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1 when
when [wen]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━1. adverb2. conjunction━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━1. adverb• when does the term start? quand commence le trimestre ?• when did it happen? quand cela s'est-il passé ? ça s'est passé quand ?• when was the Channel Tunnel opened? quand a-t-on ouvert le tunnel sous la Manche ?• when's the wedding? quand a lieu le mariage ?━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► There is no inversion after quand in indirect questions.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━• when does the train leave? à quelle heure part le train ?• when do you finish work? à quelle heure est-ce tu quittes le travail ?2. conjunctiona. ( = at the time that) quand━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► If the when clause refers to the future, the future tense is used in French.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━• when you're older, you'll understand quand tu seras plus grand, tu comprendras━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► en + present participle may be used, if the subject of both clauses is the same, and the verb is one of action.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► when + noun/adjective• when a student at Oxford, she... quand elle était étudiante à Oxford, elle...• my father, when young, had a fine tenor voice quand mon père était jeune il avait une belle voix de ténorb. (with day, time, movement) où• there are times when I wish I'd never met him il y a des moments où je souhaiterais ne l'avoir jamais rencontréc. ( = which is when) he arrived at 8 o'clock, when traffic is at its peak il est arrivé à 8 heures, heure à laquelle la circulation est la plus intense• in August, when peaches are at their best en août, époque où les pêches sont les plus savoureusesd. ( = the time when) he told me about when you got lost in Paris il m'a raconté le jour où vous vous êtes perdu dans Parise. ( = after) quand• when he had made the decision, he felt better après avoir pris la décision, il s'est senti soulagéf. ( = whereas) alors que• he thought he was recovering, when in fact... il pensait qu'il était en voie de guérison alors qu'en fait...g. ( = if) how can I be self-confident when I look like this? comment veux-tu que j'aie confiance en moi en étant comme ça ?• how can you understand when you won't listen? comment voulez-vous comprendre si vous n'écoutez pas ?* * *[wen], US [hwen] 1.1) ( with prepositions) quandsince when? — depuis quand? also iron
2) ( the time when)2.that's when I was born — ( day) c'est le jour où je suis né; ( year) c'est l'année où je suis né
1) ( as interrogative) quand (est-ce que)I forget exactly when — ( time) j'ai oublié l'heure exacte; ( date) j'ai oublié la date exacte
tell me ou say when — ( pouring drink) dis-moi stop
2) ( as relative)at the time when — ( precise moment) au moment où; ( during same period) à l'époque où
one morning when he was getting up, he... — un matin en se levant, il...
3) ( then)she resigned in May, since when we've had no applicants — elle a démissionné en mai, et depuis (lors) nous n'avons reçu aucune candidature
4) ( whenever) quand3.when I sunbathe, I get freckles — chaque fois que je prends un bain de soleil, j'ai des taches de rousseur
1) ( at the precise time when) quand, lorsque2) ( during the period when) quand, lorsque3) ( as soon as) quand, dès queI was strolling along when all of a sudden... — je marchais tranquillement quand tout d'un coup...
4) ( when it is the case that) alors quewhy buy their products when ours are cheaper? — pourquoi acheter leurs produits alors que les nôtres sont moins chers?
