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1 the
[ðə, ði](The form [ðə] is used before words beginning with a consonant eg the house or consonant sound eg the union [ðə'ju:njən]; the form [ði] is used before words beginning with a vowel eg the apple or vowel sound eg the honour [ði 'onə])1) (used to refer to a person, thing etc mentioned previously, described in a following phrase, or already known: Where is the book I put on the table?; Who was the man you were talking to?; My mug is the tall blue one; Switch the light off!)2) (used with a singular noun or an adjective to refer to all members of a group etc or to a general type of object, group of objects etc: The horse is running fast.; I spoke to him on the telephone; He plays the piano/violin very well.) l', le, la3) (used to refer to unique objects etc, especially in titles and names: the Duke of Edinburgh; the Atlantic (Ocean).) l', le, la4) (used after a preposition with words referring to a unit of quantity, time etc: In this job we are paid by the hour.) au, (à) l', (à) la5) (used with superlative adjectives and adverbs to denote a person, thing etc which is or shows more of something than any other: He is the kindest man I know; We like him (the) best of all.) le, la, les6) ((often with all) used with comparative adjectives to show that a person, thing etc is better, worse etc: He has had a week's holiday and looks (all) the better for it.) le, la, les•- the...- the... -
2 a
[ə(n)]indef. article(a is used before words beginning with a consonant eg a boy, or consonant sound eg a union; an is used before words beginning with a vowel eg an owl, or vowel sound eg an honour.)1) (one: There is a boy in the garden.) un, une2) (any; every: An owl can see in the dark.) un, une3) (for each; per: We earn $6 an hour.) par; de -
3 an
[ə(n)]indef. article(a is used before words beginning with a consonant eg a boy, or consonant sound eg a union; an is used before words beginning with a vowel eg an owl, or vowel sound eg an honour.)1) (one: There is a boy in the garden.) un, une2) (any; every: An owl can see in the dark.) un, une3) (for each; per: We earn $6 an hour.) par; de -
4 French provinces and regions
Both traditional pre-Revolution regions and modern administrative regions usually take the definite article as in l’Alsace, la Champagne etc.:I like Alsace= j’aime l’AlsaceChampagne is beautiful= la Champagne est belleFor names which have a compound form, such as Midi-Pyrénées or Rhône-Alpes, it is safer to include the words la région:do you know Midi-Pyrénées?= connaissez-vous la région Midi-Pyrénées?In, to and from somewhereThere are certain general principles regarding names of French provinces and regions. However, usage is sometimes uncertain ; doubtful items should be checked in the dictionary.For in and to, with feminine names and with masculine ones beginning with a vowel, use en without the definite article:to live in Burgundy= vivre en Bourgogneto go to Burgundy= aller en Bourgogneto live in Anjou= vivre en Anjouto go to Anjou= aller en AnjouFor in and to with masculine names beginning with a consonant, use dans le:to live in the Berry= vivre dans le Berryto go to the Berry= aller dans le BerryFor from with feminine names and with masculine ones beginning with a vowel, use de without the definite article:to come from Burgundy= venir de Bourgogneto come from Anjou= venir d’AnjouFor from with masculine names beginning with a consonant, use du:to come from the Berry= venir du BerryRegional adjectivesRelated adjectives and nouns exist for most of the names of provinces and regions. Here is a list of the commonest:an Alsace accent= un accent alsacienAlsace costume= le costume alsacienthe Alsace countryside= les paysages alsaciensAlsace traditions= les traditions alsaciennesAlsace villages= les villages alsaciensThese words can also be used as nouns, meaning a person from X ; in this case they are written with a capital letter:a person from Alsace= un Alsacienan Alsace woman= une Alsaciennethe people of Alsace= les Alsaciens mplBig English-French dictionary > French provinces and regions
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5 US states
