie

• I never heard such a thing! je n'ai jamais entendu une chose pareille !

► never... again (ne...) plus jamais

• never say that again ne répète jamais ça

• we'll never see her again on ne la reverra (plus) jamais

• never again! plus jamais !► never before

• never before had there been such a disaster jamais on n'avait connu tel désastre► never yet

• I have never yet been able to find... je n'ai encore jamais pu trouver...

b. (emphatic) that will never do! c'est inadmissible !

• I never slept a wink je n'ai pas fermé l'œil

• he never so much as smiled il n'a pas même souri

• he never said a word il n'a pas pipé mot

• never was a child more loved jamais enfant ne fut plus aimé

• I've left it behind! -- never! je l'ai oublié ! -- c'est pas vrai ! (inf)

• you must never ever come here again il n'est pas question que tu remettes les pieds ici

• well I never! (inf) ça alors ! (inf)

• never mind! ça ne fait rien !

2. compounds

► never-ending adjective interminable

* * *
['nevə(r)]
Note: When never is used to modify a verb ( she never wears a hat, I've never seen him) it is translated ne...jamais in French; ne comes before the verb, and before the auxiliary in compound tenses, and jamais comes after the verb or auxiliary: elle ne porte jamais de chapeau, je ne l'ai jamais vu

When never is used without a verb, it is translated by jamais alone: ‘admit it!’ - ‘never!’ = ‘avoue-le!’ - ‘jamais’

For examples and particular usages, see the entry below

adverb

1) ( not ever)

I never go to London — je ne vais jamais à Londres

she never says anything — elle ne dit jamais rien

I've never known him to be late — ce n'est pas le genre à être en retard

never have I seen such poverty — je n'ai jamais vu une telle pauvreté

it's now or never — c'est le moment ou jamais

never again — plus jamais

he never ever drinks alcohol — il ne boit absolument jamais d'alcool

never one to refuse a free meal, he agreed — il a accepté parce qu'il ne dit jamais non à un repas gratuit

never a day passes but he phones me — pas un jour ne passe sans qu'il me téléphone

2) ( as an emphatic negative)

he never said a word — il n'a rien dit

I never knew that — je ne le savais pas

he never so much as apologized — il ne s'est même pas excusé

she mustn't catch you crying! that would never do — il ne faut surtout pas qu'elle te voie pleurer

3) (expressing surprise, shock)

you're never 40! — GB ce n'est pas possible, tu n'as pas 40 ans!

you've never gone and broken it have you! — (colloq) GB ne me dis pas que tu l'as cassé!

never! — pas possible!

well I never (did)! — ça par exemple!

English-French dictionary > never
17 Little

I 1. ['lɪtl]
(compar. less; superl. least) quantisostantivo femminile

little chance — poche o scarse possibilità

there's so little time — c'è così poco tempo

too little money — troppo pochi soldi

there's little sense o point non ha molto senso; he speaks little German parla poco il tedesco; with no little difficulty non senza difficoltà; I see little of Paul these days — in questi giorni vedo Paul molto di rado
2.
pronome

I only ate a little — ne ho mangiato solo un po'

a little of the money — un po' del denaro

the little I saw — quel poco che ho visto

I did what little I could — ho fatto quel poco che ho potuto

he remembers very little — ricorda molto poco

little of what he says is true — poco di ciò che dice è vero

there's little I can do — non posso fare un granché

to have little to do with — c'entrare poco con

to do as little as possible — fare il meno possibile

to know little about — saper(ne) poco di

there's little to worry about — non c'è molto di che preoccuparsi

little of note — poco di interessante

it says very little for her — non depone molto a suo favore, non le fa molto onore

little or nothing — quasi nulla, praticamente niente

••

little by little — poco a poco, poco per volta, gradualmente

to make little of — (disparage) dare poca importanza a, non dare peso a [ victory]; (not understand) non capire molto, capirci poco di [ speech]
••
Note:

