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1 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. -
2 us
us [ʌs]• let's go! allons-y !• both of us tous (or toutes) les deux* * *[ʌs, əs]Note: The direct or indirect object pronoun us is always translated by nous: she knows us = elle nous connaît. Note that both the direct and the indirect object pronouns come before the verb in French and that in compound tenses like the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct object pronoun: he's seen us ( masculine or mixed gender object) il nous a vus; ( feminine object) il nous a vuesIn imperatives nous comes after the verb: tell us! = dis-nous!; give it to us or give us it = donne-le-nous (note the hyphens)After the verb to be and after prepositions the translation is also nous: it's us = c'est nousFor expressions with let us or let's see the entry letpronoun nousboth of us — tous/toutes les deux
every single one of us — chacun/-e d'entre nous
some of us — quelques uns/unes d'entre nous
give us a hand, will you? — (colloq) tu peux me donner un coup de main s'il te plaît?
give us a look! — (colloq) fais voir!
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3 us
us,❢ The direct or indirect object pronoun us is always translated by nous: she knows us = elle nous connaît. Note that both the direct and the indirect object pronouns come before the verb in French and that in compound tenses like the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct object pronoun: he's seen us ( masculine or mixed gender object) il nous a vus ; ( feminine object) il nous a vues.In imperatives nous comes after the verb: tell us! = dis-nous! ; give it to us or give us it = donne-le-nous (note the hyphens). After the verb to be and after prepositions the translation is also nous: it's us = c'est nous. For expressions with let us or let's see the entry let. For particular usages see the entry below. pron nous ; both of us tous/toutes les deux ; both of us like Balzac nous aimons Balzac tous/toutes les deux ; ( more informally) on aime Balzac tous/toutes les deux ; every single one of us chacun/-e d'entre nous ; people like us des gens comme nous ; some of us quelques-uns/-unes d'entre nous ; she's one of us elle est des nôtres ; give us a hand, will you ○ ? tu peux me donner un coup de main s'il te plaît? ; oh give us a break ○ ! fiche-moi la paix ○ ! ; give us a look ○ ! fais voir! -
4 Usage note : will
When will is used to express the future in French, the future tense of the French verb is generally used:he’ll come= il viendraIn spoken and more informal French or when the very near future is implied, the present tense of aller + infinitive can be used:I’ll do it now= je vais le faire tout de suiteIf the subject of the modal auxiliary will is I or we, shall is sometimes used instead of will to talk about the future. For further information, consult the entry shall in the dictionary.Tag questionsFrench has no direct equivalent of tag questions like won’t he? or will they? There is a general tag question n’est-ce pas? which will work in many cases:you’ll do it tomorrow, won’t you?= tu le feras demain, n’est-ce pas?In cases where an opinion is being sought, non? meaning is that not so? can be useful:that will be easier, won’t it?= ce sera plus facile, non?In many other cases the tag question is simply not translated at all and the speaker’s intonation will convey the implied question.Short answersAgain, there is no direct equivalent for short answers like no she won’t, yes they will etc. Where the answer yes is given to contradict a negative question or statement, the most useful translation is si:‘they won’t forget’ ‘yes they will’= ‘ils n’oublieront pas’ ‘si’ or (for more emphasis) bien sûr que siWhere the answer no is given to contradict a positive question or statement, the most useful translation is bien sûr que non:‘she’ll post the letter, won’t she?’ ‘no she won’t’= ‘elle va poster la lettre?’ ‘bien sûr que non’In reply to a standard enquiry the tag will not be translated:‘you’ll be ready at midday then?’ ‘yes I will’= ‘tu seras prêt à midi?’ ‘oui’For more examples and other uses, see the entry will. -
5 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… -
6 Usage note : do
