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1 compound
1. nounb. ( = enclosed area) enclos m, enceinte f2. adjective[interest] composé ; [fracture] multiple[+ problem, difficulties] aggraver━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✦ Lorsque compound est un nom ou un adjectif, l'accent tombe sur la première syllabe: ˈkɒmpaʊnd, lorsque c'est un verbe, sur la seconde: kəmˈpaʊnd.* * *1. ['kɒmpaʊnd]1) ( enclosure) enceinte fprison compound — enceinte f de prison
workers' compound — quartier m de travailleurs
2) Chemistry composé m (of de)3) ( word) mot m composé4) ( mixture) composé m (of de)2. ['kɒmpaʊnd]1) gen, Biology, Botany, Chemistry composé2) Linguistics [tense, noun] composé; [sentence] complexe3) Medicine [fracture] multiple4) Finance [interest] composé3. [kəm'paʊnd]transitive verb1) ( exacerbate) aggraver [error, offence, problem] (by par; by doing en faisant) -
2 compound
(b) (make worse → difficulties, mistake) aggraver∎ to compound an offence composer ou pactiser avec un criminel;∎ to compound a debt faire une transaction pour le règlement d'une dette∎ to compound with sb for sth transiger avec qn au sujet de ou pour qch;∎ the neighbours compounded for the damages les voisins se sont arrangés au sujet des dommages►► Accountancy & Finance compound annual return annuités fpl composées;Accountancy compound entry (in bookkeeping) article m composé;Biology compound eye œil m composé ou à facettes;Mathematics compound fraction fraction f composée;compound fracture fracture f multiple;Finance compound interest (UNCOUNT) intérêts mpl composés;Music compound time mesure f composée -
3 compound
A n1 ( enclosure) enceinte f ; diplomatic/industrial/military/prison compound enceinte f diplomatique/industrielle/militaire/de prison ; workers'/miners' compound quartier m de travailleurs/de mineurs ;3 ( word) mot m composé ;4 ( mixture) composé m (of de).B adj3 Med [fracture] multiple.C vtr1 ( exacerbate) aggraver [difficulty, error, offence, problem, damage, anxiety] (by par ; by doing en faisant) ; to compound misfortune with error ajouter l'erreur au malheur ;2 ( combine) combiner (with à) ; compounded of composé de ;3 Jur to compound a debt transiger sur une dette ; to compound an offence ou a felony accepter de ne pas porter plainte en contrepartie d'un dédommagement. -
4 compound
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5 participle
(word formed from a verb, used either to form compound tenses or as an adjective or noun: ('going' and 'gone' are the present and past participle of 'go'.)) -
6 substance
1) (a material: Rubber is a tough, stretchy substance obtained from the juice of certain plants.) substance2) (as a scientific term, an element, compound or mixture.) substance -
7 car
car [kɑ:(r)]1 noun(a) (automobile) voiture f, automobile f, auto f;∎ to go by car aller en voiture(e) (of airship, balloon) nacelle f(engine, tyre, wheel) de voiture, d'automobile; (journey, trip) en voiture►► car alarm alarme f de voiture;British car allowance indemnité f de déplacement (en voiture);car body carrosserie f;car bomb voiture f piégée;car bomb attack attentat m à la voiture piégée;car bomber auteur m d'un attentat à la voiture piégée;British car bonnet capot m;British car boot coffre m, malle f (arrière);British car boot sale = sorte de marché aux puces où des particuliers apportent dans leur voiture les objets de brocante qu'ils souhaitent vendre;car chase course-poursuite f;British car coat manteau m trois-quarts;car dealer concessionnaire m automobile;car ferry ferry-boat m;British car hire1 nounlocation f de voitures(company, firm) de location de voitures;car industry industrie f (de l')automobile;car insurance assurance f auto;car jack cric m;car keys clés fpl de voiture;car manufacturer constructeur m automobile;British car number numéro m d'immatriculation;British car park parking m, parc m de stationnement;car park attendant gardien(enne) m,f de parking;car pool (of commuters) = groupe de personnes qui s'organise pour utiliser la même voiture afin de se rendre à une destination commune; (cars provided by company) voitures fpl de fonction;American car pool lane = voie d'autoroute réservée, les jours de grande circulation, aux voitures à deux passagers ou plus;car pooling covoiturage m;1 nounlocation f de voitures(company, firm) de location de voitures;car rug plaid m;car salesman vendeur m de voitures;car sickness mal m des transports;∎ to suffer from car sickness être malade en voiture;car sickness pills comprimés mpl contre le mal des transports;car stereo autoradio m;American car trunk coffre m, malle f (arrière);car wash (place) portique m de lavage automatique (de voitures), French Canadian lave-auto m; (action) lavage m de voitures;car worker ouvrier(ère) m,f de l'industrie automobile -
8 living