In some cases, there is a French form of the name, but not always (if in doubt, check in the dictionary). Each state has a gender in French and is used with the definite article, except after the preposition en, e.g.:Arkansas= l’Arkansas mCalifornia= la CalifornieTexas= le TexasSo:Arkansas is beautiful= l’Arkansas est beauI like California= j’aime la Californiedo you know Texas?= connaissez-vous le Texas?In, to and from somewherein Alaska= en Alaskato Alaska= en Alaskain California= en Californieto California= en Californiein Texas= au Texasto Texas= au TexasFor from use de for feminine states and for masculine ones beginning with a vowel, e.g.:from California= de Californiefrom Alaska= d’AlaskaFor from use du for masculine states beginning with a consonant, e.g.:from Texas= du TexasComing from somewhere: Uses with another nounThere are a few words e.g. californien, new-yorkais, texan used as adjectives and as nouns (with a capital letter) referring to the inhabitants. In other cases it is usually safe to use de for feminine states, and to use de l’ or du for masculine states, e.g.:the Florida countryside= les paysages de FlorideIllinois representatives= les représentants de l’Illinoisbuta Louisiana accent= l’accent de la LouisianeNew-Mexico roads= les routes du Nouveau-Mexique -
6 hard
hard [hα:d]1. adjectivea. ( = not soft) dur ; [blow, kick, punch] violent• to set hard [concrete, clay] bien prendre• no hard feelings! sans rancune !• to show there are no hard feelings pour montrer qu'il n'y a pas de rancune entre nous (or eux etc)• to take a hard line with sb/on sth se montrer intransigeant avec qn/quand il s'agit de qch• to be hard on sb [person] être dur avec qn• hard luck! pas de chance !b. ( = not easy) dur ; [battle, fight] rude• I find it hard to believe that... j'ai du mal à croire que...• it's hard work! c'est dur !c. ( = committed) he's a hard worker il est travailleurd. [winter, climate] rude ; [frost] forte. [evidence] tangible ; [fact] concret2. adverb• no matter how hard I try, I... j'ai beau essayer, je...b. ( = badly) to take sth hard être très affecté par qch3. compounds► hard hat noun casque m ; ( = riding hat) bombe f ; (US = construction worker) ouvrier m du bâtiment• a hard-headed businessman un homme d'affaires qui a la tête sur les épaules ► hard-hearted adjective insensible* * *[hɑːd] 1.1) ( firm) durto go ou grow ou become hard — durcir
frozen hard — complètement gelé; hard lens
2) ( difficult) [problem, question, task] dur, difficile; [choice, decision] difficile; [bargaining, negotiations, fight] dur, serréto be hard to open — être dur or difficile à ouvrir
it's hard to do — c'est dur or difficile à faire
to find it hard to do something — avoir du mal à faire quelque chose, trouver dur or difficile de faire quelque chose
it's hard to accept/believe — on a du mal à accepter/croire ( that que)
it was hard work ou going — ça a été dur or difficile
hard work never hurt ou killed anybody! — le travail n'a jamais fait de mal à personne!
to be a hard worker — être travailleur/-euse
to find something out ou learn something the hard way — apprendre quelque chose à ses dépens
3) ( harsh) [life, year] difficile; [blow] fig dur, terrible; [winter] rudehard luck ou lines (colloq) GB! — pas de chance!
to take a hard line — adopter une attitude ferme ( on something à propos de quelque chose; with somebody envers quelqu'un)
it's a hard life — gen, hum, iron la vie est dure
to give somebody a hard time — (colloq) ( make things difficult) rendre la vie impossible à quelqu'un; ( tell off) passer un savon (colloq) à quelqu'un
4) (stern, cold) [person, look, words] dur, sévère5) ( concrete) [evidence, fact] solide6) ( stark) [colour, light] dur7) ( strong) [liquor] fort; [drug] dur; [pornography] hard (colloq) (inv)8) Politicsthe hard left/right — la gauche/droite (pure et) dure
9) Chemistry [water] dur, calcaire10) Linguistics [consonant] dur11) (colloq) ( tough) [person] dur12) Finance [currency] fort2.1) (strongly, energetically) [push, hit, cry] fort; [work] dur; [study, think] sérieusement; [rain] à verse; [snow] abondamment; [look, listen] attentivementto be hard hit — fig être durement frappé (by par)
to try hard — ( intellectually) faire beaucoup d'efforts; ( physically) essayer de toutes ses forces
no matter how hard I try/work, I... — j'ai beau essayer/travailler, je...