she’s doing her homework= elle fait ses devoirswhat are you doing?= qu’est-ce que tu fais?what has he done with the newspaper?= qu’est-ce qu’il a fait du journal?faire functions in very much the same way as to do does in English and it is safe to assume it will work in the great majority of cases. For the conjugation of the verb faire, see the French verb tables.Grammatical functionsIn questionsIn French there is no use of an auxiliary verb in questions equivalent to the use of do in English.When the subject is a pronoun, the question is formed in French either by inverting the subject and verb and putting a hyphen between the two ( veux-tu?) or by prefacing the subject + verb by est-ce que (literally is it that):do you like Mozart?= aimes-tu Mozart? or est-ce que tu aimes Mozart?did you put the glasses in the cupboard?= as-tu mis les verres dans le placard? or est-ce que tu as mis les verres dans le placard?When the subject is a noun there are again two possibilities:did your sister ring?= est-ce que ta sœur a téléphoné? or ta sœur a-t-elle téléphoné?did Max find his keys?= est-ce que Max a trouvé ses clés? or Max a-t-il trouvé ses clés?In negativesEqually, auxiliaries are not used in negatives in French:I don’t like Mozart= je n’aime pas Mozartyou didn’t feed the cat= tu n’as pas donné à manger au chatdon’t do that!= ne fais pas ça!In emphatic usesThere is no verbal equivalent for the use of do in such expressions as I DO like your dress. A French speaker will find another way, according to the context, of expressing the force of the English do. Here are a few useful examples:I DO like your dress= j’aime beaucoup ta robeI DO hope she remembers= j’espère qu’elle n’oubliera pasI DO think you should see a doctor= je crois vraiment que tu devrais voir un médecinWhen referring back to another verbIn this case the verb to do is not translated at all:I don’t like him any more than you do= je ne l’aime pas plus que toiI live in Oxford and so does Lily= j’habite à Oxford et Lily aussishe gets paid more than I do= elle est payée plus que moiI haven’t written as much as I ought to have done= je n’ai pas écrit autant que j’aurais dû‘I love strawberries’ ‘so do I’= ‘j’adore les fraises’ ‘moi aussi’In polite requestsIn polite requests the phrase je vous en prie can often be used to render the meaning of do:do sit down= asseyez-vous, je vous en priedo have a piece of cake= prenez un morceau de gâteau, je vous en prie‘may I take a peach?’ ‘yes, do’= ‘puis-je prendre une pêche?’ ‘je vous en prie’In imperativesIn French there is no use of an auxiliary verb in imperatives:don’t shut the door= ne ferme pas la portedon’t tell her anything= ne lui dis riendo be quiet!= tais-toi!In tag questionsFrench has no direct equivalent of tag questions like doesn’t he? or didn’t it? There is a general tag question n’est-ce pas? (literally isn’t it so?) which will work in many cases:you like fish, don’t you?= tu aimes le poisson, n’est-ce pas?he lives in London, doesn’t he?= il habite à Londres, 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 meaning contained in the tag: par hasard can often be useful as a translation:Lola didn’t phone, did she?= Lola n’a pas téléphoné par hasard?Paul doesn’t work here, does he?= Paul ne travaille pas ici par hasard?In many cases the tag is not translated at all and the speaker’s intonation will convey what is implied:you didn’t tidy your room, did you? (i.e. you ought to have done)= tu n’as pas rangé ta chambre?In short answersAgain, there is no direct French equivalent for short answers like yes I do, no he doesn’t etc. Where the answer yes is given to contradict a negative question or statement, the most useful translation is si:‘Marion didn’t say that’ ‘yes she did’= ‘Marion n’a pas dit ça’ ‘si’‘they don’t sell vegetables at the baker’s’ ‘yes they do’= ‘ils ne vendent pas les légumes à la boulangerie’ ‘si’In response to a standard enquiry the tag will not be translated:‘do you like strawberries?’ ‘yes I do’= ‘aimez-vous les fraises?’ ‘oui ’For more examples and particular usages, see the entry do. -
7 Usage note : them
When used as a direct object pronoun, referring to people, animals or things, them is translated by les:I know them= je les connaisNote that the object pronoun normallycomes before the verb in French and that in compound tenses like the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct object pronoun:He’s seen them( them being masculine or of mixed gender)= il les a vus( them being all feminine gender)= il les a vuesIn imperatives, the direct object pronoun is translated by les and comes after the verb:catch them!= attrape-les! (note the hyphen)I gave them it or I gave it to them= je le leur ai donnéIn imperatives, the indirect object pronoun is translated by leur and comes after the verb:phone them!= téléphone-leur! (note the hyphen)After prepositions and the verb to be, the translation is eux for masculine or mixed gender and elles for feminine gender:he did it for them= il l’a fait pour eux or pour ellesit’s them= ce sont eux or ce sont ellesFor particular usages see the entry them. -
8 point
