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21 Braun, Karl Ferdinand
[br]b. 6 June 1850 Fulda, Hesse, Germanyd. 20 April 1918 New York City, New York, USA[br]German physicist who shared with Marconi the 1909 Nobel Prize for Physics for developments in wireless telegraphy; inventor of the cathode ray oscilloscope.[br]After obtaining degrees from the universities of Marburg and Berlin (PhD) and spending a short time as Headmaster of the Thomas School in Berlin, Braun successively held professorships in theoretical physics at the universities of Marburg (1876), Strasbourg (1880) and Karlsruhe (1883) before becoming Professor of Experimental Physics at Tübingen in 1885 and Director and Professor of Physics at Strasbourg in 1895.During this time he devised experimental apparatus to determine the dielectric constant of rock salt and developed the Braun high-tension electrometer. He also discovered that certain mineral sulphide crystals would only conduct electricity in one direction, a rectification effect that made it possible to detect and demodulate radio signals in a more reliable manner than was possible with the coherer. Primarily, however, he was concerned with improving Marconi's radio transmitter to increase its broadcasting range. By using a transmitter circuit comprising a capacitor and a spark-gap, coupled to an aerial without a spark-gap, he was able to obtain much greater oscillatory currents in the latter, and by tuning the transmitter so that the oscillations occupied only a narrow frequency band he reduced the interference with other transmitters. Other achievements include the development of a directional aerial and the first practical wavemeter, and the measurement in Strasbourg of the strength of radio waves received from the Eiffel Tower transmitter in Paris. For all this work he subsequently shared with Marconi the 1909 Nobel Prize for Physics.Around 1895 he carried out experiments using a torsion balance in order to measure the universal gravitational constant, g, but the work for which he is probably best known is the addition of deflecting plates and a fluorescent screen to the Crooke's tube in 1897 in order to study the characteristics of high-frequency currents. The oscilloscope, as it was called, was not only the basis of a now widely used and highly versatile test instrument but was the forerunner of the cathode ray tube, or CRT, used for the display of radar and television images.At the beginning of the First World War, while in New York to testify in a patent suit, he was trapped by the entry of the USA into the war and remained in Brooklyn with his son until his death.[br]Principal Honours and DistinctionsNobel Prize for Physics (jointly with Marconi) 1909.Bibliography1874, "Assymetrical conduction of certain metal sulphides", Pogg. Annal. 153:556 (provides an account of the discovery of the crystal rectifier).1897, "On a method for the demonstration and study of currents varying with time", Wiedemann's Annalen 60:552 (his description of the cathode ray oscilloscope as a measuring tool).Further ReadingK.Schlesinger \& E.G.Ramberg, 1962, "Beamdeflection and photo-devices", Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers 50, 991.KF -
22 Frost, James
[br]b. late 18th century Finchley (?), London, Englandd. mid-19th century probably New York, USA[br]English contributor to investigations into the making of hydraulic cements in the early nineteenth century.[br]As early as 1807 Frost, who was originally a builder and bricklayer in Finchley in north London, was manufacturing Roman Cement, patented by James Parker in 1796, in the Harwich area and a similar cement further south, at Sheerness. In the early 1820s Frost visited Louis J.Vicat (1796–1861) in France. Vicat was a French engineer who began in 1812 a detailed investigation into the properties of various limestones found in France. He later published his conclusions, which were that the best hydraulic lime was that produced from limestone containing clay incorporating silica and alumina. He experimented with adding different clays in varying proportions to slaked lime and calcined the mixture. Benefiting from Vicat's research, Frost obtained a patent in 1822 for what he called British Cement. This patent specified an artificial cement made from limestone and silica, and he calcined chalk with the clay to produce a quick-setting product. This was made at Swanscombe near Northfleet on the south bank of the River Thames. In 1833 the Swanscombe manufactory was purchased by Francis \& White for £3,500 and Frost emigrated to America, setting up practice as a civil engineer in New York. The cement was utilized by Sir Marc Brunel in 1835 in his construction of the Thames Tunnel, and at the same time it was used in building the first all-concrete house at Swanscombe for Mr White.[br]Further ReadingA.J.Francis, 1977, The Cement Industry 1796–1914: A History, David \& Charles. C.C.Stanley, 1979, Highlights in the History of Concrete, Cement and Concrete Association.DY -
23 Langley, Samuel Pierpont
SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace[br]b. 22 August 1834 Roxbury, Massachusetts, USAd. 27 February 1906 Aiken, South Carolina, USA[br]American scientist who built an unsuccessful aeroplane in 1903, just before the success of the Wright brothers.[br]Professor Langley was a distinguished mathematician and astronomer who became Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (US National Museum) in 1887. He was also interested in aviation and embarked on a programme of experiments with a whirling arm to test wings and with a series of free-flying models. In 1896 one of his steam-powered models made a flight of 4,199 ft (1,280 m): this led to a grant from the Government to subsidize the construction of a manned aeroplane. Langley commissioned Stephen M. Balzer, an automobile engine designer, to build a lightweight aero-engine and appointed his assistant, Charles M.Manly, to oversee the project. After many variations, including rotary and radical designs, two versions of the Balzer-Manly engine were produced, one quarter size and one full size. In August 1903 the small engine powered a model which thus became the first petrol-engined aeroplane to fly. Langley designed his full-size aeroplane (which he called an Aerodrome) with tandem wings and a cruciform tail unit. The Balzer-Manly engine drove two pusher propellers. Manly was to be the pilot as Langley was now almost 70 years old. Most early aviators tested their machines by making tentative hops, but Langley decided to launch his Aerodrome by catapult from the roof of a houseboat on the Potomac river. Two attempts were made and on both occasions the Aerodrome crashed into the river: catapult problems and perhaps a structural weakness were to blame. The second crash occurred on 8 December 1903 and it is ironic that the Wright brothers, with limited funds and no Government support, successfully achieved a manned flight just nine days later. Langley was heartbroken. After his death there followed a strange affair in 1914 when Glenn Curtiss took Langley's Aerodrome, modified it, and tried to prove that but for the faulty catapult it would have flown before the Wrights' Flyer. A brief flight was made with floats instead of the catapult, and it flew rather better after more extensive modifications and a new engine.[br]Bibliography1897, Langley Memoir on Mechanical Flight, Part 1, Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution; 1911, Part 2.Further ReadingJ.Gordon Vaeth, 1966, Langley: Man of Science and Flight, New York (biography).Charles H. Gibbs-Smith, 1985, Aviation, London (includes an analysis of Langley's work).Tom D.Crouch, 1981, A Dream of Wings, New York.Robert B.Meyer Jr (ed.), 1971, Langley's Aero Engine of 1903, Washington, DC: Smithsonian Annals of Flight, No. 6 (provides details about the engine).JDSBiographical history of technology > Langley, Samuel Pierpont
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24 Daft, Leo
[br]b. 13 November 1843 Birmingham, Englandd. 28 March 1922[br]English electrical engineer, pioneer of electric-power generation and electric railways in the USA.[br]Leo Daft, son of a British civil engineer, studied electricity and emigrated to the USA in 1866. After various occupations including running a photographic studio, he joined in 1879 the New York Electric Light Company, which was soon merged into the Daft Electric Company. This company developed electrically powered machinery and built electric-power plants. In 1883 Daft built an electric locomotive called Ampere for the Saratoga \& Mount McGregor Railroad. This is said to have been the first electric main-line locomotive for standard gauge. It collected current from a central rail, had an output of 12 hp (9 kW) and hauled 10 tons at speeds up to 9 mph (14.5 km/h). Two years later Daft made a much improved locomotive for the New York Elevated Railway, the Benjamin Franklin, which drew current at 250 volts from a central rail and had two 48 in. (122 cm)-diameter driving wheels and two 33 in. (84 cm)-diameter trailing wheels. Re-equipped in 1888 with four driving wheels and a 125 hp (93 kW) motor, this could haul an eight-car train at 10 mph (16 km/h). Meanwhile, in 1884, Daft's company had manufactured all the electrical apparatus for the Massachusetts Electric Power Company, the first instance of a complete central station to generate and distribute electricity for power on a commercial scale. In 1885 it electrified a branch of the Baltimore Union Passenger Railway, the first electrically operated railway in the USA. Subsequently Daft invented a process for vulcanizing rubber onto metal that came into general use. He never became an American citizen.[br]Further ReadingDictionary of American Biography.F.J.G.Haut, 1969, The History of the Electric Locomotive, London: George Allen \& Unwin.See also: Siemens, Dr Ernst Werner vonPJGR -
25 el
art.the (in general).el coche the carla casa the houselos niños the childrenel agua/hacha/águila the water/ax/eaglefui a recoger a los niños I went to pick up the children* * *el1 the■ la Sra. Rodríguez Mrs. Rodríguez2 el de the one4 (cosa) the one, the one that, the one which* * *1. pron.- el que2. art.* * *el; la; los; lasART DEF1) [con nombres de referente único o concreto] the¿está fría el agua? — is the water cold?