to be hard at it (colloq) ou at work — être en plein travail
2) ( with directions)hard behind — juste derrière; heel
••to be/feel hard done by — être/se sentir brimé
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7 hard
A adj1 [consistency, object, surface, skin, muscle, snow, butter, bread, ground, bed, pencil lead] dur ; [paint, wax, mud, glue] dur, durci ; to go ou grow ou become hard durcir ; to set hard [concrete, plaster etc] durcir complètement ; a hard frost une forte gelée ; frozen hard complètement gelé ; ⇒ hard lens ;2 (difficult, complex) [problem, question, puzzle] dur, difficile ; [choice] difficile, dur à faire ; [decision] difficile, dur à prendre ; (arduous, demanding) [task, study, training, climb] dur, difficile ; [bargaining, negotiations, fight] dur, serré ; I've had a hard day j'ai eu une dure journée ; a hard day's work/filming une dure journée de travail/de tournage ; to be hard to open/cut/find/read être dur or difficile à ouvrir/couper/trouver/lire ; it's a hard poem to translate c'est un poème difficile à traduire ; to be hard to please être exigeant ; it's hard to do c'est dur or difficile à faire ; it was hard not to laugh il était dur or difficile de ne pas rire ; his decision was hard for us to understand il était dur or difficile de comprendre sa décision, nous avions du mal à comprendre sa décision ; it is hard for sb to do sth il est difficile à or pour qn de faire qch ; it was hard for us to understand his decision il nous était difficile de comprendre sa décision, nous avions du mal à comprendre sa décision ; it's hard for old people to change their ways il est difficile pour les personnes âgées de changer leurs habitudes ; to find it hard to do sth avoir du mal à faire qch, trouver dur or difficile de faire qch ; to find sth hard to do trouver qch dur or difficile à faire ; it's hard to accept/believe on a du mal à accepter/croire (that que) ; I'm not afraid of hard work le travail ne me fait pas peur ; it was hard work ou going ça a été dur or difficile ; it's hard work doing sth c'est difficile or dur de faire qch ; it was hard work persuading her to sell c'était difficile or dur de la persuader de vendre ; I found the article rather hard going j'ai trouvé l'article plutôt ardu or difficile ; he made hard work of moving the table il a fait tout un plat ○ pour déplacer la table ; hard work never hurt ou killed anybody! le travail n'a jamais fait de mal à personne! ; it's too much like hard work c'est trop fatigant ; to be a hard worker [student, pupil, employee] être travailleur/-euse ; [manual worker] être dur à la tâche ; to do things the hard way se compliquer la tâche ; he got the job the hard way il a beaucoup travaillé pour en arriver là ; to find sth out ou learn sth the hard way apprendre qch à ses dépens ;3 (harsh, unpleasant) [life, childhood, year] difficile ; [blow, knock] fig dur, terrible ; [climate, winter] rude ; he has to learn to take the hard knocks il faut qu'il apprenne à encaisser ○ ; this is a hard world nous vivons dans un monde cruel or sans pitié ; to be hard on sb [person, court] être dur envers qn ; don't be so hard on yourself! ne sois pas si dur avec toi-même! ; this tax is very hard on the unemployed cet impôt frappe durement les chômeurs ; this print is hard on the eyes ces caractères ne ménagent pas la vue ; hard luck ou lines ○ GB! ( sympathetic) pas de chance! ; hard luck ou lines ○ GB ou cheese ○ GB! ( unsympathetic) tant pis pour toi!, manque de pot ○ ! ; to take a hard line adopter une attitude ferme (on sth à propos de qch ; with sb envers qn) ; it's a hard life gen, hum, iron la vie est dure ; it's a hard life being a millionaire iron c'est dur d'être (un) millionnaire ; no hard feelings! sans rancune! ; I bear her no hard feelings je ne lui en veux pas, je ne lui en tiens pas rancune ; these are hard times les temps sont durs ; to fall on hard times connaître des revers de fortune ; he's having a hard time (of it) il traverse une période difficile ; to have a hard time (of it) doing sth avoir du mal à faire qch ; to give sb a hard time ○ ( make things difficult) rendre la vie impossible à qn ; ( tell off) passer un savon ○ à qn ;4 (stern, cold) [person, voice, look, words] dur, sévère ; their hearts are hard ils ont le cœur dur ;5 ( forceful) [shove, push, knock] bon/bonne (before n) ; I gave the door