When little is used as a quantifier ( little time, little hope, little money, little chance), it is translated by poco / poca / pochi / poche: poco tempo, poca speranza, pochi soldi, poche possibilità. For examples and particular usages, see I below. - When a little is used as a pronoun ( give me a little), it is translated by un po' or un poco: dammene un po' / un poco. - When little is used alone as a pronoun ( there is little I can do), it is very often translated non... un granché: non posso fare un granché. - For examples of these and other uses of little as a pronoun ( to do as little as possible etc.), see the entry below. - For uses of little and a little as adverbs, see the entry below. - Note that less and least are treated as separate entries in the dictionary
II ['lɪtl]
avverbio

1) (not much) [speak, eat, go] poco

his books are little read — i suoi libri sono poco letti

2) (scarcely)

her results were little better — i suoi risultati non erano molto migliori

little more than an hour ago — poco più di un'ora fa

it's little short of madness — rasenta la pazzia

a little-known novel — un romanzo poco conosciuto

3) (not at all)

little did he know that — era ben lontano dall'immaginare che

4) a little (bit) (slightly) un po'

a little (bit) surprised — un po' sorpreso

a little less, more — un po' meno, un po' più

stay a little longer — rimani ancora un po' o un po' di più

I was not a little offended — ero non poco offeso

5) as little as

for as little as 10 dollars — per soli 10 dollari

I like Mary as little as you do — non mi piace Mary più di quanto piaccia a te
III ['lɪtl]
aggettivo (compar. less; superl. least) When little is used with nouns to express such qualities as smallness, prettiness or disparagement, Italian may convey the same meaning by means of suffixes that alter the sense of the noun: a little house = una casetta; a little old man = un vecchietto; my little brother = il mio fratellino; her little sister = la sua sorellina; little girl = ragazzina; a little hat = un cappellino; little Mary = Mariuccia; a nasty little man = un perfido ometto; a silly little woman = una stupida donnetta. - Please note that, although smaller and smallest are generally used instead of littler e littlest, the Italian translation does not change: più piccolo, il più piccolo

1) (small) piccolo

a little house — una piccola casa, una casetta

a little something — qualcosina, una cosina

poor little thing — poveretto

a little old lady — una vecchietta deliziosa

he's a nice little thing — è un cosino delizioso

2) (young) [sister, boy] piccolo

when I was little — quando ero piccolo, da piccolo

3) (feeble) [gesture, nod] piccolo

a little voice said... — una vocina flebile disse

4) (lacking influence) [farmer, businessman] piccolo

5) (expressing scorn)

he's a little despot — è un piccolo despota

a nasty little boy — un ragazzino tremendo

6) (short) [nap, holiday, break] breve

I'll walk with you a little way — farò un pezzetto di strada con te

stay a little while — rimani un po'

* * *
['litl] 1. adjective
1) (small in size: He is only a little boy; when she was little (= a child).) piccolo

2) (small in amount; not much: He has little knowledge of the difficulties involved.) poco

3) (not important: I did not expect her to make a fuss about such a little thing.) piccolo, (poco importante)
2. pronoun
((only) a small amount: He knows little of the real world.) poco
3. adverb
1) (not much: I go out little nowadays.) poco

2) (only to a small degree: a little-known fact.) poco

3) (not at all: He little knows how ill he is.) (per niente)

•

- a little
- little by little
- make little of
* * *
(Surnames) Little /ˈlɪtl/
* * *
I 1. ['lɪtl]
(compar. less; superl. least) quantisostantivo femminile

little chance — poche o scarse possibilità

there's so little time — c'è così poco tempo

too little money — troppo pochi soldi

there's little sense o point non ha molto senso; he speaks little German parla poco il tedesco; with no little difficulty non senza difficoltà; I see little of Paul these days — in questi giorni vedo Paul molto di rado
2.
pronome