¿ha llegado ya el abogado? — has the lawyer arrived yet?
el tío ese — * that chap
2) [en algunos casos no se traduce]a) [con nombres propios]¿qué manda la señora? — what would madam like?
ha llamado el Sr. Sendra — Mr. Sendra called
dáselo a la Luisa — * give it to Luisa
b) [con nombres en sentido genérico]c) [con infinitivo]el hacerlo fue un error — doing it was a mistake, it was a mistake to do it
d) [con cifras, proporciones]ahora gano el 3% más — I now earn 3% more
3) [traducido por el posesivo]4) [con expresiones temporales]5) (=uso distributivo)6) [en exclamaciones]¡el frío que hacía! — it was freezing!
7) [posesivo]•
el de, mi libro y el de usted — my book and yoursel del sombrero rojo — the one with o in the red hat
es un traje bonito, pero prefiero el de Ana — it's a nice suit, but I prefer Ana's
y el de todos los demás — and that of everybody else, and everybody else's
8)•
el que —a) + indicél es el que quiere — it's he who wants to, he's the one who wants to
los que hacen eso son tontos — anyone who does that is a fool, those who do so are foolish
b) + subjun whoeverel que quiera, que lo haga — whoever wants to can do it
* * *[the masculine article el is also used before feminine nouns which begin with accented a or ha, e.g. el agua pura, el hada madrina]1)a) ( con un referente único) the¿ya vas a la escuela? — do you go to school yet?
el mío/las tuyas — mine/yours
el rojo/último — the red/last one
los nacidos entre... — those born between...
2)a)el + de...: la del sombrero the one with the hat; el de Valencia the one from Valencia; el de las nueve the nine o'clock one; el de Juan/de mi hijo — Juan's/my son's
b)el + que...: el que acaba de entrar the one who's just come in; las que yo ví the ones I saw; los que estén cansados; those who are tired, anyone who's tired; la que te guste whichever you like; el que lo haya hecho — whoever has done it
3) ( en expresiones de tiempo)el mes pasado/que viene — last/next month
4) ( cada)$80 el metro/kilo — $80 a meter/a kilo
5) (con fracciones, porcentajes, números)la mitad/la cuarta parte del dinero — half the money/a quarter of the money
el 20% de... — 20% of...
el cuarto piso — the fifth floor (AmE) o (BrE) fourth floor
6) (refiriéndose a partes del cuerpo, prendas de vestir, artículos personales, etc)7) ( con nombres propios)a) (con apellidos acompañados de título, adjetivos, etc)el señor Ortiz/la doctora Vidal — Mr Ortiz/Doctor Vidal
b) ( en plural)en (el) Perú — in Peru; ver África, Argentina, etc
d) ( al calificar)8) el ( con infinitivo)* * *[the masculine article el is also used before feminine nouns which begin with accented a or ha, e.g. el agua pura, el hada madrina]1)a) ( con un referente único) the¿ya vas a la escuela? — do you go to school yet?
el mío/las tuyas — mine/yours
el rojo/último — the red/last one
los nacidos entre... — those born between...
2)a)el + de...: la del sombrero the one with the hat; el de Valencia the one from Valencia; el de las nueve the nine o'clock one; el de Juan/de mi hijo — Juan's/my son's
b)el + que...: el que acaba de entrar the one who's just come in; las que yo ví the ones I saw; los que estén cansados; those who are tired, anyone who's tired; la que te guste whichever you like; el que lo haya hecho — whoever has done it
3) ( en expresiones de tiempo)el mes pasado/que viene — last/next month
4) ( cada)$80 el metro/kilo — $80 a meter/a kilo
5) (con fracciones, porcentajes, números)la mitad/la cuarta parte del dinero — half the money/a quarter of the money
el 20% de... — 20% of...
el cuarto piso — the fifth floor (AmE) o (BrE) fourth floor
6) (refiriéndose a partes del cuerpo, prendas de vestir, artículos personales, etc)7) ( con nombres propios)a) (con apellidos acompañados de título, adjetivos, etc)el señor Ortiz/la doctora Vidal — Mr Ortiz/Doctor Vidal
b) ( en plural)en (el) Perú — in Peru; ver África, Argentina, etc
d) ( al calificar)8) el ( con infinitivo)* * *el2= the, ye.Nota: Forma arcaica.Ex: The first institute, 'The Catalog: Its Nature and Prospects,' was held in New York City on October 9 and 10, 1975.
