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1 Colours
Not all English colour terms have a single exact equivalent in French: for instance, in some circumstances brown is marron, in others brun. If in doubt, look the word up in the dictionary.Colour termswhat colour is it?= c’est de quelle couleur? or (more formally) de quelle couleur est-il?it’s green= il est vert or elle est verteto paint sth green= peindre qch en vertto dye sth green= teindre qch en vertto wear green= porter du vertdressed in green= habillé de vertColour nouns are all masculine in French:I like green= j’aime le vertI prefer blue= je préfère le bleured suits her= le rouge lui va bienit’s a pretty yellow!= c’est un joli jaune!have you got it in white?= est-ce que vous l’avez en blanc?a pretty shade of blue= un joli ton de bleuit was a dreadful green= c’était un vert affreuxa range of greens= une gamme de vertsMost adjectives of colour agree with the noun they modify:a blue coat= un manteau bleua blue dress= une robe bleueblue clothes= des vêtements bleusSome that don’t agree are explained below.Words that are not true adjectivesSome words that translate English adjectives are really nouns in French, and so don’t show agreement:a brown shoe= une chaussure marronorange tablecloths= des nappes fpl orangehazel eyes= des yeux mpl noisetteOther French words like this include: cerise ( cherry-red), chocolat ( chocolate-brown) and émeraude ( emerald-green).Shades of colourExpressions like pale blue, dark green or light yellow are also invariable in French and show no agreement:a pale blue shirt= une chemise bleu pâledark green blankets= des couvertures fpl vert foncéa light yellow tie= une cravate jaune clairbright yellow socks= des chaussettes fpl jaune vifFrench can also use the colour nouns here: instead of une chemise bleu pâle you could say une chemise d’un bleu pâle ; and similarly des couvertures d’un vert foncé (etc). The nouns in French are normally used to translate English adjectives of this type ending in -er and -est:a darker blue= un bleu plus foncéthe dress was a darker blue= la robe était d’un bleu plus foncéSimilarly:a lighter blue= un bleu plus clair (etc.)In the following examples, blue stands for most basic colour terms:pale blue= bleu pâlelight blue= bleu clairbright blue= bleu vifdark blue= bleu foncédeep blue= bleu profondstrong blue= bleu soutenuOther types of compound in French are also invariable, and do not agree with their nouns:a navy-blue jacket= une veste bleu marineThese compounds include: bleu ciel ( sky-blue), vert pomme ( apple-green), bleu nuit ( midnight-blue), rouge sang ( blood-red) etc. However, all English compounds do not translate directly into French. If in doubt, check in the dictionary.French compounds consisting of two colour terms linked with a hyphen are also invariable:a blue-black material= une étoffe bleu-noira greenish-blue cup= une tasse bleu-verta greeny-yellow dress= une robe vert-jauneEnglish uses the ending -ish, or sometimes -y, to show that something is approximately a certain colour, e.g. a reddish hat or a greenish paint. The French equivalent is -âtre:blue-ish= bleuâtregreenish or greeny= verdâtregreyish= grisâtrereddish= rougeâtreyellowish or yellowy= jaunâtreetc.Other similar French words are rosâtre, noirâtre and blanchâtre. Note however that these words are often rather negative in French. It is better not to use them if you want to be complimentary about something. Use instead tirant sur le rouge/jaune etc.To describe a special colour, English can add -coloured to a noun such as raspberry (framboise) or flesh (chair). Note how this is