I only ate a little — ne ho mangiato solo un po'

a little of the money — un po' del denaro

the little I saw — quel poco che ho visto

I did what little I could — ho fatto quel poco che ho potuto

he remembers very little — ricorda molto poco

little of what he says is true — poco di ciò che dice è vero

there's little I can do — non posso fare un granché

to have little to do with — c'entrare poco con

to do as little as possible — fare il meno possibile

to know little about — saper(ne) poco di

there's little to worry about — non c'è molto di che preoccuparsi

little of note — poco di interessante

it says very little for her — non depone molto a suo favore, non le fa molto onore

little or nothing — quasi nulla, praticamente niente

••

little by little — poco a poco, poco per volta, gradualmente

to make little of — (disparage) dare poca importanza a, non dare peso a [ victory]; (not understand) non capire molto, capirci poco di [ speech]
••
Note:

When little is used as a quantifier ( little time, little hope, little money, little chance), it is translated by poco / poca / pochi / poche: poco tempo, poca speranza, pochi soldi, poche possibilità. For examples and particular usages, see I below. - When a little is used as a pronoun ( give me a little), it is translated by un po' or un poco: dammene un po' / un poco. - When little is used alone as a pronoun ( there is little I can do), it is very often translated non... un granché: non posso fare un granché. - For examples of these and other uses of little as a pronoun ( to do as little as possible etc.), see the entry below. - For uses of little and a little as adverbs, see the entry below. - Note that less and least are treated as separate entries in the dictionary
II ['lɪtl]
avverbio

1) (not much) [speak, eat, go] poco

his books are little read — i suoi libri sono poco letti

2) (scarcely)

her results were little better — i suoi risultati non erano molto migliori

little more than an hour ago — poco più di un'ora fa

it's little short of madness — rasenta la pazzia

a little-known novel — un romanzo poco conosciuto

3) (not at all)

little did he know that — era ben lontano dall'immaginare che

4) a little (bit) (slightly) un po'

a little (bit) surprised — un po' sorpreso

a little less, more — un po' meno, un po' più

stay a little longer — rimani ancora un po' o un po' di più

I was not a little offended — ero non poco offeso

5) as little as

for as little as 10 dollars — per soli 10 dollari

I like Mary as little as you do — non mi piace Mary più di quanto piaccia a te
III ['lɪtl]
aggettivo (compar. less; superl. least) When little is used with nouns to express such qualities as smallness, prettiness or disparagement, Italian may convey the same meaning by means of suffixes that alter the sense of the noun: a little house = una casetta; a little old man = un vecchietto; my little brother = il mio fratellino; her little sister = la sua sorellina; little girl = ragazzina; a little hat = un cappellino; little Mary = Mariuccia; a nasty little man = un perfido ometto; a silly little woman = una stupida donnetta. - Please note that, although smaller and smallest are generally used instead of littler e littlest, the Italian translation does not change: più piccolo, il più piccolo

1) (small) piccolo

a little house — una piccola casa, una casetta

a little something — qualcosina, una cosina

poor little thing — poveretto

a little old lady — una vecchietta deliziosa

he's a nice little thing — è un cosino delizioso

2) (young) [sister, boy] piccolo

when I was little — quando ero piccolo, da piccolo

3) (feeble) [gesture, nod] piccolo

a little voice said... — una vocina flebile disse

4) (lacking influence) [farmer, businessman] piccolo

5) (expressing scorn)

he's a little despot — è un piccolo despota

a nasty little boy — un ragazzino tremendo

6) (short) [nap, holiday, break] breve

I'll walk with you a little way — farò un pezzetto di strada con te

stay a little while — rimani un po'

English-Italian dictionary > Little
18 few

[fjuː] 1.
(compar. fewer; superl. fewest) quantisostantivo femminile

1) (not many) pochi

few visitors, letters — pochi visitatori, poche lettere

very few houses — pochissime case

on the few occasions that... — le rare volte che...