Ex: The article 'Ye olde smart card' presents an annotated list of information sources on the credit card industry.* a lo extremo = to the extreme.* aunque no lo creas = believe it or not.* barrio de los ricos = upper town.* de los mejores = as good as any.* el abuelo de = the granddaddy of.* el acabose = the last straw.* el alcance = comprehensiveness.* el amor de + Posesivo + vida = the love of + Posesivo + life.* el año próximo = the year ahead.* el arte de = the art of, the fine art of.* el ataque es la mejor defensa = attack is the best form of defence.* el auténtico = the real McCoy.* el beneficio de la duda = the benefit of the doubt.* el bien de = the good of.* el buenazo de + Nombre = good old + Nombre.* el bueno de + Nombre = good old + Nombre.* el camino a seguir = the way ahead, the way to go.* el camino correcto = the way ahead, the way to go.* el camino hacia + Nombre + está lleno de + Nombre = the road (to/towards) + Nombre + is paved with + Nombre.* el camino hacia + Nombre + está plagado de + Nombre = the road (to/towards) + Nombre + is paved with + Nombre.* el camino por recorrer = the way ahead.* el camino que lleva a = a/the doorway to.* el camino recorrido = the road travelled so far.* el camino se hace andando = actions speak louder than words.* el centro de atención + ser = all eyes + be + on.* el charco = the big pond.* el ciudadano de a pie = the average Joe.* el ciudadano medio = the average Joe.* el cliente siempre tiene la razón = the customer is always right.* el colmo = the last straw.* el consejo de otra persona = a second opinion.* el copón = the dog's bollocks, the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers.* el corazón de = the heart of.* el crecimiento de = the rising tide of.* el cual = which.* el de = that in, that of.* el diablo está en los detalles = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* el día del Juicio Final = the Day of Judgement.* El Diluvio = the Flood.* el dinero es el origen de todos los males = money is the root of all evil.* el dinero es la fuente de todos los males = money is the root of all evil.* el dinero mueve al mundo = money makes the world go (a)round.* el dinero no crece en los árboles = money doesn't grow on trees.* el doble = twice + as many.* el doble de = twice + the number of.* El Dorado = El Dorado.* el enemigo en casa = the enemy within.* el entonces + Nombre = the then + Nombre.* el espíritu de la época = the spirit of the times.* el estado de las cosas = the lay of the land [the lie of the land, -UK].* el evitar = avoidance.* el éxito genera éxito = success breeds success (SBS).* el éxito llama al éxito = success breeds success (SBS).* el final de = the close of.* el final de los problemas = the light at the end of the tunnel.* el fin del mundo = the ends of the earth.* el fin de semana = over the weekend, at the weekend.* el fin de todos los fines = the end of all ends.* el fin justifica los medios = the end justifies the means.* el fruto de + Nombre = the fruit of + Nombre.* el futuro = the way ahead, the way of the future.* el futuro + estar + justo a la vuelta de la esquina = the future + be + just around the corner.* el Gato con Botas = Puss in Boots.* el grado de = the extent of.* el grado de + Nombre = the breadth and depth of + Nombre.* el grado en que = the extent to which.* el gran hermano = big brother.* el guapo de + Nombre = good old + Nombre.* el hecho es que = fact is, the fact is (that).* el hecho es que... = the fact of the matter is that....* el hombre de la calle = the average Joe.* el hombre no es una isla = no man is an island.* el hombre propone y Dios dispone = Man proposes, God disposes.* el impulsor de = the power behind.* el interés público = the public interest.* El Juicio Final = The Last Judgement.* el lastre de = the shackles of.* el llevar = carrying.* el lugar que le corresponde a = the due place of.* El Mago de Oz = The Wizard of Oz, The Wizard of Oz.* el más = all-time.* el más + Adjetivo = the most + Adjetivo.* el más allá = hereafter.* el más bajo = rock-bottom.* el más favorito del mes = pick of the month.* el más leído = the most widely read.* el más recomendado = best of breed, the.* el Mediterráneo = Mediterranean Sea, the, the Med.* el mejor = best of breed, the.* el mejor de todos = the cream of the crop, crème de la crème.* el mejor hasta ahora = the best yet.* el mejor modo de = the best way of.* el mejor momento de todos = the time of all times.* el mejor + Nombre = the best available + Nombre.* el mejor que ha hecho hasta ahora = Posesivo + best yet.* el mentir = lying.* el mes pasado = last month.* el mío = mine.* el mismo + Nombre (+ que) = every bit as much + Nombre (+ as).* el mismo número = as many.* el modo como = the way in which.* el modo de = the way in which.* el modo de + Infinitivo = the way to go about + Gerundio.* el momento preciso = the point in time at which.* el motor de = the power behind.* el movimiento se demuestra andando = actions speak louder than words.* el muerto al hoyo y el vivo al bollo = dead men have no friends.* el mundo de las noticias = newsmaking.* el mundo en la palma de la mano = the world in the palm of + Posesivo + hand.* el mundo está a sus pies = the world is + Posesivo + oyster.* el mundo es un pañuelo = it's a small world.* el + Nombre + correcto al + Nombre + adecuado en el momento oportuno = the right + Nombre + to the right + Nombre + at the right time.* el + Nombre + es inestimable = the + Nombre + cannot be overestimated.* el + Nombre + más completo = the + Nombre + to end all + Nombre.* el no va más = the be all and end all, the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* el nuevo aspecto de = the changing face of, the changing nature of.* el orgullo de = showpiece.* el otro lado de la barrera = the other side of the fence.* el padre de = the father of.* el pan nuestro de cada día = all in a day's work.* el paso del tiempo = the passage of time, the sands of time.* el peor de todos = the worst of the lot.* el perro es el mejor amigo del hombre = a dog is man's best friend.* el peso de = brunt of, the.* el populacho = the great unwashed.* el porqué de = the reason behind, the thinking behind, the reasoning behind, the idea behind.* el portavoz de = the voice of.* el presente = thisness.* el primer intento = the first time around.* el primer + Nombre = the earliest + Nombre.* el primero mencionado = former.* el principal = the number one.* el principio de = the dawn of.* el principio del fin = the beginning of the end.* el principio de + Mes/Estación = early + Mes/Estación.* el problema no es el qué, sino el cómo = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* el problema obvio = the elephant in the room.* el proletariado = the great unwashed.* el pulmón de = the heart of.* el punto más bajo = rock-bottom.* el que = that, the one.* el que aprende = learner.* el que las hace, las paga = you've made your bed, now you must lie in it!.* el que lo encuentre se lo queda = finders keepers.* el que mantiene a la familia = breadwinner [bread winner].* el que mucho abarca poco aprieta = jack of all trades, master of none.* el que no llora, no mama = the squeaky (squeaking) wheel gets the grease (the oil/oiled).* el que no se aventura no cruza el mar = nothing ventured, nothing gained.* el que pregunta = inquirer [enquirer, -UK].* el quid de la cuestión = the crux of the problem, the crux of the matter.* el registro de los registros = record-of-record.* el registro modelo = record-of-record.* el resto = rest, the.* el resto (de) = the remainder (of), the rest (of).* El Salvador = El Salvador.* el segundo mencionado = latter.* el sendero que lleva a = a/the doorway to.* el ser barato = cheapness.* el siguiente no, el otro = next but one.* el sitio adecuado en el momento adecuado = the right place at the right time.* el sueño de toda persona = the stuff dreams are made of.* el sueño de todos = the stuff dreams are made of.* el sueño de todo ser viviente = the stuff dreams are made of.* el súmmum = the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* el tamaño de = the extent of.* el tema de la discusión = the focus of the discussion.* el tema del debate = the focus of the discussion.* el tiempo de Algo = in season.* el tiempo es oro = time is money.* el tiempo lo dirá = only time will tell.* el tiempo vuela = time flies (by).* el tipo de = the range of.* el todo es más grande que la suma de sus partes = the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.* el total de = the total sum of, the sum total of.* el transcurrir del tiempo = the sands of time.