living ['lɪvɪŋ]1 noun(a) (livelihood) vie f;∎ I have to work for a living je suis obligé de travailler pour vivre;∎ what do you do for a living? qu'est-ce que vous faites dans la vie?;∎ to write for a living vivre de sa plume;∎ she made a (good) living as a pianist elle gagnait (bien) sa vie comme pianiste;∎ to make a living gagner sa vie;∎ you can't make a decent living in this business on gagne mal sa vie ou on a du mal à gagner sa vie dans ce métier(b) (life, lifestyle) vie f;∎ come to California where the living is easy venez en Californie, la vie y est facile;∎ plain living la vie simple(alive) vivant;∎ the study of living organisms l'étude des organismes vivants;∎ he has no living relatives il n'a plus de famille;∎ who's the greatest living boxer? quel est le plus grand boxeur vivant?;∎ while she was living de son vivant;∎ it was the worst storm in living memory de mémoire d'homme on n'avait jamais vu une tempête aussi violente;∎ I didn't see a living soul je n'ai pas vu âme qui vive;∎ she's living proof that the treatment works elle est la preuve vivante que le traitement est efficace;∎ they made her life a living hell ils lui ont rendu la vie infernale;∎ the living dead les morts mpl vivants;∎ living death vie f de souffrances;∎ his life became a living death sa vie ne fut plus qu'une longue souffrance∎ the living les vivants mpl(conditions) de vie►► living allowance indemnité f de séjour;living area aire f de séjour;∎ the living area is separated from the bedrooms la partie séjour est séparée des chambres;Finance living expenses indemnité f de séjour;∎ these are the crew's living quarters ce sont les quartiers de l'équipage;Geology the living rock la roche non exploitée;∎ sculpted from the living rock taillé à même le roc;1 noun(salle f de) séjour mdu salon;living space espace m vital;living standards niveau m de vie;living thing être m vivant;a living wage le minimum vital;∎ £400 a month isn't a living wage on ne peut pas vivre avec 400 livres par mois;living will = testament dans lequel le testataire exprime sa volonté de ne pas être maintenu en vie artificiellement s'il sombre dans un état végétatif irréversible à la suite d'une maladie ou d'un accident -
9 city
1 noun(town) (grande) ville f;∎ the City of Brotherly Love = surnom de Philadelphie;∎ life in the city la vie en ville, la vie citadine;∎ the whole city turned out toute la ville était présente, tous les habitants de la ville étaient présents(lights, limits, streets) de la ville; (officers, police, services) municipal; (life) en ville, citadin3 City1 nounFinance (of London) = centre d'affaires de Londres;∎ the City la City (de Londres);∎ he's something in the City il travaille à la City (de Londres);∎ the City Companies les corporations fpl de la City de Londres►► city break (holiday) court séjour m en ville;British city centre centre m de la ville, centre-ville m;Press city editor British rédacteur(trice) m,f en chef pour les nouvelles financières; American rédacteur(trice) m,f en chef pour les nouvelles locales;city farm = ferme située en ville dans le but de permettre aux jeunes citadins de se familiariser avec le monde campagnard tout en restant en ville;city fathers édiles mpl locaux;British city gent homme m d'affaires de la City (souvent représenté en costume rayé et chapeau melon);(a) (building) mairie f, hôtel m de ville∎ you can't fight city hall on ne peut rien contre l'administration;Accountancy city ledger (in hotels, business) débiteurs mpl divers;American Administration city manager administrateur(trice) m,f (payé par la municipalité pour gérer ses affaires);city planner urbaniste mf;city planning urbanisme m;familiar pejorative city slicker = citadin sophistiqué;city technology college = collège technique britannique, généralement établi dans des quartiers défavorisésⓘ THE CITY La City, quartier financier de la capitale, est une circonscription administrative autonome de Londres ayant sa propre police. -
10 data
1 nouninformations fpl, données fpl; Computing données fpl;∎ a piece or an item of data une donnée, une information; Computing une donnée;∎ what little data we do have suggests that… le peu d'informations que nous avons semble montrer que…;∎ to collect data on sb/sth recueillir des informations sur qn/qchComputing de données►► data acquisition collecte f de données, saisie f de données;data bank banque f de données;data bus bus m de données;data capture saisie f de données;data carrier support m de données;data collection recueil m de données, collecte f de données;data compression compression f de données;data encryption cryptage m ou codage m de données;data exchange échange m de données;data management gestion f de données;data path chemin m d'accès aux données;data privacy secret m ou protection f des données;1 nountraitement m de l'information(department, service) de traitement des données ou de l'information, informatique;data protection protection f de l'information;Data Protection Act loi f sur la protection de l'information (en Grande-Bretagne);data security sécurité f des données;data set ensemble m de données;data storage stockage m de données;data stream flot m de données;data switch commutateur m de données;data transfer transfert m ou transmission f de données;data transmission transmission f de données -