said in French, where the two-word compound with couleur is invariable, and, unlike English, never has a hyphen:a chocolate-coloured skirt= une jupe couleur chocolatraspberry-coloured fabric= du tissu couleur framboiseflesh-coloured tights= un collant couleur chairColour verbsEnglish makes some colour verbs by adding -en (e.g. blacken). Similarly French has some verbs in -ir made from colour terms:to blacken= noircirto redden= rougirto whiten= blanchirThe other French colour terms that behave like this are: bleu (bleuir), jaune (jaunir), rose (rosir) and vert (verdir). It is always safe, however, to use devenir, thus:to turn purple= devenir violetDescribing peopleNote the use of the definite article in the following:to have black hair= avoir les cheveux noirsto have blue eyes= avoir les yeux bleusNote the use of à in the following:a girl with blue eyes= une jeune fille aux yeux bleusthe man with black hair= l’homme aux cheveux noirsNot all colours have direct equivalents in French. The following words are used for describing the colour of someone’s hair (note that les cheveux is plural in French):fair= blonddark= brunblonde or blond= blondbrown= châtain invred= rouxblack= noirgrey= griswhite= blancCheck other terms such as yellow, ginger, auburn, mousey etc. in the dictionary.Note these nouns in French:a fair-haired man= un blonda fair-haired woman= une blondea dark-haired man= un bruna dark-haired woman= une bruneThe following words are useful for describing the colour of someone’s eyes:blue= bleulight blue= bleu clair invlight brown= marron clair invbrown= marron invhazel= noisette invgreen= vertgrey= grisgreyish-green= gris-vert invdark= noir -
2 vivid
['vivid]1) ((of colours etc) brilliant; very bright: The door was painted a vivid yellow; The trees were vivid in their autumn colours.) vif2) (clear; striking: I have many vivid memories of that holiday; a vivid image/description.) clair; frappant3) ((of the imagination) active; lively: She has a vivid imagination.) vif•- vividly- vividness -
3 light
light [laɪt]lumière ⇒ 1 (a), 1 (b) lampe ⇒ 1 (b) lueur ⇒ 1 (c) feu ⇒ 1 (d), 1 (e), 1 (g) phare ⇒ 1 (d), 1 (j) jour ⇒ 1 (f) fenêtre ⇒ 1 (h) solution ⇒ 1 (i) clair ⇒ 2 (a), 2 (b) atone ⇒ 2 (c) léger ⇒ 2 (d)-(f), 3 éclairer ⇒ 4 (a) allumer ⇒ 4 (b) s'allumer ⇒ 5 (a)1 noun(a) (luminosity, brightness) lumière f;∎ there's not enough light to read by il n'y a pas assez de lumière pour lire;∎ it looks brown in this light on dirait que c'est marron avec cette lumière;∎ by the light of our flashlamps à la lumière de nos lampes de poche;∎ by the light of the moon au clair ou à la clarté de la lune;∎ the light was beginning to fail le jour commençait à baisser;∎ she took the picture against the light elle a pris la photo à contre-jour;∎ literary at first light au point ou au lever du jour;∎ you're (standing) in my light tu me fais de l'ombre;∎ in the cold light of the morning dans la lueur pâle du matin;∎ figurative to bring sth to light révéler qch;∎ to be brought or to come to light être découvert ou révélé;∎ the trial will throw or cast light on their real motives le procès permettra d'en savoir plus sur ou de percer à jour leurs véritables mobiles;∎ can you throw any light on this problem? peux-tu apporter tes lumières sur ce problème?, peux-tu éclaircir cette question?;∎ the light at the end of the tunnel le bout du tunnel;∎ at last we can see (some or the) light at the end of the tunnel enfin on voit le bout du tunnel;∎ to see the light of day voir le jour∎ the lights of the city les lumières de la ville;∎ a light went on in the window une lumière s'est allumée à la fenêtre;∎ turn the light on/off allume/éteins (la lumière);∎ put the lights out before you go to bed éteins les lumières avant de te coucher;∎ during the storm the lights went out il y a eu une panne d'électricité ou de lumière pendant l'orage;∎ we were dazzled by the lights of the oncoming cars les phares des véhicules qui venaient en face nous éblouissaient;∎ dip your lights roulez en code(e) (traffic light) feu m (rouge);∎ turn left at the lights tournez à gauche au feu rouge;∎ she jumped the lights elle a brûlé le feu rouge;∎ the lights were (on) amber le feu était à l'orange(f) (aspect, viewpoint) jour m;∎ I see the problem in a different light je vois le problème sous un autre jour;∎ in a good/bad/new light sous un jour favorable/défavorable/nouveau;∎ literary to act according to one's lights agir selon ses principes∎ could you give me a light? pouvez-vous me donner du feu?;∎ have you got a light? vous avez du feu?;∎ to set light to sth mettre le feu à qch(h) (window) fenêtre f; (small round) lucarne f; (of mullioned window) jour m; (of greenhouse) carreau m(i) (in crossword) solution f(j) (lighthouse) phare m(a) (bright, well-lit) clair;∎ a large, light room une grande pièce claire;∎ it isn't light enough to read il n'y a pas assez de lumière pour lire;∎ it's getting light already il commence déjà à faire jour;∎ it stays light until 10 il fait jour jusqu'à 10 heures du soir∎ she has light hair elle a des cheveux clairs;∎ light yellow/brown jaune/marron clair (inv)(d) (in weight) léger;∎ as light as a feather léger comme une plume;∎ light clothes vêtements mpl légers;∎ to be light on one's feet être leste;∎ light touch (of painter, author, film director) finesse f;∎ she's got a very light touch with pastry les pâtisseries qu'elle fait sont très légères(e) (comedy, music etc) léger, facile;∎ light conversation conversation f peu sérieuse, propos mpl anodins(f) (not intense, strong etc) léger;∎ there was a light tap at the door on frappa tout doucement à la porte;∎ the traffic was light la circulation était fluide;∎ I had a light lunch j'ai mangé légèrement à midi, j'ai déjeuné léger;∎ a light rain was falling il tombait une pluie fine;∎ take some light reading prends quelque chose de facile à lire;∎ I'm a light sleeper j'ai le sommeil léger;∎ a light wine un vin léger;∎ he can only do light work il ne peut faire que des travaux peu fatigants;∎ to make light of sth prendre qch à la légère3 adverb∎ to travel light voyager léger(a) (illuminate) éclairer;∎ the room was lit by a single bare bulb la pièce n'était éclairée que par une ampoule nue;∎ I'll light the way for you je vais t'éclairer le chemin∎ to light a fire allumer un feu, faire du feu∎ to light from a horse descendre d'un cheval(lungs) mou m∎ in (the) light of these new facts à la lumière de ces faits nouveaux►► light air (on Beaufort scale) très légère brise f;light aircraft avion m de tourisme;British light ale = bière brune légère;Military light artillery artillerie f légère ou de petit calibre;light beam faisceau m lumineux;light box table f lumineuse;light bulb ampoule f (électrique);Metallurgy light castings petites pièces fpl de fonderie;American light cream crème f liquide;Television light cue signal m lumineux;light entertainment variétés fpl;∎ familiar it's not exactly light entertainment (job) ce n'est pas ce qu'on fait de plus divertissant; (music, play, film) ce n'est pas ce qu'il y a de plus léger;light fitting applique f (électrique);light flare fusée f éclairante;light industry industrie f légère;light infantry infanterie f légère;light meter posemètre m;light opera opéra m comique, opérette f;Computing