* el transcurso del tiempo = as time goes by.* el último citado = latter.* el último grito = the last word, the cat's meow, the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* el último + Nombre = the latest + Nombre.* el último pero no el menos importante = the last but by no means least.* el único = the one and only.* el único e incomparable = the one and only.* el único e inimitable = the one and only.* el único problema = a fly in the soup, the fly in the ointment.* el verdadero = the real McCoy.* el verdadero problema = the elephant in the room.* el ver televisión = television viewing.* el viejo = the elder.* el vulgo = the great unwashed.* el yugo de = the shackles of.* espicharlas = kick + the bucket.* la = the, ye.* la alternativa + ser = the alternative + be.* la belleza es superficial = beauty is only skin deep.* La Biblioteca Responde = Ask the Library.* la Biblioteca y el Archivo de Canadá = Library and Archives Canada.* la buena noticia = the good news.* la calidad es nuestro lema = quality is our middle name.* la calma que precede a la tormenta = the lull before the storm.* la cambiante fisonomía de = the changing face of, the changing nature of.* la caridad empieza por uno mismo = charity begins at home.* la ciudadana de a pie = the average Jane.* la ciudadana media = the average Jane.* la ciudad que nunca duerme = the city that never sleeps.* la clave de = at the heart of.* la clave está en la letra pequeña = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* la comunidad en general = the community at large.* la Convención de la Haya de 1954 = the 1954 Hague Convention.* la copa del árbol = the top of the tree.* la cosa es que = the thing is.* la cosa principal = the number one thing.* la crème de la crème = the cream of the crop, crème de la crème.* la cruz de = the bane of.* la cuestión es que = the thing is.* la década de los + Número = the + Número + s.* la demanda de = a call for.* la diversidad de = the range of.* la diversidad de + Nombre = the many + Nombre.* la edad se lleva en el alma = you are as old as you feel.* la época de Algo = in season.* la escoria de la sociedad = the gutter.* la espalda de = the back of.* la evidencia = the writing on the wall.* la fe mueve montañas = faith will move mountains.* la filosofía de = the reason behind, the reasoning behind.* la flor de + Nombre = the prime of + Nombre.* la flor y nata = the cream of the crop, crème de la crème.* la forma correcta de hacer las cosas = the way to go.* la forma de = ways and means (of/for/to/in/by).* la forma de + Infinitivo = the way to go about + Gerundio.* la forma de ver las cosas = the way + to see things.* la fuerza de la mayoría = strength in numbers.* la gente decía que = rumour had it that.* la gente dice que = rumour has it that.* la gente se está inquietando = the natives are nervous.* la gente se está poniendo nerviosa = the natives are nervous.* la gente se puso de pie para aplaudir = standing ovation.* la gota que colmó el vaso = the straw that broke the camel's back.* la Gran Manzana = the Big Apple.* la gran mayoría de = the vast majority of, the bulk of.* la historia + repetirse = history + come full circle.* la historia + volverse a repetir = history + come full circle.* la hostia = the cat's pyjamas, the cat's pyjamas, the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* la hoz y el martillo = the hammer and sickle.* la idea que hay detrás de = the idea behind.* la imaginación no tiene límites = your imagination is the limit.* la imitación es la mejor forma de que lo halaguen a uno = imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.* La Isla del Tesoro = Treasure Island.* la joya de = showpiece.* la judicatura = the Bench.* la justicia = the Bench.* la juventud no es cuestión de edad sino de espíritu = you are as old as you feel.* la leche = the dog's bollocks, the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers.* la luz al final del túnel = the light at the end of the tunnel.* la magistratura = the Bench.* la manera de + Infinitivo = the way to go about + Gerundio.* la mano que mece la cuna es la mano que domina el mundo = the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.* la mano que mece la cuna gobierna el mundo = the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.* la mar de = a whole slew of.* la mayoría con mucho de = the vast majority of.* la mayoría de = the majority of, most + Nombre, the main bulk of.* la mayoría de la gente = most people, the majority of the people.* la mayoría de las personas = most people, the majority of the people.* la mayoría de las veces = most of the time, more often than not.* la mayoría del mundo = the majority of the world, most people, the majority of the people.* la mayoría del tiempo = most of the time.* la mayor parte de = the majority of, the main bulk of, the lion's share of.* la mayor parte de las veces = more often than not.* la medida en que = the extent to which.* la mejor forma de hacer Algo = best practices, lessons learned [lessons learnt].* la mejor manera = how best.* la mejor manera de = the best way of.* la mejor oferta = the best deal.* la mejor opción = the best bet.* la mejor salida = the best way forward.* la mejor solución = the best way forward.* la menor duda de que = no doubt whatsoever.* la mentira = lying.* la mirada en = eye(s) on.* la misma persona = one and the same person.* la mitad (1/2) = one-half (1/2).* la necesidad agudiza el ingenio = necessity mothers invention.* la ocasión la pintan calva = make + hay while the sun shines.* la opinión de otra persona = a second opinion.* la oportunidad de + Posesivo + vida = the opportunity of a lifetime.* la parte de atrás de = the back of.* la parte más dura de = brunt of, the.* la parte más importante = the heart of.* la parte principal de = the bulk of.* la parte superior izquierda de = the upper left of.* la parte trasera de = the back of.* la personificación de la confianza en uno mismo = confidence personified.* la pesadilla de = the bane of.* la pesca del día = the day's catch, the catch of the day.* la petición de = a call for.* la píldora = the pill.* la plebe = the great unwashed.* la polla = the dog's bollocks, the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers.* la práctica hace al maestro = practice makes perfect.* la primera tentativa = the first time around.* la primera vez = the first time around.* la proporción mayor de = the lion's share of.* la próxima moda = the next hot thing.* la puntilla = the final/last nail in + Posesivo + coffin.* la que = that, the one.* la razón de ser = the reason for being.* la realidad es que = the fact remains that..., fact is, the fact is (that).* la rehostia = the dog's bollocks, the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers.* la responsabilidad ahora recae en + Nombre = the ball is in + Posesivo + court.* la responsabilidad es de... = the buck + stops....* la riqueza de = the wealth of.* la ruina de = the bane of.* las = the, ye.* las 24 horas = round the clock, around the clock.* las apariencias engañan = don't judge a book by its cover, there's more to it than meets the eye.* las ataduras de = the shackles of.* las autoridades = the powers-that-be.* las cosas + cambiar = pendulum + swing.* las cosas + estar + claras = the (hand)writing + be + on the wall, see it + coming.* las cosas no pasan así como así = everything happens for a reason (and a purpose).* las cosas no pasan (así) porque sí = everything happens for a reason (and a purpose).* las cosas no son tan simples como parecen = there's more to it than meets the eye.* las cosas + seguir + igual = business + revolve + as usual.* las cosas siguen igual = business as usual.* las cosas sólo pasan una vez = lightning never strikes twice.* las cosas son más complicadas de lo que parecen = there's more to it than meets the eye.* las cosas tal y como son = the birds and the bees.* las cosas + volver + a su punto de partida = the wheel + turn + full circle.* las de = those for.* las doce del mediodía = noon.* la segunda mitad de + Fecha = the latter part of + Fecha.* la segunda opción = the next best choice.* la segunda vez = the second time around.* la semana pasada = last week.* la senda que lleva a = a/the doorway to.* la situación = the course of events.* la sociedad en general = society at large.* las posibilidades son infinitas = the possibilities are endless.* las profundidades del mar = the deep.* las profundidades del océano = the deep.* las pruebas = the writing on the wall.* las raíces se encuentran = roots + lie.