point [pɔɪnt]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━1. noun2. plural noun5. compounds━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━1. nouna. ( = sharp end) pointe f• not to put too fine a point on it ( = frankly) pour être franc• three point six (3.6) trois virgule six (3,6)c. (in space, in time) point m• he had reached a point where he began to doubt whether... il en était arrivé à se demander si...► point of + noun• he had reached the point of resigning il en était arrivé au point de donner sa démission► up to a point jusqu'à un certain pointe. ( = idea) point m• you have a point there! il y a du vrai dans ce que vous dites !• he made the point that... il fit remarquer que...• point taken! (inf) d'accord !► a point of + noun• it was a point of honour with him never to refuse il se faisait un point d'honneur de ne jamais refuser• point of interest/of no importance point m intéressant/sans importancef. ( = important part) [of argument] objet m• that's just the point! justement !• to come to the point [person] en venir au fait• when it comes to the point, they don't value education au fond, ils n'accordent pas beaucoup d'importance à l'éducationg. ( = meaning) what was the point of his visit? quel était le but de sa visite ?• the point of this story is that... la morale de l'histoire, c'est que...h. ( = use) what's the point? à quoi bon ?• what's the point of waiting? à quoi bon attendre ?i. ( = characteristic) caractéristique f• the points to look for when buying a car les choses fpl auxquelles il faut faire attention lorsqu'on achète une voiture2. plural noun• when they ask questions he points them in the direction of the library quand ils posent des questions, il leur dit d'aller à la bibliothèquec. [+ toes] pointera. [person] montrer du doigt• to point at sth/sb désigner qch/qn du doigt• it all points to the fact that... tout laisse à penser que...5. compounds• at point-blank range à bout portant adverb [fire, shoot] à bout portant ; [refuse] catégoriquement ; [demand] de but en blanc ► point-by-point adjective méthodiquea. ( = show) [+ person, object, place] indiquerb. ( = mention) faire remarquer• I should point out that... je dois vous signaler que...* * *[pɔɪnt] 1.1) (of knife, needle, pencil etc) pointe f2) (location, position on scale) point m; ( less specific) endroit membarkation point — lieu m d'embarquement
point of entry — ( into country) point d'arrivée; ( of bullet into body) point d'impact; ( into atmosphere) point d'entrée
3) (extent, degree) point m5) (question, idea) point mto take up ou return to somebody's point — revenir sur un point soulevé par quelqu'un
you've made your point, please let me speak — vous vous êtes exprimé, laissez-moi parler
to make a point of doing something — ( as matter of pride) mettre un point d'honneur à faire quelque chose; ( do deliberately) faire quelque chose exprès
my point was that — ce que je voulais dire, c'était que
I take your point — ( agreeing) je suis d'accord avec vous
I take your point, but — je vois bien où vous voulez en venir, mais
all right, point taken! — très bien, j'en prends note
6) ( central idea) point m essentielto keep ou stick to the point — rester dans le sujet
7) ( purpose) objet mwhat's the point of doing...? — à quoi bon faire...?
8) (feature, characteristic) point m, côté m9) Sport, Finance ( in scoring) point mto win on points — ( in boxing) remporter une victoire aux points
match point — ( in tennis) balle f de match
10) ( dot) point m; ( decimal point) virgule f; ( diacritic) signe m diacritique; Mathematics point m2.points plural noun1) GB Railways aiguillages mpl, aiguilles fpl2) Automobile électrodes fpl3) ( in ballet)3.transitive verb1) (aim, direct)to point something at somebody — braquer quelque chose sur quelqu'un [camera, gun]
to point the finger at somebody — ( accuse) accuser quelqu'un
to point something towards — (of car, boat) diriger quelque chose vers
to point somebody in the right direction — lit, fig mettre quelqu'un dans la bonne direction
2) ( show)to point the way to — lit (person, signpost) indiquer la direction de
3) (in ballet, gym)4) Construction jointoyer [wall]4.1) ( indicate) indiquer or montrer (du doigt)to point at somebody/something — montrer quelqu'un/quelque chose du doigt
2) [signpost, arrow] indiquerto point at somebody ou in somebody's direction — [gun, camera] être braqué sur quelqu'un
•Phrasal Verbs:- point up -
9 yourself