their needs are few — hanno poche necessità

to be few in number — essere pochi di numero

with few exceptions — con rare eccezioni

2) (some, several)

every few days — a intervalli di pochi giorni, ogni due o tre giorni

over the next few days — (in past) nei giorni successivi; (in future) nei giorni a venire

these past few days — nei giorni scorsi

3) a few qualche, alcuni

a few people, houses — alcune persone, case

I would like a few more — ne vorrei ancora qualcuno

quite a few people — un bel po' di o parecchie persone

we've lived here for a good few years — viviamo qui da un bel po' di anni

a few weeks earlier — qualche settimana fa o prima

in a few minutes — tra qualche minuto
2.
pronome

1) (not many) pochi m.pl. (-e)

few of us succeeded — pochi di noi ci sono riusciti

there are so few of them that — sono talmente pochi che

there are four too few — ne mancano quattro

as few as four people turned up — sono arrivate soltanto quattro persone

2) (some)

a few of the soldiers, countries — alcuni dei soldati, dei paesi

I only need a few — me ne servono solo alcuni

quite a few of the tourists come from Germany — un buon numero di turisti viene dalla Germania

a good few of the houses — un bel po' di case
3.
nome

the few who — i pochi o le poche persone che

it appeals only to the few — piace solo a una minoranza (di persone)

••

to be few and far between — essere rarissimi

to have had a few (too many) — colloq. avere bevuto qualche bicchiere di troppo
••
Note:

When few is used as a quantifier to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity ( few horses, few shops, few people), it is translated by pochi + masculine nouns and poche + feminine nouns: pochi cavalli, pochi negozi, poche persone. Equally the few is translated by i pochi / le poche: the few people who knew her = le poche persone che la conoscevano. For examples and particular usages, see I.1 in the entry below. - When few is used as a quantifier in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see I.2 in the entry below. - When a few is used as a quantifier ( a few books), it can often be translated by qualche, which is invariable and is always followed by the singular: qualche libro; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see I.3 in the entry below. - For translations of few used as a pronoun ( few of us succeeded, I only need a few), see II in the entry below. - For translations of the few used as a noun ( the few who voted for him), see III in the entry below

* * *
[fju:]
adjective, pronoun

(not many; a very small number of: Few people visit me nowadays; every few minutes (= very frequently); Such opportunities are few.) poco

- a few
- few and far between
* * *
[fjuː] 1.
(compar. fewer; superl. fewest) quantisostantivo femminile

1) (not many) pochi

few visitors, letters — pochi visitatori, poche lettere

very few houses — pochissime case

on the few occasions that... — le rare volte che...

their needs are few — hanno poche necessità

to be few in number — essere pochi di numero

with few exceptions — con rare eccezioni

2) (some, several)

every few days — a intervalli di pochi giorni, ogni due o tre giorni

over the next few days — (in past) nei giorni successivi; (in future) nei giorni a venire

these past few days — nei giorni scorsi

3) a few qualche, alcuni

a few people, houses — alcune persone, case

I would like a few more — ne vorrei ancora qualcuno

quite a few people — un bel po' di o parecchie persone

we've lived here for a good few years — viviamo qui da un bel po' di anni

a few weeks earlier — qualche settimana fa o prima

in a few minutes — tra qualche minuto
2.
pronome

1) (not many) pochi m.pl. (-e)

few of us succeeded — pochi di noi ci sono riusciti

there are so few of them that — sono talmente pochi che

there are four too few — ne mancano quattro

as few as four people turned up — sono arrivate soltanto quattro persone

2) (some)

a few of the soldiers, countries — alcuni dei soldati, dei paesi

I only need a few — me ne servono solo alcuni

quite a few of the tourists come from Germany — un buon numero di turisti viene dalla Germania

a good few of the houses — un bel po' di case
3.
nome

the few who — i pochi o le poche persone che

it appeals only to the few — piace solo a una minoranza (di persone)

••

to be few and far between — essere rarissimi

to have had a few (too many) — colloq. avere bevuto qualche bicchiere di troppo
••
Note:

When few is used as a quantifier to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity ( few horses, few shops, few people), it is translated by pochi + masculine nouns and poche + feminine nouns: pochi cavalli, pochi negozi, poche persone. Equally the few is translated by i pochi / le poche: the few people who knew her = le poche persone che la conoscevano. For examples and particular usages, see I.1 in the entry below. - When few is used as a quantifier in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see I.2 in the entry below. - When a few is used as a quantifier ( a few books), it can often be translated by qualche, which is invariable and is always followed by the singular: qualche libro; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see I.3 in the entry below. - For translations of few used as a pronoun ( few of us succeeded, I only need a few), see II in the entry below. - For translations of the few used as a noun ( the few who voted for him), see III in the entry below

