Перевод: с английского на французский

с французского на английский

distinction+in+meaning

  • 1 Usage note : be

    The direct French equivalent of the verb to be in subject + to be + predicate sentences is être:
    I am tired
    = je suis fatigué
    Caroline is French
    = Caroline est française
    the children are in the garden
    = les enfants sont dans le jardin
    It 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 médecin
    Claudie is still a student
    = Claudie est toujours étudiante
    This is true of any noun used in apposition when the subject is a person:
    he’s a widower
    = il est veuf
    But
    Lyons is a beautiful city
    = Lyon est une belle ville
    For 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 functions
    The passive
    être 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 renard
    the window had been broken
    = la fenêtre avait été cassée
    their books will be sold
    = leurs livres seront vendus
    our doors have been repainted red
    = nos portes ont été repeintes en rouge
    In 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 tenses
    In 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 present
    French uses simply the present tense where English uses the progressive form with to be:
    I am working
    = je travaille
    Ben is reading a book
    = Ben lit un livre
    The future
    French also uses the present tense where English uses the progressive form with to be:
    we are going to London tomorrow
    = nous allons à Londres demain
    I’m (just) coming!
    = j’arrive!
    I’m (just) going!
    = j’y vais!
    The past
    To 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 mère
    he was writing to his mother
    = il écrivait à sa mère
    However, 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 past
    Compound past tenses in the progressive form in English are generally translated by the imperfect in French:
    I’ve been looking for you
    = je te cherchais
    For 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.
    Obligation
    When 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 suite
    what am I to do?
    = qu’est-ce que je dois faire?
    he was to arrive last Monday
    = il devait arriver lundi dernier
    she was never to see him again
    = elle ne devait plus le revoir.
    In tag questions
    French 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 answers
    Again, 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’
    Probability
    For expressions of probability and supposition ( if I were you etc.) see the entry be.
    Other functions
    Expressing sensations and feelings
    In expressing physical and mental sensations, the verb used in French is avoir:
    to be cold
    = avoir froid
    to be hot
    = avoir chaud
    I’m cold
    = j’ai froid
    to be thirsty
    = avoir soif
    to be hungry
    = avoir faim
    to be ashamed
    = avoir honte
    my hands are cold
    = j’ai froid aux mains
    If, 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 are
    In expressions of health and polite enquiries about how people are, aller is used:
    how are you?
    = comment allez-vous?
    ( more informally) comment vas-tu?
    are you well?
    = vous allez bien?
    how is your daughter?
    = comment va votre fille?
    my father is better today
    = mon père va mieux aujourd’hui
    Discussing weather and temperature
    In expressions of weather and temperature faire is generally used:
    it’s cold
    = il fait froid
    it’s windy
    = il fait du vent
    If in doubt, consult the appropriate adjective entry.
    Visiting somewhere
    When 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 Suède
    have 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 fois
    Note too:
    has the postman been?
    = est-ce que le facteur est passé?
    For here is, here are, there is, there are see the entries here and there.
    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.