yourself [jʊəˈself](plural yourselves) [jʊəˈselvz](reflexive direct and indirect) te, vous, vous pl ; (after preposition) toi, vous, vous pl ; (emphatic) toi-même, vous-même, vous-mêmes pl• have you hurt yourself? tu t'es fait mal ? vous vous êtes fait mal ?• are you enjoying yourself? tu t'amuses bien ? vous vous amusez bien ?• how are you? -- fine, and yourself? (inf) comment vas-tu ? -- très bien, et toi ?• did you do it by yourself? tu l'as or vous l'avez fait tout seul ?* * *[jɔː'self], US [jʊər'self]When used as a reflexive pronoun, direct and indirect, yourself is translated by vous or familiarly te or t' before a vowel: you've hurt yourself = vous vous êtes fait mal or tu t'es fait malIn imperatives, the translation is vous or toi: help yourself = servez-vous or sers-toiWhen used in emphasis the translation is vous-même or toi-même: you yourself don't know = vous ne savez pas vous-même or tu ne sais pas toi-mêmeAfter a preposition the translation is vous or vous-même or toi or toi-même: you can be proud of yourself = vous pouvez être fier de vous or vous-même, tu peux être fier de toi or toi-même1) ( reflexive) vous, te, (before vowel) t'2) ( in imperatives) vous, toi3) ( emphatic) vous-même, toi-même4) ( after prep) vous, vous-même, toi, toi-même5) ( expressions)(all) by yourself — tout seul/toute seule
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10 ought
❢ In virtually all cases, ought is translated by the conditional tense of devoir: you ought to go now = tu devrais partir maintenant ; they ought to arrive tomorrow ils devraient arriver demain.The past ought to have done/seen etc is translated by the past conditional of devoir: he ought to have been more polite = il aurait dû être plus poli. For further examples, including negative sentences, see the entry below.1 (expressing probability, expectation) that ought to fix it ça devrait arranger les choses ; things ought to improve by next week la situation devrait s'améliorer d'ici la semaine prochaine ; the train ought not to have left yet le train ne devrait pas encore être parti ; he ought to be back by now il devrait être rentré depuis longtemps maintenant ;2 ( making polite but firm suggestion) oughtn't we to consult them first? ne devrions-nous pas les consulter d'abord? ; you ought to be in bed tu devrais être au lit ; she ought to see a doctor elle devrait consulter un médecin ;3 ( indicating moral obligation) we really ought to say something nous devrions vraiment dire quelque chose ; you ought not to say things like that tu ne devrais pas dire des choses pareilles ; someone ought to have accompanied her quelqu'un aurait dû l'accompagner ; I ought not to have been so direct je n'aurais pas dû être aussi direct ; he felt he ought not to be wasting time il se disait qu'il n'avait pas de temps à perdre ;4 ( when prefacing important point) I ought to say perhaps that je devrais peut-être préciser que ; I think you ought to know that je pense qu'il vaudrait mieux que tu saches que. -
11 Usage note : might
Although usage shows that may and might are interchangeable in many contexts, might indicates a more remote possibility than may. French generally translates this element of possibility using peut-être with the appropriate verb tense:it might snow= il va peut-être neiger(It is also possible to translate this more formally using il se peut + subjunctive: il se peut qu’il neige). For particular examples see might1 1.It is possible to translate might differently depending on the nature of the context and the speaker’s point of view:he might not come= il risque de ne pas venirimplies that this is not a desirable outcome for the speaker ;he might not come= il pourrait ne pas venir or il se peut qu’il ne vienne pashowever, is neutral in tone. Where there is the idea of a possibility in the past which has not in fact occurred (see might1 2), French uses the past conditional of the verb (which is often pouvoir):it might have been serious (but wasn’t in fact)= ça aurait pu être graveThis is also the case where something which could have taken place did not, thus causing annoyance:you might have said thanks!= tu aurais pu dire merci!(see might1 7).might, as the past tense of may, will automatically occur in instances of reported speech:he said you might be hurt= il a dit que tu serais peut-être blesséFor more examples see the entry might1 and bear in mind the rules for the agreement of tenses.Where there is a choice between may and might in making requests, might is more formal and even rather dated. French uses inversion (je peux = puis-je?) in this context and puis-je me permettre de…? (= might I…?) is extremely formal.Might can be used to polite effect - to soften direct statements: you might imagine that…or to offer advice tactfully: it might be wise to…In both cases, French uses the conditional tense of the verb: on pourrait penser que… ; ce serait peut-être une bonne idée de… The use of well in phrases such as he might well be right etc. implies a greater degree of likelihood.For translations of might well, may well, see B2 in the entry well1. -
12 Usage note : you