* las raíces se remontan a = roots + lie.* las razones de = the reason behind, the thinking behind, the reasoning behind, the idea behind.* las Reglas de Cutter para un Catálogo Diccionario = Cutter's Rules for a Dictionary Catalog.* las triquiñuelas de la letra pequeña = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* la suerte + cambiar = the tide + turn.* la suerte estaba echada = the die was cast, the die had been cast.* la suerte está echada = the die is cast.* la suma total de = the total sum of, the sum total of.* las uvas están verdes = sour grapes.* las veinticuatro horas = day and night, day or night, night and day.* la temporada de Algo = in season.* la tierra de la abundancia = the land of plenty.* la tierra de las oportunidades = the land of opportunity.* la tira de = a whole slew of.* la tira de tiempo = donkey's years.* la triste realidad es que = the sad fact is (that).* la última palabra = the last word, the last word, the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* la última vez = last time.* la última vez que = the last time.* la única pega = the fly in the ointment, a fly in the soup.* la unión hace la fuerza = strength in numbers.* la ventaja de = the beauty of.* la ventaja es que = on the positive side, the advantage is that, on the bright side.* la verdad = the lowdown (on).* la verdad es que = if the truth be known, if the truth be told, the fact is (that), fact is.* la verdad es que... = the fact of the matter is that....* la verdad sea dicha = to tell the truth.* la verdad sea dicha que = if the truth be told.* la Vía Láctea = the Milky Way.* la vida continúa = the show must go on.* la vida + continuar = life + go on.* la vida es así = life's like that.* ¡la vida no es un camino de rosas! = the course of true love never did run smooth!.* la vida + seguir = life + go on.* la víspera de = on the eve of.* la voz de = the voice of.* la voz de la conciencia = the voice within.* la voz de la experiencia = the voice of experience.* la voz de la razón = the voice of reason.* la voz del odio = the voice of hate.* la voz interior = the voice within.* lo absurdo = ridiculousness.* lo adecuado = adequacy.* lo + Adjetivo + que sea/esté = how + Adjetivo.* lo anodino = blandness.* lo anteriormente expuesto = the preceding.* lo apropiado = appropriateness.* lo barato = inexpensiveness.* lo básico = essential, the, nuts and bolts, bare minimum, bare necessities, the, the lowdown (on).* lo bastante elevado = high enough.* lo bastante extenso = adequately scoped.* lo bueno de = the beauty of.* lo bueno es que = the good news is (that)..., on the positive side, on the bright side.* lo bueno viene en frascos pequeños = small is beautiful.* lo bueno y lo malo = the rights and wrongs.* lo caro = expensiveness.* lo chicano = Chicana.* lo chulo = coolness.* lo cierto es que = fact is, the fact is (that).* lo completo = completeness.* lo completo que Algo está = fullness.* lo creas o no = believe it or not.* lo decisivo = the last word.* lo definitivo = the last word.* lo desagradable = unpleasantness.* ¿lo dices en broma? = you must be joking!, you must be kidding!.* lo directo = directness.* lo divertido = the fun part.* lo engorroso de = cumbersomeness.* lo esencial = essential, the, nuts and bolts, bare minimum, bare necessities, the, the lowdown (on).* lo estrafalario = zaniness.* lo estrambótico = zaniness.* lo extenso = comprehensiveness.* lo favorable = propitiousness.* lo hebraico = Hebraica.* lo hecho hecho está = no use crying over spilt/spilled milk.* lo importante es lo que eres no cómo te llamas = a rose by any other name.* lo imprescindible = bare necessities, the, bare minimum.* lo incómodo de = cumbersomeness.* lo indefinido = indefiniteness.* lo indirecto = indirectness.* lo indispensable = bare necessities, the, bare minimum.* lo insulso = blandness.* lo interesante = the fun part.* lo judío = Judaica.* lo lindo = cuteness.* lo llano = flatness.* lo más cercano a = the nearest thing to.* lo más conveniente es que = optimally.* lo más destacado = highlights.* lo más detestado = pet hate.* lo más importante = most of all, at its core.* lo más interesante = highlights.* lo más mínimo = so much as.* lo más novedoso = the last word.* lo más odiado = pet hate.* lo más parecido a = the nearest thing to.* lo más probable es que = most probably.* lo más recio de = brunt of, the.* lo más recóndito = nooks and crannies.* lo máximo = the be all and end all, the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* lo mejor = the top of the tree.* lo mejor de = the beauty of, showpiece.* lo mejor de ambas partes = the best of both worlds.* lo mejor de lo mejor = the best of the best.* lo mejor de todo = best of all.* lo mejor entre lo mejor = the best of the best.* lo mejor es que... = the good news is (that)....* lo mejor está aún por llegar = the best is yet to come.* lo mejor posible = to the best of + Posesivo + ability, at + Posesivo + (very) best, optimally.* lo mejor que pueda = to the best of + Posesivo + ability.* lo mejor que se puede hacer = the best bet.* lo mejor + ser = the beautiful part + be.* lo menos posible = as little as possible.* lo mínimo = bare minimum, bare necessities, the.* lo mismo ocurre con = the same goes for.* lo mismo ocurre en el caso de = the same is true (for/of/with).* lo mismo que = the same as, along the lines of, in much the same way as.* lo mismo que antes = the same as before.* lo mismo que para = the same as that for.* lo mismo se aplica a = the same is true (for/of/with).* lo molesto de = cumbersomeness.* lo mucho que = how extensively.* lo noble = high-mindedness.* lo no convencional = unconventional, the.* lo normal + ser + que = there + be + a tendency (to/for), there + be + a tendency (to/for).* lo oportuno = timeliness.* lo pasado pasado está = let bygones be bygones.* lo peor de = brunt of, the.* lo peor del = the armpit of the.* lo pintoresco = quaintness.* lo plano = flatness.* lo poco común = rarity, rareness.* lo poco convencional = unconventional, the.* lo primero = for one, first off.* lo primero de todo = first of all, first off.* lo prometido es deuda = a promise is a promise.* lo propicio = propitiousness.* lo público = publicness.* lo que = that which, what.* lo que aguarda a = what is on store for.* lo que Algo o Alguien se merece, lo que le corresponde, bastante = fair share, fair share.* lo que a uno cura a otro mata = one man's meat is another man's poison.* lo que demuestra que = which (just) goes to show that.* lo que el futuro depara a = what is on store for.* lo que es aun más inquietante = more disturbingly.* lo que es aun más preocupante = more disturbingly.* lo que es aun mejor = better still.* lo que es aun peor = worse still.* lo que es bueno para uno es bueno para otro = what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.* lo que es bueno para uno también es bueno para otro = what's good for the goose is good for the gander.* lo que es más = what is more, what's more.* lo que es más importante = most importantly, more importantly, most of all, most important.* lo que es mejor aun = better still.* lo que es muy importante = importantly.* lo que es peor = what's worse.* lo que es peor aun = worse still.* lo que espera a = what is on store for.* lo que está bien y lo que está mal = rights and wrongs.* lo que existe (en el mercado) = what's out there.* lo que haya que de ser, será = que sera sera, what's meant to be, will be, whatever will be, will be.* lo que hay (en el mercado) = what's out there.* lo que hay que hacer = do + the right thing, the way to go.* lo que hay que hacer y lo que hay que evitar = do's and don'ts, rights and wrongs.* lo que le corresponde = fair share.* lo que nos espera = things to come.* lo que quiera que = whatever.* lo que sea = something or other.* lo que se gana por un lado se pierde por otro = swings and roundabouts.* lo que se pierda en una cosa se gana en la otra = what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts.* lo que + ser = what + be like.* lo que se suele pagar = going rate, the.* lo que tenga que pasar, que pase = que sera sera, what's meant to be, will be, whatever will be, will be.* lo que tenga que ser, será = que sera sera, whatever will be, will be, what's meant to be, will be.* lo que vale para tí también vale para mí = what's good for the goose is good for the gander, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.* lo rural = rurality.* los = the, ye.* los 365 días del año = year-round.* los 40 principales = Top 40 singles chart.* los abajo firmantes = the parties hereto.