-
1 postman
['pəusmən]noun ((American mailman) a person whose job is to (collect and) deliver letters etc: Has the postman been this morning yet?) facteur/-trice -
2 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. -
3 call
call [kɔ:l]appeler ⇒ 1 (a), 1 (b), 1 (f), 2 (a), 2 (b), 2 (d), 2 (g) pousser un cri ⇒ 1 (c) passer ⇒ 1 (d) s'arrêter ⇒ 1 (e) réveiller ⇒ 2 (c) appel ⇒ 3 (a)-(c) visite ⇒ 3 (d)(a) (with one's voice) appeler;∎ if you need me, just call si tu as besoin de moi, tu n'as qu'à (m') appeler;∎ she called to her son in the crowd elle appela son fils dans la foule;∎ to call for help appeler à l'aide ou au secours(b) (on the telephone) appeler;∎ where are you calling from? d'où appelles-tu?;∎ it's Alison calling c'est Alison à l'appareil;∎ who's calling? qui est à l'appareil?, c'est de la part de qui?;∎ may I ask who's calling? qui est à l'appareil, je vous prie?(c) (animal, bird) pousser un cri∎ did the postman call? est-ce que le facteur est passé?;∎ I'll call at the butcher's on the way home je passerai chez le boucher en revenant à la maison;∎ do call again n'hésitez pas à revenir;∎ I was out when they called je n'étais pas là quand ils sont passés(a) (with one's voice) appeler;∎ to call sb's name appeler qn;∎ can you call the children to the table? pouvez-vous appeler les enfants pour qu'ils viennent à table?;∎ "be careful!", he called "attention!", cria-t-il;∎ School to call the roll faire l'appel(b) (telephone) appeler;∎ who's calling? qui est à l'appareil?;∎ call me tonight appelle-moi ce soir;∎ don't call me at work ne m'appelle pas au bureau;∎ we called his house nous avons appelé chez lui;∎ to call the police/fire brigade appeler la police/les pompiers;∎ can you call me at nine? pouvez-vous me réveiller à 9 heures?(d) (name or describe as) appeler;∎ he has a cat called Felix il a un chat qui s'appelle Félix;∎ she was called "Ratty" as a child on l'appelait "Ratty" quand elle était enfant;∎ British he was called Charles after his grandfather on l'a appelé Charles comme son grand-père;∎ to call oneself a colonel s'attribuer le titre de colonel;∎ what's this called? comment est-ce qu'on appelle ça?, comment est-ce que ça s'appelle?;∎ she called him a crook elle l'a traité d'escroc;∎ are you calling me a thief? me traitez-vous de voleur?;∎ to call sb names injurier qn, invectiver qn;∎ they called him all sorts of names or every name in the book ils l'ont traité de tous les noms∎ Denver is where I call home c'est à Denver que je me sens chez moi;∎ he had no home to call his own il n'avait pas de chez lui;∎ she had no time to call her own elle n'avait pas de temps à elle;∎ (and you) call yourself a Christian! et tu te dis chrétien!;∎ I don't call that clean ce n'est pas ce que j'appelle propre;∎ British let's call it £10, shall we? disons ou mettons 10 livres, d'accord?;∎ let's call it a day si on s'arrêtait là pour aujourd'hui?∎ to call an election annoncer des élections;∎ to call a meeting convoquer une assemblée;∎ to call a strike appeler à la grève(g) (send for, summon) appeler, convoquer;∎ he was called to the phone on l'a demandé au téléphone;∎ to call the doctor faire venir le médecin, appeler le médecin;∎ she was suddenly called home elle a été rappelée soudainement chez elle;∎ to be called away on an emergency être appelé en urgence;∎ he's been called away, his mother is ill il a dû s'absenter parce que sa mère est malade;∎ he was called to his regiment il a été rappelé à son régiment;∎ she was called as a witness elle a été citée comme témoin;∎ he called me over il m'a appelé;∎ to call sth into being former qch∎ to call a loan exiger le remboursement d'un prêt∎ he called it out il a jugé qu'elle était dehors(k) to call heads/tails choisir face/pile∎ to call sth to mind rappeler qch;∎ the scenery calls to mind certain parts of Brittany le paysage rappelle un peu certaines parties de la Bretagne;∎ to call sth into play faire jouer qch;∎ market forces will soon be called into play on fera bientôt jouer les lois du marché;∎ to call sth into question remettre qch en question;∎ she called into question his competence as a doctor elle a mis ses compétences de médecin en doute;3 noun∎ figurative the call of the sea l'appel du large;∎ he showed dedication (above and) beyond the call of duty il a fait preuve d'un dévouement bien au-delà de ce qu'on était en droit d'attendre de lui;∎ a call for help un appel à l'aide ou au secours;∎ to give sb a call (waken) réveiller qn(b) (on telephone) appel m;∎ can I make a call? puis-je téléphoner?;∎ to put a call through passer une communication;∎ to make a call passer un coup de téléphone;∎ there's a call for you on vous demande au téléphone;∎ to take a call prendre un appel;∎ I'll give you a call tomorrow je t'appelle demain;∎ how much does a call to Italy cost? combien est-ce que ça coûte d'appeler en Italie ou l'Italie?;∎ he's on a call il