11 jet
Ⅰ.1 noun∎ to travel by jet voyager en jet ou en avion à réaction;∎ (water) jet (in whirlpool, bath etc) gicleur m(fighter, bomber) à réaction; (transport, travel) en avion (à réaction)∎ they jetted (over) to Paris for the weekend ils ont pris l'avion pour passer le week-end à Paris□(a) (transport by jet) transporter par avion (à réaction);∎ supplies are being jetted into or to the disaster area des avions apportent des vivres à la zone sinistrée(b) (direct → liquid) faire gicler►► Aviation jet-assisted take-off décollage m (avec fusées), JATO;jet engine moteur m à réaction;jet fuel kérosène m;Aviation jet plane avion m à réaction;jet propulsion propulsion f par réaction;familiar jet set jet-set m ou f;∎ he's part of the jet set now il fait partie du ou de la jet-set;jet stream jet-stream m, courant-jet m;jet trail traînée f de condensationarriver par avions'envoler (to pour)Ⅱ.jet21 noun(a) Mineralogy jais m(necklace, earrings) de ou en jais(colour) noir comme (du) jais, (noir) de jais►► jet black noir m de jais -
12 music
music ['mju:zɪk]1 nounmusique f; (score) partition f, musique f;∎ to set to music mettre en musique;∎ to read music lire une partition;∎ the news was music to my ears la nouvelle m'a fait très plaisir ou m'a ravi(teacher, lesson, festival) de musique►► music box boîte f à musique;music case porte-musique m inv;old-fashioned music centre chaîne f (midi);1 noun(theatre) théâtre m de variétés; (entertainment) music-hall m(song, artist) de music-hall;music paper papier m à musique;music press presse f musicale;music stand pupitre m (à musique);music station station f musicale;music video clip m (vidéo) -
13 sale
sale [seɪl]1 noun∎ to make a sale conclure une vente;∎ the sale of alcohol is forbidden la vente d'alcool est interdite;∎ sales of satellite TV dishes are growing les ventes d'antennes paraboliques sont en hausse;∎ the branch with the highest sales la succursale dont le chiffre d'affaires est le plus élevé;∎ I'm afraid that article is not for sale je regrette, cet article n'est pas à vendre;∎ to put sth up for sale mettre qch en vente;∎ our house is up for sale nous avons mis notre maison en vente;∎ on sale en vente;∎ on sale at a supermarket near you en vente dans tous les supermarchés;∎ we bought the goods on a sale or return basis nous avons acheté la marchandise à condition;∎ sale by private agreement vente f à l'amiable;∎ sale by sealed tender vente f par soumission cachetée;∎ sale with option of repurchase vente f avec faculté de rachat;∎ sale by auction vente f aux enchères∎ the January sales attract huge crowds les soldes de janvier attirent les foules;∎ the sales are on in London les soldes ont commencé à Londres;∎ I got it in a sale je l'ai acheté en solde;∎ closing-down sale liquidation f(goods) soldé(campaign, force, team) de vente; (promotion, forecasts) des ventes►► sales account compte m des ventes;sales acumen sens m du commerce;sales agent agent m commercial;sales assistant vendeur(euse) m,f;sales budget budget m commercial, budget m des ventes;American sales clerk vendeur(euse) m,f;sales conference conférence f du personnel des ventes;sales consultant conseiller(ère) m,f commercial(e);sales counter comptoir m de vente;sales department service m commercial, service m des ventes;sales director directeur(trice) m,f des ventes;sales drive campagne f de vente;sales engineer ingénieur m technico-commercial, ingénieur m commercial, ingénieur m des ventes;sales executive cadre m commercial;sales figures chiffre m de vente;sales literature brochures fpl publicitaires;sales manager directeur(trice) m,f commercial(e);sales and marketing vente-marketing f;sales and marketing director directeur(trice) m,f des ventes et du marketing;sales network réseau m de vente;sales objective objectif m de vente;sales outlet point m de vente;sales pitch arguments mpl de vente; (verbal) boniment m, argumentation f;sales policy politique f de vente;sales potential potentiel m de vente;sales projection prévision f des ventes;sales rep, sales representative représentant(e) m,f (de commerce);sales resistance réticence f de la part du consommateur;∎ our product met with some initial sales resistance le public n'a pas accepté notre produit tout de suite;American sales slip ticket m de caisse;sales staff personnel m de vente;sales support soutien m commercial;sales talk boniment m;sales target objectif m de vente;American sales tax TVA f;sales technique technique f de vente;sales tool instrument m de vente;sale of work vente f de charité -