* los acontecimientos = the course of events.* lo sagrado = sacredness.* los albores de = the dawn of.* los años cincuenta = fifties.* los años treinta = thirties.* los árboles no dejan ver el bosque = lose + sight of the forest for the trees.* los avatares de la guerra = the tides of war.* los buenos tiempos = the good old days.* los comienzos de = the dawn of.* los constantes cambios de = the changing face of, the changing nature of.* los de = those for, those in.* los demás = rest, the, everybody else.* los detalles de la letra pequeña = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* los días antes de = leading up to.* los dos = both, both of them, both of which.* los efectos negativos se están dejando sentir ahora = chickens come home to roost.* los gobernantes = the powers-that-be.* los hay para dar y regalar = there's one born every minute.* los mandamás = the powers-that-be.* los más necesitados = those most in need.* los más pobres + Nombre = the poorest + Nombre.* los menos locuaces = inarticulate, the.* los motivos de = the reason behind, the thinking behind, the reasoning behind, the idea behind.* los necesitados = the needy.* los orígenes de = the dawn of.* los otros con los que aparece(n) = neighbours [neighbors, -USA].* los peores + Nombre = the poorest + Nombre.* los poderes fáticos = the powers-that-be.* los pormenores de la letra pequeña = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* Los Principios de París = Paris Principles.* los que = those who.* los que detentan el poder = the powers-that-be.* los que mandan = the powers-that-be.* los que no han recibido formación específica = uninstructed, the.* los que + Verbo = those + Participio.* los tribunales = the Bench.* lo suficientemente cerca = within range.* lo suficientemente cerca como para oír = within earshot of.* lo suficientemente estúpido como para = dumb enough to.* lo suficientemente grande = large enough, big enough.* lo suficientemente lejos como para no poder oír = out of earshot.* los últimos coletazos = fag-end.* lo sumo = the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks, the cat's pyjamas.* los unos a costa de los otros = at each other's expense.* los viejos tiempos = the good old days.* lo tomas o lo dejas = take it or leave it.* lo último = the last word.* lo uno es tan malo como lo otro = one is as bad as the other.* lo vanguardista = cutting edge.* lo yidish = Yiddica.* parmarlas = kick + the bucket.* ser lo que nos espera = be the shape of things to come.* * *[ the masculine article el is also used before feminine nouns which begin with accented a or, ha e.g. el agua pura, el hada madrina]A (con un referente único, conocido o que se define) theel sol the sunel lápiz/la goma/los lápices/las gomas que compré the pencil/the eraser/the pencils/the erasers I boughtno, ése no, el que te presté ayer/el de Julio/el rojo no, not that one, the one I lent you yesterday/Julio's/the red oneen la calle Solís in Solís Streetprefiero el mío/los tuyos I prefer mine/yoursme atendió el estúpido del marido that stupid husband of hers served meyo soy la arquitecta, ella es lexicógrafa I'm the architect, she's a lexicographeryo fui la que lo rompí or rompió I was the one who broke itlos nacidos entre … those born between …los que faltamos ayer those of us who weren't here yesterday¿cuál es Ardiles? — el del sombrero negro which one's Ardiles? — the one with the black hatun encuentro al que asistieron muchas personalidades a meeting which was attended by many well known peoplela obra de la que or de la cual hablábamos the play we were talking aboutB(con sustantivos en sentido genérico): me encanta la ópera I love operaodio el pescado I hate fishasí es la vida that's life(nosotros) los mexicanos lo sabemos muy bien we Mexicans know only too well¿ya vas a la escuela? do you go to school yet?en el mar at seaviajar por el espacio to travel in spaceC(en expresiones de tiempo): ocurrió el domingo de Pascua/en el verano del 76 it happened on Easter Sunday/in the summer of '76mi cumpleaños es el 28 de mayo my birthday's on May 28el mes pasado/que viene last/next monthno trabaja los sábados she doesn't work (on) Saturdaysestudió toda la mañana he studied all morninga las ocho at eight o'clock, at eighta eso de las seis around six o'clockD(cada): lo venden a $80 el kilo/metro they're selling it at $80 a kilo/a meter o at $80 per kilo/meter¿cuánto cuesta el paquete de diez? how much does a packet of ten cost?E(con fracciones, porcentajes, números): me dio la mitad/la cuarta parte del dinero she gave me half the money/a quarter of the moneyel 20% de los peruanos 20% of Peruvians(refiriéndose a partes del cuerpo, prendas de vestir, artículos personales, etc): con las manos en los bolsillos with my/your/his hands in my/your/his pockets¡te cortaste el pelo! you've had your hair cut!tienes la falda sucia your skirt is dirtytienes el suéter puesto al revés you've got your sweater on inside outtiene el pelo largo/los ojos azules he has long hair/blue eyes1(con apellidos acompañados de título, adjetivos, etc): llamó el señor Ortiz/la doctora Vidal/el general Santos Mr Ortiz/Doctor Vidal/General Santos phonedel gran Caruso the Great Caruso2(con nombres de mujeres famosas): la última película de la Monroe Monroe's last movie3(en plural): los Ortega (matrimonio) the Ortegas, Mr and Mrs Ortega; (familia) the Ortegas, the Ortega familya los Josés se les suele llamar Pepe people called José are often known as Pepe4 (fam: en muchas regiones crit)(con nombres de pila): pregúntale a la Carmen/al Ricardo ask Carmen/Ricardo5(con algunos nombres geográficos): en la India in Indiaen (el) Perú in Peru6(al calificar): la España de Franco Franco's Spainel Buñuel que todos conocemos the Buñuel we all knowla Italia del siglo pasado Italy in the last century7(con algunos equipos deportivos): juegan contra el Juventus/el Barcelona they're playing against Juventus/BarcelonaH el(con infinitivo): odiaba el tener que pedírselo he hated having to ask heres cuidadoso y pausado en el hablar he's careful and deliberate in the way he speaksel frenético girar de los bailarines the frenzied spinning of the dancers* * *
Multiple Entries:
el
él
el (pl◊ los), la (pl las) art the masculine article el is also used before feminine nouns which begin with accented a or ha, e.g. el agua pura, el hada madrina
1
así es la vida that's life;
(nosotros) los mexicanos we Mexicans;
¿ya vas a la escuela? do you go to school yet?
las tuyas yours;
el último the last one;
el estúpido del marido that stupid husband of hers
2a) el + de:
el de las nueve the nine o'clock one;
el de mi hijo my son'sb) el + que:
los que estén cansados;
those who are tired, anyone who's tired;
la que te guste whichever you like
3 ( en expresiones de tiempo):
mi cumpleaños es el 28 de mayo my birthday's on May 28;
el mes pasado last month;
toda la mañana all morning;
a las ocho at eight o'clock
4 ( cada):◊ $80 el metro/kilo $80 a meter/a kilo, $80 per kilo/meter
5 (con fracciones, porcentajes, números):◊ la mitad/la cuarta parte del dinero half the money/a quarter of the money;
el 20% de … 20% of …
6 (con partes del cuerpo, prendas de vestir, artículos personales, etc):
¡te cortaste el pelo! you've had your hair cut!;
tiene los ojos azules he has blue eyes
7a) (con apellidos acompañados de título, adjetivos, etc):◊ el señor Ortiz/la doctora Vidal Mr Ortiz/Doctor Vidal;
los Ortega the Ortegas
ver África, Argentina, etc
él pron pers
◊ ¿quién se lo va a decir? — él who's going to tell her? — he is;
lo hizo él mismo he did it himself;
fue él it was him
( refiriéndose a cosas) it;◊ llegué antes que él I arrived before him o before he did;
con/para él with/for him;
son de él they're his
el art def m
1 the
2 (no se traduce) (ante un tratamiento formal) el sr. Gómez, Mr Gomez
(cuando el sustantivo es general) el hambre/tiempo, hunger/time
3 (se traduce por un posesivo) (con partes del cuerpo) se ha cortado el pelo, she's cut her hair
(prendas) se lo metió en el bolsillo, he put it in his pocket
(pertenencias) guarda el diario en el cajón, put your diary into the drawer
4 (con días de la semana) iré el miércoles, I'll go on Wednesday
5 (cuando el sustantivo está elidido) the one: prefiero el azul, I prefer the blue one
el de las diez, the ten o'clock one
el que está en la mesa, the one that's on the table
el que más nos guste, whichever one we like best
(delante de un posesivo) el de María, Maria's
es el mío, it's mine
él pron pers
1 (sujeto) (persona) he
(animal, cosa) it: fue él, it was him, fue él el que..., it was him that... o it was he who...