In English you is used to address everybody, whereas French has two forms: tu and vous. The usual word to use when you are speaking to anyone you do not know very well is vous. This is sometimes called the polite form and is used for the subject, object, indirect object and emphatic pronoun:would you like some coffee?= voulez-vous du café?can I help you?= est-ce que je peux vous aider?what can I do for you?= qu’est-ce que je peux faire pour vous?The more informal pronoun tu is used between close friends and family members, within groups of children and young people, by adults when talking to children and always when talking to animals ; tu is the subject form, the direct and indirect object form is te (t’ before a vowel) and the form for emphatic use or use after a preposition is toi:would you like some coffee?= veux-tu du café?can I help you?= est-ce que je peux t’aider?there’s a letter for you= il y a une lettre pour toiAs a general rule, when talking to a French person use vous, wait to see how they address you and follow suit. It is safer to wait for the French person to suggest using tu. The suggestion will usually be phrased as on se tutoie? or on peut se tutoyer?Note that tu is only a singular pronoun and vous is the plural form of tu.Remember that in French the object and indirect object pronouns are always placed before the verb:she knows you= elle vous connaît or elle te connaîtIn compound tenses like the present perfect and the past perfect, the past participle agrees in number and gender with the direct object:I saw you on Saturday(to one male: polite form)= je vous ai vu samedi(to one female: polite form)= je vous ai vue samedi(to one male: informal form)= je t’ai vu samedi(to one female: informal form)= je t’ai vue samedi(to two or more people, male or mixed)= je vous ai vus samedi(to two or more females)= je vous ai vues samediWhen you is used impersonally as the more informal form of one, it is translated by on for the subject form and by vous or te for the object form, depending on whether the comment is being made amongst friends or in a more formal context:you can do as you like here= on peut faire ce qu’on veut icithese mushrooms can make you ill= ces champignons peuvent vous rendre malade or ces champignons peuvent te rendre maladeyou could easily lose your bag here= on pourrait facilement perdre son sac iciNote that your used with on is translated by son/sa/ses according to the gender and number of the noun that follows.For verb forms with vous, tu and on see the French verb tables.For particular usages see the entry you. -
13 between
between [bɪˈtwi:n]a. entre• between now and next week we must... d'ici la semaine prochaine nous devons...• between you and me, he is not very clever entre nous, il n'est pas très intelligentb. (cooperation) they managed to lift the box between them à eux deux, ils sont arrivés à soulever la caisse* * *Note: When between is used as a preposition expressing physical location ( between the lines), time ( between 8 am and 11 am), position in a range ( between 30 and 40 kilometres), relationship ( link between, difference between) it is translated by entre. For particular usages, see the entry below[bɪ'twiːn] 1.1) (in time, space etc) entrebetween the ages of 12 and 18 — entre l'âge de 12 ans et l'âge de 18 ans or entre 12 et 18 ans
it costs between £10 and £20 — cela coûte entre dix et vingt livres sterling
nothing now stands between us and success — rien ne peut plus faire obstacle à notre réussite maintenant
2) (together, in combination)the couples have seven children between them — à eux tous, les couples ont sept enfants
2.between them, they collected £200 — en tout, ils ont réuni 200 livres sterling
adverb (also in between) ( in space) au milieu, entre les deux; ( in time) dans l'intervalle, entre les deuxthe two main roads and the streets (in) between — les deux rues principales et les petites rues situées entre elles or et les petites rues au milieu
••between ourselves —
-
14 itself
itself [ɪtˈself]a.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► When used emphatically, itself is translated lui-même if the noun it refers to is masculine, and elle-même if the noun is feminine.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━• the mere will to cooperate is by itself not sufficient la simple volonté de coopérer n'est pas suffisante en soi► in itself en soi• just reaching the semifinals has been an achievement in itself arriver en demi-finale a déjà été un exploit en soic. (reflexive) se* * *[ɪt'self]Note: When used as a reflexive pronoun, direct and indirect, itself is translated by se (s' before a vowel or mute h): the cat hurt itself = le chat s'est fait mal; a problem presented itself = un problème s'est présentéWhen used for emphasis itself is translated by lui-même when standing for a masculine noun and elle-même when standing for a feminine noun: the car itself was not damaged = la voiture elle-même n'était pas endommagéeFor uses with prepositions ( by itself etc) see 3 below1) ( refl) se, s'2) ( emphatic) lui-même/elle-mêmein the university itself — dans l'université même or dans l'université elle-même