English-Italian dictionary > few
19 little

I.

little¹ [ˈlɪtl]

adjective

petit

► little finger noun petit doigt m

► Little League noun (US) championnat de baseball pour les moins de 12 ans

► little toe noun petit orteil m

II.

little² [ˈlɪtl]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. adjective

2. pronoun

3. adverb

4. set structures

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► compar less, superl least

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. adjective

( = not much) peu de

• there is little hope of finding survivors il y a peu d'espoir de retrouver des survivants

• I have very little money j'ai très peu d'argent

• so little time si peu de temps

• I have little time for reading je n'ai pas beaucoup le temps de lire

► a little... ( = some) un peu de...

• I have a little money left il me reste un peu d'argent

• would you like a little milk in your tea? voulez-vous un peu de lait dans votre thé ?

• we're having a little trouble nous avons un petit problème► no little...

• with no little difficulty avec beaucoup de difficulté

2. pronoun

   a. ( = not much) pas grand-chose

• there was little anyone could do il n'y avait pas grand-chose à faire

• he did little to help il n'a pas fait grand-chose pour aider

• he did very little il n'a vraiment pas fait grand-chose

• he had little to say il n'avait pas grand-chose à dire

• that has very little to do with it! ça n'a pas grand-chose à voir !

• I know too little about him to have an opinion je le connais trop mal pour me former une opinion

• I see little of her nowadays je ne la vois plus beaucoup

• he had little or nothing to say about it il n'avait pratiquement rien à dire sur le sujet

• however little you give, we'll be grateful votre contribution, même la plus modeste, sera la bienvenue

► so little

• so little of what he says is true il y a si peu de vrai dans ce qu'il dit

• so little of the population is literate la population est si peu alphabétisée

• he lost weight because he ate so little il a perdu du poids parce qu'il mangeait très peu

   b. ( = small amount) the little I have seen is excellent le peu que j'en ai vu est excellent

• I did what little I could j'ai fait ce que j'ai pu

• every little helps ( = gift) tous les dons sont les bienvenus

► a little ( = a certain amount) un peu ; ( = a short time) un moment

• give me a little donne-m'en un peu

• I'd like a little of everything je voudrais un peu de tout

• they'll have to wait a little ils vont devoir attendre un moment

• after a little au bout d'un moment

3. adverb

   a. ( = not much) they spoke very little on the way home ils n'ont pas dit grand-chose sur le chemin du retour

• it's little better now he's rewritten it ça n'est pas beaucoup mieux maintenant qu'il l'a récrit

• it's little short of madness ça frise la folie

• little more than a month ago il y a à peine plus d'un mois

• a little-known work by Bach un morceau peu connu de Bach

► a little... ( = somewhat) un peu...

• she is a little tired elle est un peu fatiguée

• a little too big un peu trop grand

• a little more un peu plus

• a little less un peu moins

• a little later un peu plus tard

• a little more cream un peu plus de crème

   b. ( = not at all) he little imagined that... il était loin de s'imaginer que...

• little did he think that... il était loin de se douter que...

   c. ( = rarely) rarement

• it happens very little cela arrive très rarement

• I watch television very little nowadays je ne regarde plus beaucoup la télévision

4. set structures

► as little as

• as little as possible le moins possible

• you could get one for as little as £20 on peut en trouver pour seulement 20 livres

• you can eat well for as little as $5 on peut bien manger pour 5 dollars

• I like him as little as you do je ne l'aime pas plus que toi► little by little petit à petit peu à peu

► to make little of sth ( = accomplish easily) faire qch sans aucun mal ; ( = play down) minimiser qch ; ( = underestimate) sous-estimer qch

• the sailors made little of loading the huge boxes les marins chargeaient les énormes caisses sans aucun mal

• he made little of his opportunities ( = failed to exploit) il n'a pas tiré parti des possibilités qu'il avait► to say little for sb ( = reflect badly on)

it says little for him cela n'est pas vraiment à son honneur

• it says little for his honesty cela en dit long sur son honnêteté (ironique)