a hard push j'ai poussé fortement la porte ;6 ( concrete) [evidence, proof] solide ; [facts] concret/-ète, solide ; [news] sérieux/-ieuse ; the paper that brings you the hard news le journal qui vous donne des nouvelles sérieuses ; the hard facts about sth la vérité sur qch ;8 ( strong) [drink, liquor] fort ; [drug] dur ; [pornography] hard ; to be a hard drinker boire des alcools forts ; a drop of the hard stuff ○ une goutte d'alcool (fort) ;9 Pol the hard left/right la gauche/droite (pure et) dure ;10 Chem [water] dur, calcaire ;11 Ling [consonant] dur ;B adv1 (strongly, energetically) [push, pull, punch, laugh, cry] fort ; [work] dur ; [study, think] sérieusement ; [rain] fort, à verse ; [snow] abondamment ; [look, listen] attentivement ; to hit sb/sth hard lit frapper qn/qch fort ; fig frapper qn/qch durement ; to be hard hit fig être durement frappé (by par) ; think hard! réfléchissez bien or sérieusement! ; to try hard ( intellectually) faire beaucoup d'efforts ; ( physically) essayer de toutes ses forces ; as hard as one can [run, try, push, pull, work] de toutes ses forces ; no matter how hard I try/work, I… j'ai beau essayer/travailler, je… ; to be hard at it ○ ou at work être en plein boulot ○ or travail ; she works ou drives her students very hard elle fait travailler très dur ses étudiants ; to take sth (very) hard prendre (très) mal qch ;2 ( with directions) turn hard left at the traffic lights aux feux tournez tout de suite à gauche ; go hard astern Naut machine arrière toute ; hard a-port/a-starboard Naut à babord/à tribord toute ;3 ( indicating proximity) hard behind juste derrière ; hard by† sth tout près de qch ; hard (up)on sth juste sur qch ; ⇒ heel.to play hard to get se faire désirer ; to be hard put to do avoir du mal à faire ; to be/feel hard done by être/se sentir brimé. -
8 soft
soft, US sO ;ftA adj1 (yielding, not rigid or firm) [ground, soil, clay] meuble ; Sport, Turf lourd ; [rock, metal] tendre ; [snow] léger/-ère ; [bed, cushion, pillow] moelleux/-euse ; [fabric, fur, skin, hand, cheek] doux/douce ; [brush, hair, leather] souple ; [muscle] flasque ; [mixture, dough, butter] mou/molle ; [pencil] doux/douce ; to get soft [soil, ground, butter, mixture] s'amollir ; [mattress] devenir mou ; [muscle] se ramollir ; to make sth soft amollir qch [ground] ; ramollir qch [butter, mixture] ; assouplir qch [fabric] ; adoucir qch [hard water, skin] ; soft to the touch doux au toucher ; soft ice cream glace f italienne ;2 ( muted) [colour, glow, light, tone, sound, laugh, music, note, voice, accent] doux/douce ; [step, knock] feutré ; soft lighting éclairage m tamisé ;3 (gentle, mild) [air, climate, rain, breeze, look, words] doux/douce ; [reply] apaisant ; [impact, pressure, touch] léger/-ère ; [eyes, heart] tendre ; [approach] gen diplomatique ; Pol modéré ; the soft left la gauche modérée ; to take a soft line with sb adopter une ligne modérée avec qn ;6 ( lenient) [parent, teacher] (trop) indulgent ; to be soft on sb/sth être (trop) indulgent envers qn/qch ;7 ○ ( in love) to be soft on sb en pincer ○ pour qn ;8 Chem [water] doux/douce ;9 (idle, agreeable) [life, job] peinard ○ ;10 ○ ( cowardly) trouillard ○ ;11 ○ ( stupid) stupide ; to be soft in the head être ramolli du cerveau ;12 Ling [consonant] doux/douce. -
9 soft
soft [sɒft]doux ⇒ 1 (a), 1 (d), 1 (e), 1 (g), 1 (h), 1 (m), 1 (p)-(r) mou ⇒ 1 (b), 1 (j) souple ⇒ 1 (a) moelleux ⇒ 1 (b) ramolli ⇒ 1 (b) tendre ⇒ 1 (c), 1 (h) gras ⇒ 1 (c) léger ⇒ 1 (d) estompé ⇒ 1 (f) indulgent ⇒ 1 (i) facile ⇒ 1 (m) modéré ⇒ 1 (n) faible ⇒ 1 (o)(a) (to touch → skin, hands, wool, fur) doux (douce); (→ leather) souple; (→ material, hair) doux (douce), soyeux;∎ as soft as velvet/as a baby's bottom doux comme du velours/comme une peau de bébé;∎ soft to the touch doux au toucher;∎ the cream will make your hands/the leather soft la crème t'adoucira les mains/assouplira le cuir(b) (yielding, not firm → bed, mattress, pillow) moelleux; (→ collar, ground, snow) mou (molle); (→ butter) mou (molle), ramolli; (→ muscles, body) ramolli, avachi, flasque; (too yielding → bed, mattress) mou (molle);∎ a nice soft bed un lit moelleux;∎ this bed is too soft ce lit est trop mou;∎ the butter has gone soft le beurre s'est ramolli;∎ mix to a soft paste mélanger jusqu'à obtention d'une pâte molle;∎ these chocolates have soft centres ces chocolats sont mous