light pen crayon m optique;light pollution excès m de lumière artificielle;light ray rayon m lumineux;light show spectacle m de lumière;∎ a laser light show un spectacle laser;light soil terre f légère;light switch interrupteur m;light table (for viewing negatives, film) table f lumineuse;Marketing light user faible utilisateur(trice) m,f;light vehicle véhicule m léger;light wave onde f lumineuse;light weapons armes fpl légères∎ to light into sb (attack) rentrer dans le lard à qntomber (par hasard) sur, trouver par hasard➲ light upéclairer;∎ the house was all lit up la maison était tout ou toute éclairée;∎ joy lit up her face son visage rayonnait de bonheur∎ the whole sky lit up le ciel entier s'illumina(b) (face, eyes) s'éclairer, s'illuminer➲ light upon = light on
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Yellow — Yel low (y[e^]l l[ o]), a. [Compar. {Yellower} (y[e^]l l[ o]*[ e]r); superl. {Yellowest}.] [OE. yelow, yelwe, [yogh]elow, [yogh]eoluw, from AS. geolu; akin to D. geel, OS. & OHG. gelo, G. gelb, Icel. gulr, Sw. gul, Dan. guul, L. helvus light bay … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Yellow atrophy — Yellow Yel low (y[e^]l l[ o]), a. [Compar. {Yellower} (y[e^]l l[ o]*[ e]r); superl. {Yellowest}.] [OE. yelow, yelwe, [yogh]elow, [yogh]eoluw, from AS. geolu; akin to D. geel, OS. & OHG. gelo, G. gelb, Icel. gulr, Sw. gul, Dan. guul, L. helvus… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Yellow bark — Yellow Yel low (y[e^]l l[ o]), a. [Compar. {Yellower} (y[e^]l l[ o]*[ e]r); superl. {Yellowest}.] [OE. yelow, yelwe, [yogh]elow, [yogh]eoluw, from AS. geolu; akin to D. geel, OS. & OHG. gelo, G. gelb, Icel. gulr, Sw. gul, Dan. guul, L. helvus… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Yellow bass — Yellow Yel low (y[e^]l l[ o]), a. [Compar. {Yellower} (y[e^]l l[ o]*[ e]r); superl. {Yellowest}.] [OE. yelow, yelwe, [yogh]elow, [yogh]eoluw, from AS. geolu; akin to D. geel, OS. & OHG. gelo, G. gelb, Icel. gulr, Sw. gul, Dan. guul, L. helvus… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Yellow berry — Yellow Yel low (y[e^]l l[ o]), a. [Compar. {Yellower} (y[e^]l l[ o]*[ e]r); superl. {Yellowest}.] [OE. yelow, yelwe, [yogh]elow, [yogh]eoluw, from AS. geolu; akin to D. geel, OS. & OHG. gelo, G. gelb, Icel. gulr, Sw. gul, Dan. guul, L. helvus… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Yellow boy — Yellow Yel low (y[e^]l l[ o]), a. [Compar. {Yellower} (y[e^]l l[ o]*[ e]r); superl. {Yellowest}.] [OE. yelow, yelwe, [yogh]elow, [yogh]eoluw, from AS. geolu; akin to D. geel, OS. & OHG. gelo, G. gelb, Icel. gulr, Sw. gul, Dan. guul, L. helvus… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Yellow brier — Yellow Yel low (y[e^]l l[ o]), a. [Compar. {Yellower} (y[e^]l l[ o]*[ e]r); superl. {Yellowest}.] [OE. yelow, yelwe, [yogh]elow, [yogh]eoluw, from AS. geolu; akin to D. geel, OS. & OHG. gelo, G. gelb, Icel. gulr, Sw. gul, Dan. guul, L. helvus… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Yellow bugle — Yellow Yel low (y[e^]l l[ o]), a. [Compar. {Yellower} (y[e^]l l[ o]*[ e]r); superl. {Yellowest}.] [OE. yelow, yelwe, [yogh]elow, [yogh]eoluw, from AS. geolu; akin to D. geel, OS. & OHG. gelo, G. gelb, Icel. gulr, Sw. gul, Dan. guul, L. helvus… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Yellow bunting — Yellow Yel low (y[e^]l l[ o]), a. [Compar. {Yellower} (y[e^]l l[ o]*[ e]r); superl. {Yellowest}.] [OE. yelow, yelwe, [yogh]elow, [yogh]eoluw, from AS. geolu; akin to D. geel, OS. & OHG. gelo, G. gelb, Icel. gulr, Sw. gul, Dan. guul, L. helvus… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English