he was kindness itself — c'était la bonté même or personnifiée
3) ( after prepositions) -
15 oneself
oneself [wʌnˈself]a. (reflexive) se* * *[ˌwʌn'self]Note: When used as a reflexive pronoun, direct and indirect, oneself is translated by se (or s' before a vowel): to hurt oneself = se blesser; to enjoy oneself = s'amuserWhen used in emphasis the translation is soi-même: to do something oneself = faire quelque chose soi-mêmeAfter a preposition, the translation is soi1) ( refl) se, s'to wash/cut oneself — se laver/couper
2) ( for emphasis) soi-même3) ( after prep) soito have the house all to oneself — avoir la maison pour soi tout seul/toute seule
to talk to oneself — parler tout seul/toute seule
(all) by oneself — tout seul/toute seule
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16 bill
1 noun(a) (notice of payment due) facture f; (for gas, electricity) facture, note f; (in hotel) note; British (in restaurant) addition f;∎ to make out a bill dresser ou rédiger une facture;∎ to pay a bill payer ou régler une facture;∎ to foot the bill payer la note ou les dépenses∎ a five-dollar bill un billet de cinq dollars∎ bill made out to bearer effet au porteurbill book livre m d'échéance; bill broker courtier(ère) m, f de change;bill for collection effet à l'encaissement;bill discounter courtier(ère) de change;CUSTOMS bill of entry déclaration f d'entrée (en douane);bill of exchange lettre f de change, effet de commerce;bills of exchange statement lettre de change relevé;bill in foreign currency effet en devise(s);bills in hand portefeuille m effets;bill of lading connaissement m;∎ through bill of lading connaissement direct ou à forfait;bills payable effets à payer;∎ bill payable at sight effet payable à vue ou à présentation;ACCOUNTANCY bills payable ledger journal m ou livre des effets à payer;bills receivable effets à recevoir;ACCOUNTANCY bills receivable ledger journal ou livre des effets à recevoir;bill of sale acte m ou contrat m de vente;CUSTOMS bill of sight déclaration (en douane) provisoire;CUSTOMS bill of sufferance lettre d'exemption;bill without protest traite sans fraisfacturer;∎ they billed me twice for the spare parts les pièces de rechange m'ont été facturées deux fois;∎ he bills his company for his travelling expenses il se fait rembourser ses frais de voyage par son entreprise -
17 itself
❢ When used as a reflexive pronoun, direct and indirect, itself is translated by se (s' before a vowel or mute h): the cat hurt itself = le chat s'est fait mal ; a problem presented itself = un problème s'est présenté. When used for emphasis itself is translated by lui-même when standing for a masculine noun and elle-même when standing for a feminine noun: the car itself was not damaged = la voiture elle-même n'était pas endommagée. For examples and particular usages see the entry below. For uses with prepositions ( by itself etc) see 3 below. pron1 ( refl) se, s' ;2 ( emphatic) lui-même/elle-même ; the house itself was pretty la maison elle-même était jolie ; the library is not in the university itself la bibliothèque n'est pas dans l'université même or dans l'université elle-même ; he was kindness itself c'était la bonté personnifiée ;3 ( after prepositions) the heating comes on by itself le chauffage se met en marche tout seul ; the house stands by itself in the middle of a field la maison est toute seule au milieu d'un champ ; the library is a fine building in itself la bibliothèque par elle-même est un beau bâtiment ; learning French is not difficult in itself l'apprentissage du français n'est pas difficile en soi. -
18 oneself
❢ When used as a reflexive pronoun, direct and indirect, oneself is translated by se (or s' before a vowel): to hurt oneself = se blesser ; to enjoy oneself = s'amuser.When used in emphasis the translation is soi-même: to do something oneself = faire quelque chose soi-même. After a preposition, the translation is soi. For particular usages see the entry below. pron1 ( refl) se, s' ; to wash/cut oneself se laver/couper ;2 ( for emphasis) soi-même ;3 ( after prep) soi ; to be sure of oneself être sûr de soi ; to look pleased with oneself avoir l'air content de soi ; to have the house all to oneself avoir la maison pour soi tout seul/toute seule ; to talk to oneself parler tout seul/toute seule ; (all) by oneself tout seul/toute seule ; ⇒ ashamed, keep. -