5) ( whereas) alors que -
2 when
A pron1 ( with prepositions) quand ; by when? avant quand? ; from when until when? de quand à quand? ; since when? depuis quand? also iron ;2 ( the time when) that was when it all started to go wrong c'est à ce moment-là que tout a commencé à mal aller ; that's when I was born ( day) c'est le jour où je suis né ; ( year) c'est l'année où je suis né ; now is when we must act c'est maintenant qu'il faut agir ; he spoke of when he was a child il a parlé de l'époque où il était enfant.B adv1 ( as interrogative) quand (est-ce que) ; when are we leaving? quand est-ce qu'on part? ; when is the concert? c'est quand le concert? ; when is it possible to say/use…? quand est-ce qu'on peut dire/utiliser…? ; when do the first rains come? quand commence la saison des pluies? ; when was it that he died? quand est-ce qu'il est mort? ;2 ( as indirect interrogative) quand ; ask him when he wrote the letter demande-lui quand il a écrit la lettre ; I wonder when the film starts je me demande à quelle heure commence le film ; I forget exactly when ( time) j'ai oublié l'heure exacte ; ( date) j'ai oublié la date exacte ; there was some disagreement as to when… tout le monde n'était pas d'accord sur la date à laquelle… ; tell me ou say when ( pouring drink) dis-moi d'arrêter ;3 ( as relative) on Monday/in 1993 when lundi/en 1993 quand ; at the time when ( precise moment) au moment où ; ( during same period) à l'époque où ; the week when it all happened la semaine où tout s'est passé ; on those rare occasions when les rares fois où ; there are times when il y a des moments où ; it's times like that when c'est dans ces moments-là que ; it's the time of year when c'est la période de l'année où ; one morning when he was getting up, he… un matin en se levant, il… ;4 ( then) she resigned in May, since when we've had no applicants elle a démissionné en mai, et depuis (lors) nous n'avons reçu aucune candidature ; until when we must stay calm d'ici là nous devons rester calmes ; by when we will have received the information d'ici là nous aurons reçu toutes les informations ;5 ( whenever) quand ; he's only happy when he's moaning il n'est content que quand il rouspète ; when on holiday you should relax quand on est en vacances il faut se détendre ; when I sunbathe, I get freckles chaque fois que je prends un bain de soleil, j'ai des taches de rousseur ; when necessary quand c'est nécessaire ; when possible dans la mesure du possible.C conj1 ( at the precise time when) quand, lorsque ; when she reaches 18 quand elle aura 18 ans ;2 ( during the period when) quand, lorsque ; when he was at school/just a trainee quand il était à l'école/simplement stagiaire ; when you're in your teens quand on est adolescent ; when sailing, always wear a lifejacket quand on fait de la voile, il faut toujours porter un gilet de sauvetage ;3 ( as soon as) quand, dès que ; when he arrives, I'll tell him quand or dès qu'il arrivera, je le lui dirai ; when drawn up, the plan… quand le projet sera rédigé, il…, une fois rédigé, le projet… ;4 ( when simultaneously) quand ; I was in the bath when the phone rang j'étais dans mon bain quand le téléphone a sonné ;5 ( when suddenly) quand ; I was strolling along when all of a sudden… je marchais tranquillement quand tout d'un coup… ; hardly ou scarcely ou barely had I sat down when je venais à peine de m'asseoir quand ;6 (once, after) quand, une fois que ; when you've been to Scotland, you'll want to go again and again quand or une fois que vous aurez visité l'Écosse, vous aurez forcément envie d'y retourner ;7 ( when it is the case that) alors que ; why buy their products when ours are cheaper? pourquoi acheter leurs produits alors que les nôtres sont moins chers? ;8 ( whereas) alors que ; she became a nun when she could have been an actress elle est devenue religieuse alors qu'elle aurait pu devenir actrice ; he refused when I would have gladly accepted il a refusé alors que j'aurais été ravi d'accepter. -
3 when