* * *

Note: When little is used as a quantifier ( little hope, little damage) it is translated by peu de: peu d'espoir, peu de dégâts

For examples and particular usages see I below

When a little is used as a pronoun ( give me a little) it is translated by un peu: donne-m'en un peu

When little is used alone as a pronoun ( there's little I can do) it is very often translated by pas grand-chose: je ne peux pas faire grand-chose

For examples of these and other uses of little as a pronoun ( to do as little as possible etc) see II below

For uses of little and a little as adverbs see the entry below

Note that less and least are treated as separate entries in the dictionary
I 1. ['lɪtl]
(comparative less; superlative least) quantifier

little chance — peu de chances

there's so little time — il y a si peu de temps

too little money — trop peu or pas assez d'argent

little or no influence — presque pas d'influence

I have little time for cheats — je ne supporte pas les tricheurs

I see little of Paul these days — je ne vois pas beaucoup Paul en ce moment
2.
pronoun

save a little for me — gardes-en un peu pour moi

I only ate a little — je n'en ai mangé qu'un peu

I did what little I could — j'ai fait le peu que j'ai pu

he remembers very little — il ne se souvient pas bien

there's little I can do — je ne peux pas faire grand-chose

age has little to do with it — l'âge n'a pas grand-chose à voir là-dedans

to do as little as possible — faire le moins possible

little of note — rien de bien particulier

little or nothing — quasiment rien
3.
adverb

1) ( not much) peu

I go there very little — j'y vais très peu

the next results were little better — les résultats suivants étaient à peine meilleurs

little more than an hour ago — il y a à peine plus d'une heure

it's little short of madness — cela frise la folie

a little-known novel — un roman peu connu

2) ( not at all)

little did she realize — elle ne s'est pas du tout rendu compte

little did they know that — ils étaient bien loin de se douter que
4.
a little (bit) adverbial phrase ( slightly) un peu

a little (bit) anxious — un peu inquiet

a little less/more — un peu moins/plus

stay a little longer — reste encore un peu
5.
as little as adverbial phrase

for as little as 10 dollars a day — pour seulement 10 dollars par jour

as little as £60 — juste 60 livres sterling
II ['lɪtl]
adjective

1) ( small) [house, smile, voice] petit (before n)

poor little thing — pauvre petit/-e m/f

she's a nice little thing — elle est adorable

2) ( young) [sister, boy] petit (before n)

when I was little — quand j'étais petit

3) ( in a small way) [farmer, businessman] petit (before n)

4) ( expressing scorn)

a poky little flat — un petit appartement minable

a nasty little boy — un méchant petit garçon

5) ( short) [snooze] petit (before n)

a little holiday — quelques jours de vacances

a little break — une petite pause

••

little by little — petit à petit

to make little of — ( not understand) ne pas comprendre grand-chose à [speech]

English-French dictionary > little
20 little

I.

little ( comp less ; superl least)

❢ When little is used as a quantifier ( little hope, little damage) it is translated by peu de: peu d'espoir, peu de dégâts. For examples and particular usages see A below. When a little is used as a pronoun ( give me a little) it is translated by un peu: donne-moi un peu. When little is used alone as a pronoun ( there's little I can do) it is very often translated by pas grand-chose: je ne peux pas faire grand-chose. For examples of these and other uses of little as a pronoun ( to do as little as possible etc) see B below. For uses of little and a little as adverbs see the entry below. Note that less and least are treated as separate entries in the dictionary.

A quantif little hope/chance peu d'espoir/de chances ; little damage was done il y avait peu de dégâts ; we've made little progress nous avons fait peu de progrès ; there's so little time il y a si peu de temps ; too little money trop peu or pas assez d'argent ; there's little sense ou point ça n'a pas beaucoup de sens ; he speaks little German il ne parle presque pas allemand ; little or no influence/training presque pas d'influence/de formation ; little or no time/money presque pas de temps/d'argent ; with no little difficulty non sans mal ; I have little time ou sympathy for cheats je ne supporte pas les tricheurs ; I see little of Paul these days je ne vois pas beaucoup Paul en ce moment ; ⇒ chance.