2 (complemento) (persona) him
(animal, cosa) it
dáselo a él, give it to him, es para él, it's for him
3 (posesivo) de él, his
4 (oración comparativa) ella es mejor que él, she's better than him o she's better than he is
'él' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
A
- abajo
- abalanzarse
- abaratarse
- abarquillarse
- abarrotar
- abarrotada
- abarrotado
- abastecimiento
- abatir
- abatimiento
- abdicar
- abierta
- abierto
- abismo
- abogada
- abogado
- abominar
- abominable
- abordar
- aborigen
- aborregarse
- abortar
- abotargada
- abotargado
- abrir
- abreviar
- abrirse
- absoluta
- absoluto
- abstención
- abundancia
- acabar
- acabarse
- acabose
- acallar
- acanallar
- accionariado
- acero
- achacosa
- achacoso
- achatamiento
- achicharrarse
- aclarar
- aclarado
- acomodarse
- acompañar
- acondicionar
- acostumbrada
- acostumbrado
English:
A
- abandon
- ABC
- ability
- about
- above
- abroad
- abseil
- absence
- absent
- absolute
- absolve
- absorb
- abstract
- academic
- accelerate
- accommodate
- accomplice
- account
- accurately
- accusation
- accused
- accustom
- aching
- act
- act on
- act up
- actual
- actually
- acute
- address
- adequately
- adjourn
- admission
- admit
- advance
- advanced
- advantage
- advantageous
- advise
- advocate
- affair
- afford
- afloat
- afraid
- after
- against
- age
- agenda
- aggregate
* * *el (f la, mpl los, fpl las) art determinado el is used instead of la before feminine nouns which are stressed on the first syllable and begin with “a” or “ha” (e.g. el agua, el hacha). Note that el combines with the prepositions a and de to produce the contracted forms al and del.1. [con valor especificador] the;el coche the car;la casa the house;los niños the children;el agua/hacha/águila the water/axe/eagle;fui a recoger a los niños I went to pick up the childrenla vida life;el hombre Man, human beings;los derechos de la mujer women's rights;los niños imitan a los adultos children copy adults;el pan es un alimento básico bread is a basic food;la mayoría de la gente no la conoce most people don't know her;vuelve el biquini bikinis are backse quitó los zapatos she took her shoes off;tiene el pelo oscuro he has dark hair;me han robado la maleta my suitcase has been stolen;se dieron la mano they shook handslos domingos vamos al cine we go to the movies (on) Sundays;llegaré el 1 de mayo [escrito] I'll arrive on 1 May;[hablado] I'll arrive on the first of May;son las siete it's seven o'clock;el año pasado/que viene last/next yearel Everest (Mount) Everest;la India India;La Haya The Hague;El Cairo Cairo;la España de la posguerra post-war Spainel señor/el doctor Juárez Mr/Doctor Juárez;los Amaya [matrimonio] Mr and Mrs Amaya, the Amayas;[familia completa] the Amayas, the Amaya family;los Austrias the Hapsburgs;el Hitler español the Spanish Hitler8. [con numerales, porcentajes, fracciones]el siete es mi número de la suerte seven's my lucky number;llegó el tercero he came third;el tercer piso the third floor;un aumento del 30 por ciento a 30 percent increase;la quinta parte (de) a fifth (of);el 20 por ciento (de) 20 percent (of)10. [con complemento especificativo]el/la del sombrero the one with the hat;los/las de azul [cosas] the blue ones;[personas] the ones in blue;he perdido el tren, cogeré el de las nueve I've missed the train, I'll get the nine o'clock one;el de aquí this one here;¿los del parque son amigos tuyos? were those people in the park friends of yours?;prefiero las del escaparate I prefer the ones in the window;los del fondo no se callan the people at the back won't shut upel mío mine;la tuya yours;los suyos theirsel/la mejor the best;es la mejor de la clase she's the best in the class, she's top of the class;los seleccionados realizarán un examen those chosen will sit an exam;el tonto de Ignacio se equivocó that idiot Ignacio got it wronges amante del buen comer she loves good food;me sienta mal el tener que decírtelo I don't like to have to tell you14. [con frases subordinadas][persona] whoever;el/la que [cosa] whichever;los/las que [cosas] whichever;[personas] whoever;coge el/los que quieras take whichever you like;el que más corra whoever runs fastest, the one who runs the fastest;las que quieran venir que levanten la mano those who want to come o anyone who wants to come should put their hand up;el que no te guste no quiere decir que sea malo the fact that you don't like him doesn't make him a bad person15. [con valor enfático]¡la pena que me dio verlo en ese estado! I felt so sorry for him when I saw him in that state!* * *elI art theII pron:el de … that of …;el de Juan Juan’s;el más grande the biggest (one);el que está … the one that is …* * *él pron: he, himél es mi amigo: he's my friendhablaremos con él: we will speak with himel pron, (referring to masculine nouns)1) : the onetengo mi libro y el tuyo: I have my book and yoursde los cantantes me gusta el de México: I prefer the singer from México2)el que : he who, whoever, the one thatel que vino ayer: the one who came yesterdayel que trabaja duro estará contento: he who works hard will be happyel, la art, pl los, las : thelos niños están en la casa: the boys are in the houseme duele el pie: my foot hurts* * *el det1. the¿qué te pareció el libro? what did you think of the book?2. (posesivo) my / your / his / her etcétera¿te has cortado el pelo? have you had your hair cut?3. (característica) the one¿cuál prefieres? el azul which one do you prefer? the blue one¡Ojo! Algunas veces no se traduce¿quieres salir el sábado? do you want to go out on Saturday?el Sr. García Mr. Garcíacon el que that... withen el que that... in -
26 él
art.the (in general).el coche the carla casa the houselos niños the childrenel agua/hacha/águila the water/ax/eaglefui a recoger a los niños I went to pick up the children* * *el1 the■ la Sra. Rodríguez Mrs. Rodríguez2 el de the one4 (cosa) the one, the one that, the one which* * *1. pron.- el que2. art.* * *el; la; los; lasART DEF1) [con nombres de referente único o concreto] the¿está fría el agua? — is the water cold?
¿ha llegado ya el abogado? — has the lawyer arrived yet?
el tío ese — * that chap
2) [en algunos casos no se traduce]a) [con nombres propios]¿qué manda la señora? — what would madam like?
ha llamado el Sr. Sendra — Mr. Sendra called
dáselo a la Luisa — * give it to Luisa
b) [con nombres en sentido genérico]c) [con infinitivo]el hacerlo fue un error — doing it was a mistake, it was a mistake to do it
d) [con cifras, proporciones]ahora gano el 3% más — I now earn 3% more
3) [traducido por el posesivo]4) [con expresiones temporales]5) (=uso distributivo)6) [en exclamaciones]¡el frío que hacía! — it was freezing!
7) [posesivo]•
el de, mi libro y el de usted — my book and yoursel del sombrero rojo — the one with o in the red hat
es un traje bonito, pero prefiero el de Ana — it's a nice suit, but I prefer Ana's
y el de todos los demás — and that of everybody else, and everybody else's
8)•
el que —a) + indicél es el que quiere — it's he who wants to, he's the one who wants to
los que hacen eso son tontos — anyone who does that is a fool, those who do so are foolish
b) + subjun whoeverel que quiera, que lo haga — whoever wants to can do it
* * *pronombre personala) ( como sujeto) he¿quién se lo va a decir? - él — who's going to tell her? - he is
fue él — it was him, it was he (frml)
b) (en comparaciones, con preposiciones) him; ( refiriéndose a cosas) itllegué antes que él — I arrived before him o before he did
eres tan alto como él — you are as tall as him o as he is
con/contra/para él — with/against/for him
con/contra/para él — with/against/for him
* * *[the masculine article el is also used before feminine nouns which begin with accented a or ha, e.g. el agua pura, el hada madrina]1)a) ( con un referente único) the¿ya vas a la escuela? — do you go to school yet?
el mío/las tuyas — mine/yours
el rojo/último — the red/last one
los nacidos entre... — those born between...