when [wen]quand ⇒ 1, 2 (a)-(g) lorsque ⇒ 2 (c) dès que ⇒ 2 (d) après que ⇒ 2 (d) chaque fois que ⇒ 2 (f) étant donné que ⇒ 2 (g) alors que ⇒ 2 (h) où ⇒ 3 (a), 3 (c)1 adverbquand;∎ when are we leaving? quand partons-nous?;∎ when is the next bus? à quelle heure est ou quand passe le prochain bus?;∎ when did the war end? quand la guerre s'est-elle terminée?;∎ when did the accident happen? quand l'accident a-t-il eu lieu?;∎ when was the Renaissance? à quand remonte l'époque de la Renaissance?;∎ when will the wedding be? à quand le mariage?;∎ when do you start your new job? quand commencez-vous votre nouveau travail?;∎ when do you use the subjunctive? quand emploie-t-on le subjonctif?;∎ you're open until when? vous êtes ouvert jusqu'à quand?;∎ when did you last see her? quand l'avez-vous vue pour la dernière fois?;∎ when do the Easter holidays begin? quand est-ce que commencent les vacances de Pâques?;∎ when is the best time to call? quel est le meilleur moment pour appeler?;∎ the homework is due when? quand doit-on rendre les devoirs?(a) (how soon) quand;∎ I don't know when we'll see you again je ne sais pas quand nous vous reverrons;∎ do you remember when we met? te souviens-tu du jour où nous nous sommes connus?;∎ do you know when he was born? savez-vous quand il est né?, connaissez-vous sa date de naissance?;∎ I wonder when the shop opens je me demande à quelle heure ouvre le magasin;∎ your contract states when you will be paid votre contrat spécifie quand vous serez payé;∎ we don't agree on when it should be done nous ne sommes pas d'accord sur le moment où il faudrait le faire(b) (at which time) quand;∎ come back next week when we'll have more time revenez la semaine prochaine quand nous aurons plus de temps;∎ he returned in the autumn, when the leaves were beginning to turn il est revenu à l'automne, alors que les feuilles commençaient à jaunir;∎ the prince will arrive on the 10th, when he will open the new university le prince arrivera le dix et inaugurera la nouvelle université(c) (indicating a specific point in time) quand, lorsque;∎ he turned round when she called his name il s'est retourné quand ou lorsqu'elle l'a appelé;∎ when she's gone, he's unhappy quand ou lorsqu'elle n'est pas là, il est malheureux;∎ when I was a student lorsque j'étais ou à l'époque où j'étais étudiant;∎ will you still love me when I'm old? m'aimeras-tu encore quand je serai vieux?;∎ she's only happy when she's writing elle n'est heureuse que lorsqu'elle écrit;∎ they were talking when he came in ils étaient en train de discuter quand il est entré;∎ she's thinner than when I last saw her elle a maigri depuis la dernière fois que je l'ai vue;∎ he left town when he was twenty il a quitté la ville quand il avait ou à l'âge de vingt ans;∎ when she was a child quand ou lorsqu'elle était enfant;∎ on Sunday, when I go to the market (this week) dimanche, quand j'irai au marché; (every week) le dimanche, quand je vais au marché;∎ I had just walked in the door/he was about to go to bed when the phone rang je venais juste d'arriver/il était sur le point de se coucher quand le téléphone a sonné;∎ we hadn't been gone five minutes when Susan wanted to go home ça ne faisait pas cinq minutes que nous étions partis et Susan voulait déjà rentrer∎ put your pencils down when you have finished posez votre crayon quand vous avez terminé;∎ when completed, the factory will employ 100 workers une fois terminée, l'usine emploiera 100 personnes;∎ when he starts drinking, he can't stop une fois qu'il a commencé à boire, il ne peut plus s'arrêter;∎ I'll answer any questions when the meeting is over quand la réunion sera terminée, je répondrai à toutes vos questions;∎ Cookery when cool, turn out onto a dish une fois refroidi, démouler sur un plat;∎ when I had read my report, she suggested we take a break après mon exposé, elle a suggéré qu'on fasse une pause;∎ when they had finished dinner, he offered to take her home quand ou après qu'ils eurent dîné, il lui proposa de la ramener;∎ when you see her you'll understand quand vous la verrez vous comprendrez;∎ when she had talked to him, she left après lui avoir parlé, elle est partie∎ remember when a coffee cost 10 cents? vous souvenez-vous de l'époque où un café coûtait 10 cents?;∎ he talked about when he was a soldier il parlait de l'époque où il était soldat;∎ that's when it snowed so hard c'est quand il a tant neigé;∎ that's when he got up and left c'est à ce moment-là ou c'est alors qu'il s'est levé et qu'il est parti;∎ that's when the shops close c'est l'heure où les magasins ferment;∎ figurative now is when we should stand up and be counted c'est le moment d'avoir le courage de nos opinions(f) (whenever) quand, chaque fois que;∎ when it's sunny, the children play outside quand il y a du soleil, les enfants jouent dehors;∎ when I hear that