est en ligne;∎ to return sb's call rappeler qn∎ to come at/answer sb's call venir/répondre à l'appel de qn;∎ to be within call être à portée de voix;∎ this is the last call for passengers for Bordeaux ceci est le dernier appel pour les passagers à destination de Bordeaux;∎ call for tenders appel m d'offres;∎ euphemism to obey or answer a call of nature satisfaire un besoin naturel∎ British to make or pay a call on sb rendre visite à qn;∎ British she had several calls to make in the neighbourhood elle devait rendre quelques visites dans le voisinage;∎ the doctor doesn't make house calls le médecin ne fait pas de visites à domicile∎ the ship made a call at Genoa le navire a fait escale à Gênes(f) (demand, need)∎ there have been renewed calls for a return to capital punishment il y a des gens qui demandent à nouveau le rétablissement de la peine de mort;∎ there is little call for unskilled labour il n'y a qu'une faible demande de travailleurs non spécialisés;∎ there's no call to shout il n'y a aucune raison de crier;∎ there's no call for rudeness! pas besoin ou ce n'est pas la peine d'être impoli!;∎ you have first call on my time je m'occuperai de vous en premier lieu(g) Stock Exchange option f d'achat, call m;∎ call of more option f du double∎ call for capital appel m de fonds;∎ payable at call payable sur demande ou à présentation ou à vue∎ he felt a call (to the ministry) il se sentait une vocation religieuse∎ your call pile ou face?;∎ it's your call! c'est à toi de décider(doctor, nurse) de garde; (police, troops) en éveil; (car) disponible; Finance (loan) remboursable sur demande►► call alarm alarme f (pour personne âgée ou handicapée);Telecommunications call barring interdiction f d'appels;Telecommunications British call box (telephone box) cabine f téléphonique; American (on roadside) borne f d'appel d'urgence;call button bouton d'appel;Commerce call centre centre m d'appels;Telecommunications call connection établissement m d'appel;Telecommunications call diversion transfert m d'appel;Stock Exchange call feature = clause de remboursement anticipé au gré de l'émetteur;Telecommunications call forwarding redirection f d'appel;Telecommunications call forwarding device dispositif m de redirection d'appel;call girl (prostitute) call-girl f;Telecommunications call holding mise f en attente d'appels;Telecommunications call key touche f d'appel;call letter avis m d'appel de fonds;Finance call loan prêt m à vue, prêt m remboursable sur demande;Finance call money argent m au jour le jour;American call number (on library book) cote f;Stock Exchange call option option f d'achat, call m;Stock Exchange call price cours m du dont;Telecommunications call screening filtrage m d'appels;Computing call sequence séquence f d'appel;Radio call sign indicatif m d'appel (d'une station de radio);Telecommunications call waiting signal m d'appel;Telecommunications call waiting service signal m d'appel;call warrant warrant m à l'achatprendre à part∎ she was called away from the office on l'a appelée et elle a dû quitter le bureau;∎ she's often called away on business elle doit souvent partir en déplacement ou s'absenter pour affaires(a) (on telephone) rappeler;∎ I'll call you back later je te rappelle plus tard(b) (ask to return) rappeler;∎ I was already at the door when she called me back j'étais déjà près de la porte lorsqu'elle m'a rappelé(a) (on telephone) rappeler;∎ can you call back after five? pourriez-vous rappeler après cinq heures?(b) (visit again) revenir, repasser;∎ I'll call back tomorrow je reviendrai ou repasserai demain∎ he called down the wrath of God on the killers il appela la colère de Dieu sur la tête des tueurs∎ he called for her at her parents' house il est passé la chercher chez ses parents;∎ whose is this parcel? - someone's calling for it later à qui est ce paquet? - quelqu'un passera le prendre plus tard∎ the opposition called for an official statement l'opposition a exigé ou demandé une déclaration officielle;∎ the police are calling for tougher penalties la police réclame des sanctions plus fermes∎ the situation called for quick thinking la situation demandait ou exigeait qu'on réfléchisse vite;∎ this calls for a celebration/a drink! il faut fêter/arroser ça!;∎ that sort of behaviour isn't called for on se passe bien de ce genre de comportementformal provoquer, susciter;∎ the article called forth vigorous denials l'article suscita ou occasionna des démentis énergiques➲ call in(a) (send for) faire venir;∎ call Miss Smith in, please faites entrer Mlle Smith, s'il vous plaît;∎ an accountant was called in to look at the books on a fait venir un comptable pour examiner les livres de comptes;∎ she called the children in (back into the house) elle a fait rentrer les enfants;∎ the army was called in to assist with the evacuation on a fait appel à l'armée pour aider à l'évacuation(b) (recall → defective