B pron taste a little goûtez-en un peu ; save a little for me gardes-en un peu pour moi ; I only ate a little je n'en ai mangé qu'un peu ; a little of the money un peu de l'argent ; the little I saw wasn't very good le peu que j'ai vu n'était pas très bien ; I did what little I could j'ai fait le peu que j'ai pu ; he remembers very little il ne se souvient pas bien ; little of what he says is true il n'y a pas grand-chose de vrai dans ce qu'il dit ; there's little I can do je ne peux pas faire grand-chose ; she did little to help elle n'a pas fait grand-chose pour aider ; I got little out of the lecture je n'ai pas compris grand-chose au cours ; age has little to do with it l'âge n'a pas grand-chose à voir là-dedans ; to do as little as possible faire le moins possible ; to know little about mechanics ne pas s'y connaître beaucoup en mécanique ; there's little to worry about il n'y a pas tellement de raisons de s'inquiéter ; little of note rien de bien particulier ; it says little for his honesty ça en dit long sur son honnêteté ; it says very little for her ce n'est pas tellement à son honneur ; little or nothing quasiment rien ; ⇒ help.

C adv

1 ( rarely) [say, speak, sleep, eat, laugh] peu ; I go there very little j'y vais très peu ; she visits them as little as possible elle leur rend visite le moins souvent possible ; his books are little read on ne le lit plus guère ;

2 (hardly, scarcely) to be little changed ne pas avoir beaucoup changé ; the next results were little better les résultats suivants étaient à peine meilleurs ; little more than an hour ago il y a à peine une heure ; it's little short of madness cela frise la folie ; a little-known novel un roman peu connu ;

3 ( not at all) little did she realize that the watch was stolen elle ne s'est pas du tout rendu compte que la montre était volée ; I little thought ou supposed that he would do it je n'aurais jamais cru qu'il le ferait ; little did they know that ils étaient bien loin de se douter que ; little do you know! si tu savais!

D a little (bit) adv phr ( slightly) un peu ; a little (bit) anxious/surprised un peu inquiet/surpris ; a little less/more un peu moins/plus ; stay a little longer reste encore un peu ; I was not a little surprised/offended j'étais plutôt surpris/vexé ; ‘I'm a genius,’ he said, not a little proudly ‘je suis un génie,’ a-t-il dit, non sans fierté.

E as little as adv phr for as little as 10 dollars a day pour seulement 10 dollars par jour ; it can cost as little as £60 cela coûte seulement 60 livres sterling ; I like Henry as little as you do je n'aime Henry guère plus que toi.

II.

little adj

1 ( small) petit (before n) ; a little house une petite maison ; a little something un petit quelque chose ; poor little thing pauvre petit/-e m/f ; a little old lady une petite vieille dame ; she's a nice little thing elle est adorable ;

2 ( young) [brother, sister, boy, girl] petit (before n) ; when I was little quand j'étais petit ; the baboon and its little ones le babouin et ses petits ; Mrs Carter and all the little Carters Madame Carter et tous ses enfants ;

3 (feeble, weak) [gesture, nod, smile] petit (before n) ; a little voice said… une petite voix dit… ;

4 ( lacking influence) [farmer, businessman] petit (before n) ;

5 (expressing scorn, contempt) he's a little despot c'est un vrai petit tyran ; a poky little flat un petit appartement minable ; a nasty little boy un méchant petit garçon ;

6 ( short) [nap, snooze] petit (before n) ; a little holiday quelques jours de vacances ; a little break une petite pause ; I'll walk with you a little way je ferai un bout de chemin avec toi ; stay a little while reste un moment ; a little while longer encore un peu.

Idioms

little by little petit à petit ; to make little of ( disparage) ne pas faire grand cas de [achievement, victory] ; ( not understand) ne pas comprendre grand-chose à [speech, report] ; ⇒ fancy, learning, too. Pour le comparatif et le superlatif on préférera les formes smaller et smallest à littler and littlest.

Big English-French dictionary > little

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