song, I think of her chaque fois que ou quand j'entends cette chanson, je pense à elle;∎ when I think of what she must have suffered! quand je pense à ce qu'elle a dû souffrir!;∎ I get very irritated when talking to her je m'énerve chaque fois que je lui parle;∎ I try to avoid seeing him when possible j'essaie de l'éviter quand c'est possible(g) (since, given that) quand, étant donné que;∎ what good is it applying when I don't qualify for the job? à quoi bon me porter candidat quand ou si je n'ai pas les capacités requises pour faire ce travail?;∎ how can you treat her so badly when you know she loves you? comment pouvez-vous la traiter si mal quand ou alors que vous savez qu'elle vous aime?;∎ why change jobs when you like what you do? pourquoi changer de travail quand ou puisque vous aimez ce que vous faites?;∎ fancy having soup when you could have had caviar! pourquoi manger de la soupe quand on peut manger du caviar?∎ she described him as being lax when in fact he's quite strict elle l'a décrit comme étant négligent alors qu'en réalité il est assez strict∎ an age when men were men une époque où les hommes étaient des hommes;∎ in a period when business was bad à une période où les affaires allaient mal;∎ she was president until 1980, when she left the company elle fut présidente jusqu'en 1980, année où elle a quitté l'entreprise∎ she started her job in May, since when she has had no free time elle a commencé à travailler en mai et elle n'a pas eu de temps libre depuis;∎ the new office will be ready in January, until when we use the old one le nouveau bureau sera prêt en janvier, jusque là ou en attendant, nous utiliserons l'ancien∎ do you remember the year when we went to Alaska? tu te rappelles l'année où on est allés en Alaska?;∎ what about the time when she didn't show up? et la fois où elle n'est pas venue?;∎ one day when he was out un jour où il était sorti ou qu'il était sorti;∎ it was only a minute later when he heard a scream à peine une minute plus tard, il entendait un cri;∎ on Monday, the day when I was supposed to start work lundi, le jour où je devais commencer à travailler;∎ it's one of those days when everything goes wrong c'est un de ces jours où tout va de travers;∎ there were times when she didn't know what to do il y avait des moments où elle ne savait plus quoi faire4 noun∎ the when and the how of it quand et comment cela s'est-il passé/se passera-t-il/ etc -
4 when
1. [wen] adverb(at what time(?): When did you arrive?; When will you see her again?; I asked him when the incident had occurred; Tell me when to jump.) quand2. [wən, wen] conjunction1) ((at or during) the time at which: It happened when I was abroad; When you see her, give her this message; When I've finished, I'll telephone you.) quand, lorsque2) (in spite of the fact that; considering that: Why do you walk when you have a car?) alors que•- whence- whenever -
5 when, as and if issued contract
contrat m du type "when, as and if issued"English-French legislative terms > when, as and if issued contract
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6 when distributed contract
contrat m du type "when distributed"English-French legislative terms > when distributed contract
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7 when the cows come home
EU [fam.] a la Saint-Glinglin; quand les poules auront des dentsEnglish-French dictionary of law, politics, economics & finance > when the cows come home
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8 Usage note : when
when did she leave?= quand est-ce qu’elle est partie? or elle est partie quand? or quand est-elle partie?Note that in questions quand on its own requires inversion of the verb and subject:when are they arriving?= quand arrivent-ils?but when followed by est-ce que needs no inversion: quand est-ce qu’ils arrivent?Occasionally a more precise time expression is used in French:when’s your birthday?= quelle est la date de ton anniversaire?when did he set off?= à quelle heure est-il parti?Remember that the future tense is used after quand if future time is implied:tell him when you see him= dis-le-lui quand tu le verrasIt is often possible to give a short neat translation for a when clause if there is no change of subject in the sentence:when I was very young, I lived in Normandy= tout jeune, j’habitais en Normandiewhen he was leaving, he asked for my address= en partant, il m’a demandé mon adresseIn expressions such as the day when, the year when, où is used:the day when we got married= le jour où nous nous sommes mariés -