goods) rappeler; (→ banknotes) retirer de la circulation; (→ library books) faire rentrer∎ to call in one's money faire rentrer ses fonds;∎ to call in a loan (of bank) demander le remboursement d'un prêt∎ she called in at her sister's to say goodbye elle est passée chez sa sœur pour dire au revoir(b) (telephone) appeler, téléphoner;∎ to call in sick téléphoner pour prévenir qu'on est malade∎ to call off a strike (before it takes place) annuler un ordre de grève; (when it has begun) mettre fin à une grève;∎ to call off one's engagement rompre ses fiançailles;∎ the police called off their search la police a arrêté ses recherches(b) (dog, attacker) rappeler∎ to call on the experts/sb's services faire appel aux ou avoir recours aux experts/services de qn(b) (urge, invite)∎ to call on sb to do sth demander à qn de faire qch;∎ she called on the government to take action elle a demandé au gouvernement d'agir;∎ I now call on Mr Stewart (to speak) je laisse la parole à M. Stewart∎ I'll call on her this evening je lui rendrai visite ou je passerai chez elle ce soir∎ to call on God invoquer le nom de Dieu➲ call out∎ "over here!" he called out "par ici!" appela-t-il;∎ she called out the winning number elle a annoncé le numéro gagnant∎ the army was called out to help on a fait appel à l'armée pour aider;∎ the union called out its members for 24 hours le syndicat appela ses adhérents à une grève de 24 heures(shout) appeler;∎ she called out to a policeman elle appela un agent de police;∎ to call out in anger/pain crier de colère/douleurexiger∎ can I call round this evening? puis-je passer ce soir?;∎ your mother called round for the parcel votre mère est passée prendre le paquetconvoquer➲ call up(a) (telephone) appeler∎ she was called up for jury service elle a été appelée ou convoquée pour faire partie d'un juryappelerformal (request, summon) faire appel à;∎ she may be called upon to give evidence il est possible qu'elle soit citée comme témoin;∎ I called upon him for assistance j'ai fait appel à son aide
См. также в других словарях:
The Postman Always Rings Twice (opera) — The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1982 opera with a libretto written by Colin Graham and music by Stephen Paulus, based on the 1934 novel by James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice .The opera was the first of four commissioned from Paulus … Wikipedia
The Postman Always Rings Twice (disambiguation) — The Postman Always Rings Twice , a 1934 crime novel by James Cain, has been adapted into a film four times, an opera, and a play:* Le Dernier Tournant ( The Last Turn ), a 1939 French film directed by Pierre Chenal and starring Michel Simon as… … Wikipedia
The Postman (film) — Infobox Film name = The Postman caption = Theatrical poster for The Postman director = Kevin Costner producer = Lester Berman Kevin Costner Steve Tisch Jim Wilson writer = David Brin (novel) Eric Roth Brian Helgeland starring = Kevin Costner Will … Wikipedia
The Postman Always Rings Twice — Infobox Book | name = The Postman Always Rings Twice title orig = translator = image caption = First edition cover 1934 pub. Alfred A. Knopf author = James M. Cain cover artist = country = United States language = English series = genre = Crime… … Wikipedia
The Postman Always Rings Twice (film) — Infobox Film name = The Postman Always Rings Twice caption = Theatrical poster director = Tay Garnett producer = Carey Wilson writer = Story: James M. Cain Screenplay: Harry Ruskin Niven Busch starring = Lana Turner John Garfield Cecil Kellaway… … Wikipedia
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film) — Infobox Film name = The Postman Always Rings Twice caption = Theatrical poster director = Tay Garnett producer = Carey Wilson writer = Story: James M. Cain Screenplay: Harry Ruskin Niven Busch starring = Lana Turner John Garfield Cecil Kellaway… … Wikipedia
The Postman — This article is about the 1985 novel. For the 1997 film, see The Postman (film). For other uses, see Postman (disambiguation). The Postman … Wikipedia
The Satanic Verses controversy — refers to the controversy surrounding Salman Rushdie s novel The Satanic Verses . In particular it involves the novel s alleged blasphemy or unbelief; the 1989 fatwa issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie; and the… … Wikipedia
Postman Pat — and his black and white cat in the original programme. Genre Stop motion/Children s Created by John Cunliffe, Ivor Wood … Wikipedia
Postman's Park — Postman s Park. The Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice is beneath the awning shown in th … Wikipedia
The Car Man (Bourne) — The company of Matthew Bourne s The Car Man, with danseur Alan Vincent in the lead role of Luca. Matthew Bourne s The Car Man is a dance production by British choreographer Matthew Bourne. It previewed for the first time on Tuesday, May 16th,… … Wikipedia