14 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 -
15 carbon
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16 Usage note : which
In questionsWhen which is used as a pronoun in questions it is translated by lequel, laquelle, lesquels or lesquelles according to the gender and number of the noun it is referring to:there are three peaches, which do you want?= il y a trois pêches, laquelle veux-tu?‘Lucy’s borrowed three of your books’ ‘which did she take?’= ‘Lucy t’a emprunté trois livres’ ‘lesquels a-t-elle pris?’The exception to this is when which is followed by a superlative adjective, when the translation is quel, quelle, quels or quelles:which is the biggest (apple)?= quelle est la plus grande?which are the least expensive (books)?= quels sont les moins chers?In relative clauses as subject or objectthe book which is on the table= le livre qui est sur la tablethe books which are on the table= les livres qui sont sur la tablethe book which Tina is reading= le livre que lit TinaNote the inversion of subject and verb ; this is the case where the subject is a noun but not where the subject is a pronoun:the book which I am reading= le livre que je lisIn compound tenses such as the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the noun que is referring to:the books which I gave you= les livres que je t’ai donnésthe dresses which she bought yesterday= les robes qu’elle a achetées hierIn relative clauses after a prepositionHere the translation is lequel, laquelle, lesquels or lesquelles according to the gender and number of the noun referred to:the road by which we came or the road which we came by= la route par laquelle nous sommes venusthe expressions for which we have translations= les expressions pour lesquelles nous avons une traductionRemember that if the preposition would normally be translated by à in French (to, at etc.), the preposition + which is translated by auquel, à laquelle, auxquels or auxquelles:the addresses to which we sent letters= les adresses auxquelles nous avons envoyé des lettresWith prepositions normally translated by de (of, from etc.) the translation of the preposition which becomes dont:a blue book, the title of which I’ve forgotten= un livre bleu dont j’ai oublié le titreHowever, if de is part of a prepositional group, as for example in the case of près de meaning near, the translation becomes duquel, de laquelle, desquels or desquelles:the village near which they live= le village près duquel ils habitentthe houses near which she was waiting= les maisons près desquelles elle attendaita hill at the top of which there is a house= une colline au sommet de laquelle il y a une maisonAs a determinerIn questionsWhen which is used as a determiner in questions it is translated by quel, quelle, quels or quelles according to the gender and number of the noun that follows:which car is yours?= quelle voiture est la vôtre?which books did he borrow?= quels livres a-t-il empruntés?Note that in the second example the object precedes the verb so that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the object. -
17 Usage note : her
When used as a direct object pronoun, her is translated by la (l’ before a vowel). Note that the object pronoun normally comes before the verb in French and that, in compound tenses like perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees with the pronoun:I know her= je la connaisI’ve already seen her= je l’ai déjà vueIn imperatives, the direct object pronoun is translated by la and comes after the verb:catch her!= attrape-la!(note the hyphen)I’ve given her the book= je lui ai donné le livreI’ve given it to her= je le lui ai donnéIn imperatives, the indirect object pronoun is translated by lui and comes after the verb:phone her= téléphone-luigive them to her= donne-les-lui(note the hyphens)he did it for her= il l’a fait pour elleit’s her= c’est elleWhen translating her as a determiner ( her house etc.) remember that in French possessive adjectives, like most other adjectives, agree in gender and number with the noun they qualify ; her is translated by son + masculine singular noun ( son chien), sa + feminine singular noun ( sa maison) BUT son + feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h’ ( son assiette), and ses + plural noun ( ses enfants).For her used with parts of the body ⇒ The human body. -
18 French