9 as and when required
English-French dictionary of law, politics, economics & finance > as and when required
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10 except when it is expressly provided otherwise in the present Treaty
Jur. sauf exception expressément prévue par le présent TraitéEnglish-French dictionary of law, politics, economics & finance > except when it is expressly provided otherwise in the present Treaty
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11 insured's duty when loss occurs
obligations de l'assuré en cas de sinistre (JD, 2e)English-French insurance dictionari > insured's duty when loss occurs
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12 if, as, and, when, declared, by
( dividends)que déclareEnglish-French legislative terms > if, as, and, when, declared, by
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13 Usage note : before
When before is used as a preposition in expressions of time or order of sequence or importance, it is translated by avant:before the meeting= avant la réunionshe left before me= elle est partie avant moiFor more examples and particular usages, see A1, 2, 3 in the entry before.When before is used as a preposition meaning in front of (when you are talking about physical space) or in the presence of, it is translated by devant:before our eyes= devant nos yeuxhe declared before his mother that …= il a déclaré devant sa mère que …When before is used as an adjective after a noun, it is translated by précédent/-e:the time before= la fois précédentethe one before is translated by le précédent or la précédente:no, I’m not talking about that meeting but the one before= non, je ne parle pas de cette réunion-là mais de la précédenteFor particular usages see B in the entry before.When before is used as an adverb meaning beforehand, it is translated by avant in statements about the present or future:I’ll try to talk to her before= j’essaierai de lui en parler avantyou could have told me before= tu aurais pu me le dire avantI had met her two or three times before= je l’avais rencontrée deux ou trois fois auparavantI’ve met her before= je l’ai déjà rencontréeyou’ve asked me that question before= tu m’as déjà posé cette questionIn negative sentences before is often used in English simply to reinforce the negative. In such cases it is not translated at all:I’d never eaten snails before= je n’avais jamais mangé d’escargotsyou’ve never told me that before= tu ne m’as jamais dit çaFor particular usages see C in the entry before.When before is used as a conjunction, it is translated by avant de + infinitive where the two verbs have the same subject:before he saw her he recognized her voice= il a reconnu sa voix avant de la voirbefore I cook dinner I’m going to phone my mother= avant de préparer le dîner je vais appeler ma mèreWhere the two verbs have different subjects, the translation is avant que + subjunctive:Tom wants to see her before she leaves= Tom veut la voir avant qu’elle parteSome speakers and writers add ne before the verb: Tom veut la voir avant qu’elle ne parte, but this is simply a slightly precious effect of style and is never obligatory. For particular usages see D in the entry before. -
14 Usage note : not
When not is used without a verb before an adjective, an adverb, a verb or a noun, it is translated by pas:it’s a cat not a dog= c’est un chat pas un chiennot at all= pas du toutnot bad= pas malFor examples and particular usages see the entry not.When not is used to make the verb be negative (it’s not a cat) it is translated by ne…pas in French ; ne comes before the verb or the auxiliary in compound tenses and pas comes after the verb or auxiliary: ce n’est pas un chat ;she hasn’t been ill= elle n’a pas été malade.When not is used with the auxiliary do to make a verb negative (he doesn’t like oranges) do + not is translated by ne…pas in French: il n’aime pas les oranges.When not is used in the present perfect tense (I haven’ t seen him, she hasn’t arrived yet), ne…pas is again used in French on either side of the appropriate auxiliary ( avoir or être): je ne l’ai pas vu, elle n’est pas encore arrivée.When not is used with will to make a verb negative (will not, won’t), ne…pas is used with the future tense in French:she won’t come by car= elle ne viendra pas en voitureWhen used with a verb in the infinitive, ne…pas are placed together before the verb:he decided not to go= il a décidé de ne pas y alleryou were wrong not to tell her= tu as eu tort de ne pas le lui direWhen not is used in question tags, the whole tag can usually be translated by the French n’est-ce pas, e.g.she bought it, didn’t she?= elle l’a acheté, n’est-ce pas?For usages not covered in this note see the entry not. -