19 point
A n1 ( tip) (of knife, needle, pencil, tooth) pointe f ; ( of star) branche f ; the knife has a sharp point le couteau a la pointe très acérée ; the pencil has a sharp point le crayon est très bien taillé ; the tree comes to a point at the top l'arbre se termine en pointe ; to threaten sb at knife point menacer qn avec un couteau ;2 ( place) (precise location, position on scale) point m ; ( less specific) endroit m ; boiling point point d'ébullition ; compass point point de la boussole ; assembly point point de rassemblement ; embarkation point lieu m d'embarquement ; the furthest/highest point le point le plus éloigné/le plus élevé ; at the point where the path divides à l'endroit où le chemin bifurque ; the road swings north at this point à cet endroit la route se dirige vers le nord ; point of entry ( into country) point d'arrivée ; ( of bullet into body) point d'impact ; ( into atmosphere) point d'entrée ; point of no return point de non-retour ;3 (extent, degree) point m ; the rope had been strained to breaking point la corde avait été tendue au point qu'elle pouvait se rompre ; his nerves were strained to breaking point il était très tendu ; to be driven to the point of exhaustion être poussé jusqu'à l'épuisement ; I've got to the point where I can't take any more j'en suis arrivé au point où je n'en peux plus ; to push sth to the point of absurdity pousser qch jusqu'à l'absurde ; she was frank to the point of brutality ou of being brutal elle était franche au point d'en être brutale ; to reach a point in sth when… atteindre un stade dans qch où… ; up to a point jusqu'à un certain point ;4 ( moment) ( precise) moment m ; ( stage) stade m ; to be on the point of doing être sur le point de faire ; to be on the point of bankruptcy être au bord de la faillite ; at this point I gave up à ce stade-là j'ai abandonné ; at this point in her career à ce stade-là de sa carrière ; at what point do we cease to feel sorry for him? à quel moment cesse-t-on de le plaindre? ; at some point in the future plus tard ; at one point à un moment donné ; the judge intervened at this point le juge est intervenu à ce moment-là ; it's at this point in the story that c'est à ce stade de l'histoire que ; there comes a point when… il arrive un moment où… ; when it came to the point of deciding quand il a fallu décider ; at this point in time dans l'état actuel des choses ;5 (question, matter, idea) point m ; ( contribution in discussion) remarque f ; to make a point faire une remarque (about sur) ; to make the point that faire remarquer que ; you've made your point, please let me speak vous vous êtes exprimé, laissez-moi parler ; to make a point of doing ( make sure one does) s'efforcer de faire ; (do proudly, insistently) mettre un point d'honneur à faire ; (do obviously, to make a point) faire [qch] de manière visible ; to raise a point about sth soulever la question de qch ; my point was that ce que je voulais dire, c'était que ; to take up ou return to sb's point revenir sur un point soulevé par qn ; this proves my point cela confirme ce que je viens de dire ; are we agreed on this point? sommes-nous d 'accord sur ce point? ; a three/four-point plan un plan en trois/quatre points ; to go through a text point by point examiner un texte point par point ; the point at issue le sujet de la discussion ; that's a good point c'est une remarque judicieuse ; I take your point ( agreeing) je suis d'accord avec vous ; I take your point, but je vois bien où vous voulez en venir, mais ; all right, point taken! très bien, j'en prends note ; good point! très juste! ; you've got a point there vous n'avez pas tort ; in point of fact en fait ; as a point of information pour information ;6 ( central idea) point m essentiel ; the point is that le point essentiel, c'est que ; the point is, another candidate has been selected malheureusement, un autre candidat a été sélectionné ; to come straight to the point aller droit au fait ; he never got to the point il n'est jamais entré dans le vif du sujet ; to keep to ou stick to the point rester dans le sujet ; to miss the point ne pas comprendre ; I missed the point of what she said je n'ai pas compris ce qu'elle a voulu dire ; to the point pertinent ; what she said was short and to the point ce qu'elle a dit était bref et pertinent ; that's beside the point là n'est pas la question ; what you're saying is beside the point ce que vous dites est à côté de la question ; to wander off the point s'écarter du sujet ; to see the point saisir ; to get the point comprendre ; that's not the point il ne s'agit pas de cela ;7 ( purpose) objet m ; what was the point of her visit? quel était l'objet de