French [frentʃ]∎ the French les Français mpl2 noun(language) français m;∎ humorous pardon or excuse my French! passez-moi l'expression!français;(embassy, history) de France; (teacher) de français►► French bean haricot m vert;French billiards billard m (français);French bread baguette f;Geography French Canada le Canada français;1 nounCanadien(enne) m,f français(e)canadien français;French chalk craie f de tailleur;French cricket = jeu pour enfants qui se joue avec une balle et une batte de cricket;Technology French curve pistolet m (de dessinateur);American French dip = sandwich à la viande accompagné d'un bouillon ou d'une sauce à base de la même viande, dans lesquels on trempe le sandwich;American French door porte-fenêtre f;Cookery French dressing (in UK) vinaigrette f; (in US) = sauce de salade à base de mayonnaise et de ketchup;the French Foreign Legion la Légion étrangère;French franc franc m français;French fried potatoes pommes fpl frites;French fries frites fpl;French Guiana Guyane f française;French horn cor m d'harmonie; familiar French kiss1 nounpatin mrouler un patin àse rouler un patin;British French knickers ≃ caleçon m (culotte pour femme);British French loaf baguette f;French maid femme f de chambre française (attachée au service particulier d'une dame); Theatre soubrette f;French maid's outfit costume m de soubrette;French manicure French manucure f;French marigold œillet m d'Inde;French mustard ≃ moutarde f de Dijon;French onion soup gratinée f à l'oignon;French plait (hairstyle) natte f africaine;British French polish vernis m (à l'alcool);the French Quarter (in New Orleans) le quartier français, le Vieux Carré;History the French Revolution la Révolution (française);the French Riviera la Côte d'Azur;French roll (hairstyle) chignon m banane;Sewing French seam couture f anglaise;British French stick baguette f;French Switzerland la Suisse romande;French toast pain m perdu;the French Triangle = région du sud des États-Unis comprise entre La Nouvelle-Orléans, Alexandria et Cameron;French West Africa l'Afrique-Occidentale f française;the French West Indies les Antilles fpl françaises;British French window porte-fenêtre f✾ Book ✾ Film 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' Fowles, Reisz 'Sarah et le lieutenant français' (roman), 'La Maîtresse du lieutenant français' (film) -
19 chrome
chrome [krəʊm]1 nounchrome m(fittings, taps) chromé►► chrome green1 nounvert m de chromevert de chrome;chrome nickel nickel-chrome m;1 nounrouge m de chromerouge de chrome;chrome steel acier m chromé, chromé m;chrome tape bande f magnétique chromée;1 nounjaune m de chromejaune de chrome -
20 Usage note : be
I am tired= je suis fatiguéCaroline is French= Caroline est françaisethe children are in the garden= les enfants sont dans le jardinIt functions in very much the same way as to be does in English and it is safe to assume it will work as a translation in the great majority of cases.Note, however, that when you are specifying a person’s profession or trade, a/an is not translated:she’s a doctor= elle est médecinClaudie is still a student= Claudie est toujours étudianteThis is true of any noun used in apposition when the subject is a person:he’s a widower= il est veufButLyons is a beautiful city= Lyon est une belle villeFor more information or expressions involving professions and trades consult the usage note Shops, Trades and Professions.For the conjugation of the verb être see the French verb tables.Grammatical functionsThe passiveêtre is used to form the passive in French just as to be is used in English. Note, however, that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject:the rabbit was killed by a fox= le lapin a été tué par un renardthe window had been broken= la fenêtre avait été casséetheir books will be sold= leurs livres seront vendusour doors have been repainted red= nos portes ont été repeintes en rougeIn spoken language, French native speakers find the passive cumbersome and will avoid it where possible by using the impersonal on where a person or people are clearly involved : on a repeint nos portes en rouge.Progressive tensesIn French the idea of something happening over a period of time cannot be expressed using the verb être in the way that to be is used as an auxiliary verb in English.The presentFrench uses simply the present tense where English uses the progressive form with to be:I am working= je travailleBen is reading a book= Ben lit un livreIn order to accentuate duration être en train de is used: je suis en train de travailler ; Ben est en train de lire un livre.The futureFrench also uses the present tense where English uses the progressive form with to be:we are going to London tomorrow= nous allons à Londres demainI’m (just) coming!= j’arrive!I’m (just) going!= j’y vais!The pastTo express the distinction between she read a newspaper and she was reading a newspaper French uses the perfect and the imperfect tenses: elle a lu un journal/elle lisait un journal:he wrote to his mother= il a écrit à sa mèrehe was writing to his mother= il écrivait à sa mèreHowever, in order to accentuate the notion of describing an activity which went on over a period of time, the phrase être en train de (= to be in the process of) is often used:‘what was he doing when you arrived?’