15 Usage note : for
for my sister= pour ma sœurfor the garden= pour le jardinfor me= pour moiFor particular usages see the entry for.When for is used as a preposition indicating purpose followed by a verb it is translated by pour + infinitive:for cleaning windows= pour nettoyer les vitresWhen for is used in the construction to be + adjective + for + pronoun + infinitive the translation in French is être + indirect pronoun + adjective + de + infinitive:it’s impossible for me to stay= il m’est impossible de resterit was hard for him to understand that…= il lui était difficile de comprendre que…it will be difficult for her to accept the changes= il lui sera difficile d’accepter les changementsFor the construction to be waiting for sb to do see the entry wait.For particular usages see the entry for.In time expressionsfor is used in English after a verb in the progressive present perfect tense to express the time period of something that started in the past and is still going on. To express this French uses a verb in the present tense + depuis:I have been waiting for three hours (and I am still waiting)= j’attends depuis trois heureswe’ve been together for two years (and we’re still together)= nous sommes ensemble depuis deux ansWhen for is used in English after a verb in the past perfect tense, French uses the imperfect + depuis:I had been waiting for two hours (and was still waiting)= j’attendais depuis deux heuresfor is used in English negative sentences with the present perfect tense to express the time that has elapsed since something has happened. To express this, French uses the same tense as English (the perfect) + depuis:I haven’t seen him for ten years (and I still haven’t seen him)= je ne l’ai pas vu depuis dix ansIn spoken French, there is another way of expressing this: ça fait or il y a dix ans que je ne l’ai pas vu.When for is used in English in negative sentences after a verb in the past perfect tense, French uses the past perfect + depuis:I hadn’t seen him for ten years= je ne l’avais pas vu depuis dix ans, or (in spoken French) ça faisait or il y avait dix ans que je ne l’avais pas vufor is used in English after the preterite to express the time period of something that happened in the past and is no longer going on. Here French uses the present perfect + pendant:last Sunday I gardened for two hours= dimanche dernier, j’ai jardiné pendant deux heuresfor is used in English after the present progressive tense or the future tense to express an anticipated time period in the future. Here French uses the present or the future tense + pour:I’m going to Rome for six weeks= je vais à Rome pour six semainesI will go to Rome for six weeks= j’irai à Rome pour six semainesNote, however, that when the verb to be is used in the future with for to emphasize the period of time, French uses the future + pendant:I will be in Rome for six weeks= je serai à Rome pendant six semaineshe will be away for three days= il sera absent pendant trois joursFor particular usages see A13, 14, 15 and 16 in the entry for.for is often used in English to form a structure with nouns, adjectives and verbs (weakness for, eager for, apply for, fend for etc.). For translations, consult the appropriate noun, adjective or verb entry (weakness, eager, apply, fend etc.). -
16 Usage note : as