à l'intérieur;∎ Horseracing the going is soft le terrain est mou;∎ the brakes are soft il y a du mou dans les freins(d) (quiet, not harsh → voice, music) doux (douce); (→ sound, accent) doux (douce), léger; (→ tap, cough) petit, léger; (→ step) feutré;∎ "yes", he said in a soft whisper/voice "oui", murmura-t-il doucement/dit-il d'une voix douce;∎ she gave a soft laugh elle rit doucement(e) (muted → colour, glow) doux (douce); (→ shade) doux (douce), pastel (inv); (→ light, lighting) doux (douce), tamisé(f) (blurred → outline) estompé, flou(g) (gentle, mild → breeze, rain, words) doux (douce); (→ expression, eyes) doux (douce), tendre; (→ curve, shadow) doux (douce); (→ climate, weather) doux (douce), clément;∎ she suits a softer hairstyle ce qui lui va bien, c'est une coiffure plus souple;∎ British it's a soft day il bruine aujourd'hui(h) (kind → person) doux (douce), tendre;∎ to have a soft heart avoir le cœur tendre;∎ to have a soft nature être doux de nature∎ you're too soft with the boy vous êtes trop indulgent avec le garçon;∎ to be soft on sb se montrer indulgent envers qn, faire preuve d'indulgence envers qn;∎ to be soft on terrorism faire preuve de laxisme envers le terrorisme(j) (weak → physically) mou (molle);∎ the boy's too soft ce garçon n'a pas de caractère;∎ you're getting soft tu te ramollis;∎ city life has made you soft la vie citadine t'a ramolli∎ he's going soft in his old age il devient gâteux en vieillissant;∎ you must be soft in the head! ça va pas, non?;∎ don't be soft arrête de dire des bêtises∎ to be soft on sb avoir le béguin pour qn;∎ to have a soft spot for sb avoir un faible pour qn∎ familiar to have a soft time of it se la couler douce;∎ it's the soft option c'est la solution de facilité;∎ to take the soft option opter pour la solution de facilité(n) (moderate) modéré;∎ Politics the soft left la gauche modérée;∎ to take a soft line on sth adopter une ligne modérée sur qch; (compromise) adopter une politique de compromis sur qch2 adverb∎ don't talk soft! ne sois pas idiot!Commerce biens mpl non durables►► soft cheese fromage m à pâte molle;soft coal houille f grasse;Commerce soft commodities biens mpl non durables;soft contact lenses lentilles fpl souples;Computing soft copy visualisation f sur écran;Finance soft currency devise f faible;soft drink boisson f non alcoolisée;Photography soft focus flou m artistique, point m diffus;∎ figurative to see things in soft focus avoir une vision idéaliste du monde;soft fruit (UNCOUNT) ≃ fruits mpl rouges;British soft furnishings tissus mpl d'ameublement;British soft goods tissus mpl, textiles mpl;Computing soft hyphen césure f automatique, tiret m conditionnel;Chemistry soft iron fer m doux;soft margarine margarine f;American Politics soft money = sommes employées pour le financement d'une campagne électorale en employant divers stratagèmes afin de rester dans la légalité;Anatomy soft palate voile m du palais;soft pedal (on piano) pédale f douce, sourdine f;soft-porn film film m érotique;soft-porn magazine revue f de charme;soft-porn magazines presse f de charme;Computing soft return saut m de ligne automatique;the soft sciences ≃ les sciences fpl humaines;Computing soft sectoring formatage m logiciel;Commerce soft sell = méthodes de vente non agressives;∎ she has a flair for the soft sell elle a le don de ou pour circonvenir ses clients;soft shoulder (on road) accotement m non stabilisé;soft target cible f facile;Anatomy soft tissue parties fpl charnues;familiar soft top (voiture f) décapotable□ f;∎ he's a real soft touch (easily fooled) il est vraiment bonne poire; (for money) il se laisse facilement taper;soft toy (jouet m en) peluche f;soft verge (on road) accotement m non stabilisé
См. также в других словарях:
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consonant — consonantlike, adj. consonantly, adv. /kon seuh neuhnt/, n. 1. Phonet. a. (in English articulation) a speech sound produced by occluding with or without releasing /p, b; t, d; k, g/, diverting /m, n, ng/, or obstructing /f, v; s, z/ etc., the… … Universalium
consonant — con•so•nant [[t]ˈkɒn sə nənt[/t]] n. 1) phn a speech sound produced by occluding (p, b, t, d, k, g), diverting (m, n, ng), or obstructing (f, v, s, z, etc.) the flow of air from the lungs (opposed to vowel). 2) phn ling. a letter or other symbol… … From formal English to slang