‘he was cooking the dinner’= ‘qu’est-ce qu’il faisait quand tu es arrivé?’ ‘il était en train de préparer le dîner’she was just finishing her essay when …= elle était juste en train de finir sa dissertation quand …The compound pastCompound past tenses in the progressive form in English are generally translated by the imperfect in French:I’ve been looking for you= je te cherchaisFor progressive forms + for and since (I’ve been waiting for an hour, I had been waiting for an hour, I’ve been waiting since Monday etc.) see the entries for and since.ObligationWhen to be is used as an auxiliary verb with another verb in the infinitive ( to be to do) expressing obligation, a fixed arrangement or destiny, devoir is used:she’s to do it at once= elle doit le faire tout de suitewhat am I to do?= qu’est-ce que je dois faire?he was to arrive last Monday= il devait arriver lundi derniershe was never to see him again= elle ne devait plus le revoir.In tag questionsFrench has no direct equivalent of tag questions like isn’t he? or wasn’t it? There is a general tag question n’est-ce pas? (literally isn’t it so?) which will work in many cases:their house is lovely, isn’t it?= leur maison est très belle, n’est-ce pas?he’s a doctor, isn’t he?= il est médecin, n’est-ce pas?it was a very good meal, wasn’t it?= c’était un très bon repas, n’est-ce pas?However, n’est-ce pas can very rarely be used for positive tag questions and some other way will be found to express the extra meaning contained in the tag: par hasard ( by any chance) can be very useful as a translation:‘I can’t find my glasses’ ‘they’re not in the kitchen, are they?’= ‘je ne trouve pas mes lunettes’ ‘elles ne sont pas dans la cuisine, par hasard?’you haven’t seen Gaby, have you?= tu n’as pas vu Gaby, par hasard?In cases where an opinion is being sought, si? meaning more or less or is it? or was it? etc. can be useful:it’s not broken, is it?= ce n’est pas cassé, si?he wasn’t serious, was he?= il n’était pas sérieux, si?In many other cases the tag question is simply not translated at all and the speaker’s intonation will convey the implied question.In short answersAgain, there is no direct equivalent for short answers like yes I am, no he’s not etc. Where the answer yes is given to contradict a negative question or statement, the most useful translation is si:‘you’re not going out tonight’ ‘yes I am’= ‘tu ne sors pas ce soir’ ‘si’In reply to a standard enquiry the tag will not be translated:‘are you a doctor?’ ‘yes I am’= ‘êtes-vous médecin?’ ‘oui’‘was it raining?’ ‘yes it was’= ‘est-ce qu’il pleuvait?’ ‘oui’ProbabilityFor expressions of probability and supposition ( if I were you etc.) see the entry be.Other functionsExpressing sensations and feelingsIn expressing physical and mental sensations, the verb used in French is avoir:to be cold= avoir froidto be hot= avoir chaudI’m cold= j’ai froidto be thirsty= avoir soifto be hungry= avoir faimto be ashamed= avoir hontemy hands are cold= j’ai froid aux mainsIf, however, you are in doubt as to which verb to use in such expressions, you should consult the entry for the appropriate adjective.Discussing health and how people areIn expressions of health and polite enquiries about how people are, aller is used:how are you?= comment allez-vous?( more informally) comment vas-tu?( very informally as a greeting) ça va?are you well?= vous allez bien?how is your daughter?= comment va votre fille?my father is better today= mon père va mieux aujourd’huiDiscussing weather and temperatureIn expressions of weather and temperature faire is generally used:it’s cold= il fait froidit’s windy= il fait du ventIf in doubt, consult the appropriate adjective entry.Visiting somewhereWhen to be is used in the present perfect tense to mean go, visit etc., French will generally use the verbs venir, aller etc. rather than être:I’ve never been to Sweden= je ne suis jamais allé en Suèdehave you been to the Louvre?= est-ce que tu es déjà allé au Louvre?or est-ce que tu as déjà visité le Louvre?Paul has been to see us three times= Paul est venu nous voir trois foisNote too:has the postman been?= est-ce que le facteur est passé?The translation for an expression or idiom containing the verb to be will be found in the dictionary at the entry for another word in the expression: for to be in danger see danger, for it would be best to … see best etc.This dictionary contains usage notes on topics such as the clock, time units, age, weight measurement, days of the week, and shops, trades and professions, many of which include translations of particular uses of to be.
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