When as is used as a preposition or a conjunction to mean like it is translatedby comme:dressed as a sailor= habillé comme un marinas usual= comme d’habitudeas often happens= comme c’est souvent le casas she was coming down the stairs= comme elle descendait l’escalierHowever, where a gradual process is involved, as is translated by au fur et à mesure que:as the day went on, he became more anxious= au fur et à mesure que la journée avançait il devenait plus inquietas he is ill, he can’t go out= comme il est malade or puisqu’il est malade, il ne peut pas sortirWhen used as an adverb in comparisons, as…as is translated by aussi…que:he is as intelligent as his brother= il est aussi intelligent que son frèreBut see category J in the entry as for as muchas and as many as.Note also the standard translation used for fixed similes:as strong as an ox= fort comme un bœufas rich as Croesus= riche comme CrésusSuch similes often have a cultural equivalent rather than a direct translation. To find translations for English similes, consult the entry for the second element.When as is used as a preposition to indicate a person’s profession or position, it is translated by comme:he works as an engineer= il travaille comme ingénieurNote that the article a/an is not translated.When as is used with a preposition to mean in my/his capacity as, it is translated by en tant que:as a teacher I believe that…= en tant qu’enseignant je crois que… -
17 Usage note : it
When it is used as a subject pronoun to refer to a specific object (or animal) il or elle is used in French according to the gender of the object referred to:‘where is the book/chair?’ ‘it’s in the kitchen’= ‘où est le livre/la chaise?’ ‘il/elle est dans la cuisine’‘do you like my skirt?’ ‘it’s lovely’= ‘est-ce que tu aimes ma jupe?’ ‘elle est très jolie’However, if the object referred to is named in the same sentence, it is translated by ce (c’ before a vowel):it’s a good film= c’est un bon filmWhen it is used as an object pronoun it is translated by le or la (l’ before a vowel) according to the gender of the object referred to:it’s my book/my chair and I want it= c’est mon livre/ma chaise et je le/la veuxNote that the object pronoun normally comes before the verb in French and that in compound tenses like the perfect and the past perfect, the past participle agrees with it:I liked his shirt - did you notice it?= j’ai aimé sa chemise - est-ce que tu l’as remarquée? or l’as-tu remarquée?In imperatives only, the pronoun comes after the verb:it’s my book - give it to me= c’est mon livre - donne-le-moi (note the hyphens)When it is used vaguely or impersonally followed by an adjective the translation is ce (c’ before a vowel):it’s difficult= c’est difficileit’s sad= c’est tristeBut when it is used impersonally followed by an adjective + verb the translation is il:it’s difficult to understand how…= il est difficile de comprendre comment …If in doubt consult the entry for the adjective in question.For translations for impersonal verb uses (it’s raining, it’s snowing) consult the entry for the verb in question.it is used in expressions of days of the week (it’s Friday) and clock time (it’s 5 o’clock). This dictionary contains usage notes on these and many other topics. For other impersonal and idiomatic uses see the entry it.When it is used after a preposition in English the two words (prep + it) are often translated by one word in French. If the preposition would normally be translated by de in French (e.g. of, about, from etc.) the prep + it = en:I’ve heard about it= j’en ai entendu parlerIf the preposition would normally be translated by à in French (e.g. to, in, at etc.) the prep + it = y:they went to it= ils y sont allésFor translations of it following prepositions not normally translated by de or à (e.g. above, under, over etc.) consult the entry for the preposition. -
18 Usage note : lot
When a lot is used as a pronoun (they buy a lot, he spends a lot), it is translated by beaucoup: ils achètent beaucoup, il dépense beaucoup. For particular usages, see A1 in the entry lot1.When a lot is used to mean much in negative expressions (they didn’t have a lot) it is translated by pas grand-chose: ils n’avaient pas grand-chose. For particular usages, see A1 in the entry lot1.When the lot is used as a pronoun ( they took the lot), it is usually translated by tout: ils ont tout pris. For particular usages, see A2 in the entry lot1.When a lot of is used as a quantifier ( a lot of money) it is translated by beaucoup de. For particular usages, see B1 in the entry lot1. -
19 Usage note : may