sa visite? ; the exercise does have a point l'exercice n'est pas gratuit ; what's the point? à quoi bon? ; what's the point of doing…? à quoi bon faire…? ; there's no point in doing ça ne sert à rien de faire ; I see little point in doing, I don't see the point of doing je ne vois pas l'intérêt de faire ;8 (feature, characteristic) point m, côté m ; his good/bad points ses bons/mauvais côtés ; what points do you look for when buying a car? que recherchez-vous lorsque vous achetez une voiture? ; punctuality is not her strong point la ponctualité n'est pas son point fort ; the points of similarity/difference between les points communs/de divergence entre ; it's a point in their favour c'est un point en leur faveur ; it has its points il/elle n'est pas mauvais/-e ;9 Sport, Fin ( in scoring) point m ; to win/to be beaten by 4 points gagner/être battu à 4 points près ; to win on points ( in boxing) remporter une victoire aux points ; the FT 100 was up/down three points Fin l'indice FT 100 a gagné/perdu trois points ; Smurfit gained 4 points Fin les actions Smurfit ont gagné 4 points ; to evaluate sth on a 5-point scale évaluer qch d'après une échelle à 5 degrés ; match/championship point ( in tennis) balle f de match/championnat ;10 ( dot) point m ; ( decimal point) virgule f ; ( diacritic) signe m diacritique ; a point of light un point lumineux ;C vtr1 (aim, direct) to point sth at sb braquer qch sur qn [camera, gun] ; to point one's finger at sb montrer qn du doigt ; to point the finger at sb ( accuser) accuser qn ; just point the camera and press tu n'as qu'à viser avec l'appareil photo et appuyer ; to point sth towards (of car, boat) diriger qch vers ; to point sb in the right direction lit, fig mettre qn dans la bonne direction ;2 ( show) to point the way to lit (person, signpost) indiquer la direction de ; to point sb the way to indiquer à qn la direction de ; the report points the way to a fairer system le rapport ouvre la voie à un syst ème plus équitable ;3 (in ballet, gym) to point one's toes faire des pointes ;4 Constr jointoyer [wall].D vi1 ( indicate) indiquer or montrer (du doigt) ; it's rude to point ce n'est pas poli de montrer du doigt ; she pointed over her shoulder elle a indiqué derrière elle ; she pointed in the direction of elle a indiqué du doigt la direction de ; to point at sb/sth montrer qn/qch du doigt ; he was pointing with his stick at something il indiquait quelque chose de son bâton ; to point to désigner ;2 (be directed, aligned) [signpost, arrow] indiquer ; to point at sb ou in sb's direction [gun, camera] être braqué sur qn ; the needle points north l'aiguille indique le nord ; the gun was pointing straight at me l'arme était braquée sur moi ;3 ( suggest) to point to [evidence, facts] sembler indiquer ; all the evidence points to murder les preuves semblent indiquer qu'il s'agit d'un meurtre ; everything points in that direction tout semble indiquer que c'est ainsi ;4 ( cite) to point to citer ; to point to sth as evidence of success citer qch comme preuve d'une réussite ;5 Comput to point at sth mettre le pointeur sur qch ;6 [dog] se mettre à l'arrêt.■ point out:▶ point out [sth/sb], point [sth/sb] out ( show) montrer (to à) ; can you point him out to me? peux-tu me le montrer? ; to point out where/who montrer l'endroit où/la personne qui ;▶ point out [sth] ( remark on) faire remarquer [fact, discrepancy] ; to point out that faire remarquer que ; as he pointed out comme il l'a fait remarquer.■ point up:▶ point up [sth ] mettre [qch] en avant [contrast, similarity] ; faire ressortir [lack, incompetence]. -
20 yourself
yourself, US [transcription][jU\@r"self"]❢ For a full note on the use of the vous and tu forms in French, see the entry you. When used as a reflexive pronoun, direct and indirect, yourself is translated by vous or familiarly te or t' before a vowel: you've hurt yourself = vous vous êtes fait mal or tu t'es fait mal. In imperatives, the translation is vous or toi: help yourself = servez-vous or sers-toi. When used in emphasis the translation is vous-même or toi-même: you yourself don't know = vous ne savez pas vous-même or tu ne sais pas toi-même.After a preposition the translation is vous or vous-même or toi or toi-même: you can be proud of yourself = vous pouvez être fier de vous or vous-même, tu peux être fier de toi or toi-même. pron2 ( in imperatives) vous, toi ;3 ( emphatic) vous-même, toi-même ; you yourself said that… vous avez dit vous-même que…, tu as dit toi-même que… ;4 ( after prep) vous, vous-même, toi, toi-même ;5 ( expressions) (all) by yourself tout seul/toute seule ; you're not yourself today tu n'as pas l'air dans ton assiette aujourd'hui.
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