    Big English-French dictionary > Usage note : be

  • 2 separate

    1 adjective ['sepərət]
    (a) (different, distinct → category, meaning, issue) distinct, à part; (→ incident, times, episodes) différent;
    ∎ that's quite a separate matter ça, c'est une toute autre affaire;
    ∎ the two issues are quite separate les deux problèmes sont distincts;
    ∎ they sleep in separate rooms (children) ils ont chacun leur chambre; (couple) ils font chambre à part;
    ∎ administration and finance are in separate departments l'administration et les finances relèvent de services différents;
    ∎ the canteen is separate from the main building la cantine se trouve à l'extérieur du bâtiment principal;
    ∎ begin each chapter on a separate page commencez chaque chapitre sur une nouvelle page;
    ∎ use a separate piece of paper utilisez une feuille séparée;
    ∎ I'd prefer them to come on separate days je préférerais qu'ils viennent à des jours différents;
    ∎ it happened on four separate occasions cela s'est produit à quatre reprises;
    ∎ she likes to keep her home life separate from the office elle tient à ce que son travail n'empiète pas sur sa vie privée;
    ∎ the peaches must be kept separate from the lemons les pêches et les citrons ne doivent pas être mélangés;
    ∎ he was kept separate from the other children on le tenait à l'écart ou on l'isolait des autres enfants;
    ∎ separate but equal = doctrine en vigueur aux États-Unis de 1896 à 1954, selon laquelle la séparation entre Noirs et Blancs était licite du moment qu'ils bénéficiaient de services (éducation, transports etc) équivalents
    (b) (independent → entrance, living quarters) indépendant, particulier; (→ existence, organization) indépendant;
    ∎ they lead very separate lives ils mènent chacun leur vie;
    ∎ they went their separate ways (after meeting) ils sont partis chacun de leur côté; figurative (in life) chacun a suivi sa route
    2 noun ['sepərət]
    (a) (in stereo) élément m séparé
    (b) American (offprint) tiré m à part
    3 transitive verb ['sepəreɪt]
    (a) (divide, set apart) séparer; (detach → parts, pieces) séparer, détacher;
    ∎ he stepped in to separate the fighting dogs il est intervenu pour séparer les chiens qui se battaient;
    ∎ the last three coaches will be separated from the rest of the train les trois derniers wagons seront détachés du reste du train;
    ∎ the Bosphorus separates Europe from Asia le Bosphore sépare l'Europe de l'Asie;
    ∎ the seriously ill were separated from the other patients les malades gravement atteints étaient isolés des autres patients;
    ∎ the records can be separated into four categories les disques peuvent être divisés ou classés en quatre catégories
    (b) (keep distinct) séparer, distinguer;
    ∎ to separate reality from myth distinguer le mythe de la réalité, faire la distinction entre le mythe et la réalité
    (c) Cookery (milk) écrémer; (egg) séparer;
    ∎ separate the whites from the yolks séparez les blancs des jaunes
    4 intransitive verb ['sepəreɪt]
    (a) (go different ways) se quitter, se séparer;
    ∎ they separated after the meeting ils se sont quittés après la réunion
    (b) (split up → couple) se séparer, rompre; (→ in boxing, duel) rompre; Politics (→ party) se scinder;
    ∎ they separated on good terms ils se sont séparés à l'amiable;
    ∎ the party separated into various factions le parti s'est scindé en diverses factions
    (c) (come apart, divide → liquid) se séparer; (→ parts) se séparer, se détacher, se diviser;
    ∎ the boosters separate from the shuttle les propulseurs auxiliaires se détachent de la navette;
    ∎ the model separates into four parts la maquette se divise en quatre parties
    ['sepərəts] (clothes) coordonnés mpl
    ►► French Canadian separate school ≃ école f libre
    séparer, trier
    se séparer
    séparer, diviser;
    ∎ to separate sth up into equal shares diviser ou partager qch en parts égales

    Un panorama unique de l'anglais et du français > separate

См. также в других словарях:

  • distinction — c.1200, one of the parts into which something is divided; mid 14c. as action of distinguishing, from O.Fr. distinction and directly from L. distinctionem (nom. distinctio) separation, distinction, discrimination, noun of action from pp. stem of… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Meaning (philosophy of language) — The nature of meaning, its definition, elements, and types, was discussed by philosophers Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas. According to them meaning is a relationship between two sorts of things: signs and the kinds of things they mean (intend …   Wikipedia

  • Meaning (linguistics) — In linguistics, meaning is what is expressed by the writer or speaker, and what is conveyed to the reader or listener, provided that they talk about the same thing (law of identity). In other words if the object and the name of the object and the …   Wikipedia

  • distinction — distinctionless, adj. /di stingk sheuhn/, n. 1. a marking off or distinguishing as different: His distinction of sounds is excellent. 2. the recognizing or noting of differences; discrimination: to make a distinction between right and wrong. 3. a …   Universalium

  • distinction without a difference — noun A linguistic or conceptual distinction which is of no practical importance or which has no effect on meaning; a perceived difference where there is no actual difference. The Active Inquirer is the present name, though when we supported Mr.… …   Wiktionary

  • Linguistic meaning — See also Meaning (linguistics). Linguistic meaning is the content carried by the words or signs exchanged by people when communicating through language. Restated, the communication of meaning is the purpose and function of language. A… …   Wikipedia

  • T–V distinction — In sociolinguistics, a T–V distinction is a contrast, within one language, between second person pronouns that are specialized for varying levels of politeness, social distance, courtesy, familiarity, or insult toward the addressee. Contents 1… …   Wikipedia

  • Analytic-synthetic distinction — The analytic synthetic distinction is a conceptual distinction, used primarily in philosophy to distinguish propositions into two types: analytic propositions and synthetic propositions . Analytic propositions are those which are true simply by… …   Wikipedia

  • Sex and gender distinction — is a concept in feminist theory, political feminism, and sociology which distinguishes sex, a natural or biological feature, from gender, the cultural or learned significance of sex. The distinction is strategically important for some strands of… …   Wikipedia

  • analytic-synthetic distinction — In both logic and epistemology, the distinction (derived from Immanuel Kant) between statements whose predicate is included in the subject (analytic statements) and statements whose predicate is not included in the subject (synthetic statements) …   Universalium

  • Use–mention distinction — The use–mention distinction (sometimes referred to as the words as words distinction) is the distinction between using a word (or phrase) and mentioning it. For example, the following two sentences illustrate use and mention of the word cheese… …   Wikipedia

Поделиться ссылкой на выделенное

Прямая ссылка:
… Нажмите правой клавишей мыши и выберите «Копировать ссылку»