When may (or may have) is used with another verb in English to convey possibility, French will generally use the adverb peut-être ( perhaps) with the equivalent verb:it may rain= il pleuvra peut-êtrewe may never know what happened= nous ne saurons peut-être jamais ce qui s’est passéhe may have got lost= il s’est peut-être perduAlternatively, and more formally, the construction il se peut que + subjunctive may be used: il se peut qu’il pleuve ; il se peut que nous ne sachions jamais. For particular usages, see 1 in the entry may1.peut-être is also used in French to convey concession:he may be slow but he’s not stupid= il est peut-être lent mais il n’est pas bêteyou may think I’m crazy but …= tu penses peut-être que je suis fou mais…you may close the door= vous pouvez fermer la porteNote that the polite question may I…? is translated by puis-je…?:may I make a suggestion?= puis-je faire une suggestion?For particular usages, see 2 in the entry may1.When may is used in rather formal English to convey purpose in the construction in order that + may, the French equivalent is pour que + subjunctive:in order that he may know= pour qu’il sachemay they be happy!= qu’ils soient heureux!long may it last!= que ça dure!When may well + verb is used to convey likelihood, the French uses il est fort possible que + subjunctive:he may well have gone elsewhere= il est fort possible qu’il soit allé ailleursBut note:that may well be but…= c’est possible mais…In the phrase may as well, may is used interchangeably with might, which is more frequently used. For translations see the entry might1. -
20 Usage note : nothing
‘what are you doing?’ ‘nothing’= ‘que fais-tu?’ ‘rien’nothing as a pronoun when it is the subject of a verb is translated by rien ne in French:nothing changes= rien ne changenothing has changed= rien n’a changénothing as a pronoun when it is the object of a verb is translated by ne rien ; ne comes before the verb, and before the auxiliary in compound tenses, and rien comes after the verb or auxiliary:I see nothing= je ne vois rienI saw nothing= je n’ai rien vuWhen ne rien is used with an infinitive the two words are not separated:I prefer to say nothing= je préfère ne rien direFor examples and particular usages, see A in the entry nothing.
См. также в других словарях:
when — [ wen, hwen ] function word *** When can be used in the following ways: as a conjunction (connecting two clauses): When he saw me, he waved. as a question adverb (introducing a direct or indirect question): When should we meet? Do you know when… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
when — W1S1 [wen] adv, conj, pron [: Old English; Origin: hwanne, hwenne] 1.) at what time ▪ When are we leaving? ▪ When did you first meet Dr Darnall? ▪ When will the work be finished? ▪ I don t know when I ll see her again. when to do sth ▪ I ll tell… … Dictionary of contemporary English
When — When, adv. [OE. when, whan, whenne, whanne, AS. hw[ae]nne, hwanne, hwonne; akin to OS. hwan, OD. wan, OHG. wanne, G. wann when, wenn if, when, Goth. hwan when, and to E. who. ????. See {Who}.] [1913 Webster] 1. At what time; used interrogatively … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
When as — When When, adv. [OE. when, whan, whenne, whanne, AS. hw[ae]nne, hwanne, hwonne; akin to OS. hwan, OD. wan, OHG. wanne, G. wann when, wenn if, when, Goth. hwan when, and to E. who. ????. See {Who}.] [1913 Webster] 1. At what time; used… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
when — [hwen, wen] adv. [ME whenne < OE hwænne, akin to Ger wann, when, wenn, if, akin to hwa, who: see WHAT] 1. a) at what time? [when did they leave? he asked when he should go] b) on what occasion or under what circumstances? [when do you double… … English World dictionary
When — may refer to:* When?, one of the Five Ws, questions used in journalism * WHEN, a sports radio station in Syracuse once affiliated with WTVH * WHEN, the former call letters of TV station WTVH in Syracuse, New York, U.S.In music: * When (1958 song) … Wikipedia
When — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda «When» Sencillo de Shania Twain del álbum Come on Over Publicación 1 de junio de 1998 (Reino Unido) Formato Radio Single Maxi Single … Wikipedia Español
when — when·as; when·ness; when·som·ev·er; when; when·ev·er; when·so·ev·er; … English syllables
When I Go — may refer to: * When I Go , a song by Screaming Jets from their 1997 album World Gone Crazy * When I Go (album), a 1998 album by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer … Wikipedia
when — O.E. hwænne, hwenne, hwonne, from Gmc. pronomial stem *khwa (Cf. O.S. hwan, O.Fris. hwenne, M.Du. wan, O.H.G. hwanne, Ger. wann when ), from PIE interrogative base *qwo (see WHO (Cf. who)) … Etymology dictionary
when|as — «hwehn AZ, hwuhn », conjunction. Archaic. when; while; whereas … Useful english dictionary