2)a)el + de...: la del sombrero the one with the hat; el de Valencia the one from Valencia; el de las nueve the nine o'clock one; el de Juan/de mi hijo — Juan's/my son's
b)el + que...: el que acaba de entrar the one who's just come in; las que yo ví the ones I saw; los que estén cansados; those who are tired, anyone who's tired; la que te guste whichever you like; el que lo haya hecho — whoever has done it
3) ( en expresiones de tiempo)el mes pasado/que viene — last/next month
4) ( cada)$80 el metro/kilo — $80 a meter/a kilo
5) (con fracciones, porcentajes, números)la mitad/la cuarta parte del dinero — half the money/a quarter of the money
el 20% de... — 20% of...
el cuarto piso — the fifth floor (AmE) o (BrE) fourth floor
6) (refiriéndose a partes del cuerpo, prendas de vestir, artículos personales, etc)7) ( con nombres propios)a) (con apellidos acompañados de título, adjetivos, etc)el señor Ortiz/la doctora Vidal — Mr Ortiz/Doctor Vidal
b) ( en plural)en (el) Perú — in Peru; ver África, Argentina, etc
d) ( al calificar)8) el ( con infinitivo)* * *el2= the, ye.Nota: Forma arcaica.Ex: The first institute, 'The Catalog: Its Nature and Prospects,' was held in New York City on October 9 and 10, 1975.
Ex: The article 'Ye olde smart card' presents an annotated list of information sources on the credit card industry.* a lo extremo = to the extreme.* aunque no lo creas = believe it or not.* barrio de los ricos = upper town.* de los mejores = as good as any.* el abuelo de = the granddaddy of.* el acabose = the last straw.* el alcance = comprehensiveness.* el amor de + Posesivo + vida = the love of + Posesivo + life.* el año próximo = the year ahead.* el arte de = the art of, the fine art of.* el ataque es la mejor defensa = attack is the best form of defence.* el auténtico = the real McCoy.* el beneficio de la duda = the benefit of the doubt.* el bien de = the good of.* el buenazo de + Nombre = good old + Nombre.* el bueno de + Nombre = good old + Nombre.* el camino a seguir = the way ahead, the way to go.* el camino correcto = the way ahead, the way to go.* el camino hacia + Nombre + está lleno de + Nombre = the road (to/towards) + Nombre + is paved with + Nombre.* el camino hacia + Nombre + está plagado de + Nombre = the road (to/towards) + Nombre + is paved with + Nombre.* el camino por recorrer = the way ahead.* el camino que lleva a = a/the doorway to.* el camino recorrido = the road travelled so far.* el camino se hace andando = actions speak louder than words.* el centro de atención + ser = all eyes + be + on.* el charco = the big pond.* el ciudadano de a pie = the average Joe.* el ciudadano medio = the average Joe.* el cliente siempre tiene la razón = the customer is always right.* el colmo = the last straw.* el consejo de otra persona = a second opinion.* el copón = the dog's bollocks, the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers.* el corazón de = the heart of.* el crecimiento de = the rising tide of.* el cual = which.* el de = that in, that of.* el diablo está en los detalles = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* el día del Juicio Final = the Day of Judgement.* El Diluvio = the Flood.* el dinero es el origen de todos los males = money is the root of all evil.* el dinero es la fuente de todos los males = money is the root of all evil.* el dinero mueve al mundo = money makes the world go (a)round.* el dinero no crece en los árboles = money doesn't grow on trees.* el doble = twice + as many.* el doble de = twice + the number of.* El Dorado = El Dorado.* el enemigo en casa = the enemy within.* el entonces + Nombre = the then + Nombre.* el espíritu de la época = the spirit of the times.* el estado de las cosas = the lay of the land [the lie of the land, -UK].* el evitar = avoidance.* el éxito genera éxito = success breeds success (SBS).* el éxito llama al éxito = success breeds success (SBS).* el final de = the close of.* el final de los problemas = the light at the end of the tunnel.* el fin del mundo = the ends of the earth.* el fin de semana = over the weekend, at the weekend.* el fin de todos los fines = the end of all ends.* el fin justifica los medios = the end justifies the means.* el fruto de + Nombre = the fruit of + Nombre.* el futuro = the way ahead, the way of the future.* el futuro + estar + justo a la vuelta de la esquina = the future + be + just around the corner.* el Gato con Botas = Puss in Boots.* el grado de = the extent of.* el grado de + Nombre = the breadth and depth of + Nombre.* el grado en que = the extent to which.* el gran hermano = big brother.* el guapo de + Nombre = good old + Nombre.* el hecho es que = fact is, the fact is (that).* el hecho es que... = the fact of the matter is that....* el hombre de la calle = the average Joe.* el hombre no es una isla = no man is an island.* el hombre propone y Dios dispone = Man proposes, God disposes.* el impulsor de = the power behind.* el interés público = the public interest.* El Juicio Final = The Last Judgement.* el lastre de = the shackles of.* el llevar = carrying.* el lugar que le corresponde a = the due place of.* El Mago de Oz = The Wizard of Oz, The Wizard of Oz.* el más = all-time.* el más + Adjetivo = the most + Adjetivo.* el más allá = hereafter.* el más bajo = rock-bottom.* el más favorito del mes = pick of the month.* el más leído = the most widely read.* el más recomendado = best of breed, the.* el Mediterráneo = Mediterranean Sea, the, the Med.* el mejor = best of breed, the.* el mejor de todos = the cream of the crop, crème de la crème.* el mejor hasta ahora = the best yet.* el mejor modo de = the best way of.* el mejor momento de todos = the time of all times.* el mejor + Nombre = the best available + Nombre.* el mejor que ha hecho hasta ahora = Posesivo + best yet.* el mentir = lying.* el mes pasado = last month.* el mío = mine.* el mismo + Nombre (+ que) = every bit as much + Nombre (+ as).* el mismo número = as many.* el modo como = the way in which.* el modo de = the way in which.* el modo de + Infinitivo = the way to go about + Gerundio.* el momento preciso = the point in time at which.* el motor de = the power behind.* el movimiento se demuestra andando = actions speak louder than words.* el muerto al hoyo y el vivo al bollo = dead men have no friends.* el mundo de las noticias = newsmaking.* el mundo en la palma de la mano = the world in the palm of + Posesivo + hand.* el mundo está a sus pies = the world is + Posesivo + oyster.* el mundo es un pañuelo = it's a small world.* el + Nombre + correcto al + Nombre + adecuado en el momento oportuno = the right + Nombre + to the right + Nombre + at the right time.* el + Nombre + es inestimable = the + Nombre + cannot be overestimated.* el + Nombre + más completo = the + Nombre + to end all + Nombre.* el no va más = the be all and end all, the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* el nuevo aspecto de = the changing face of, the changing nature of.* el orgullo de = showpiece.* el otro lado de la barrera = the other side of the fence.* el padre de = the father of.* el pan nuestro de cada día = all in a day's work.* el paso del tiempo = the passage of time, the sands of time.* el peor de todos = the worst of the lot.* el perro es el mejor amigo del hombre = a dog is man's best friend.* el peso de = brunt of, the.* el populacho = the great unwashed.* el porqué de = the reason behind, the thinking behind, the reasoning behind, the idea behind.* el portavoz de = the voice of.* el presente = thisness.* el primer intento = the first time around.* el primer + Nombre = the earliest + Nombre.* el primero mencionado = former.* el principal = the number one.* el principio de = the dawn of.* el principio del fin = the beginning of the end.* el principio de + Mes/Estación = early + Mes/Estación.* el problema no es el qué, sino el cómo = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* el problema obvio = the elephant in the room.* el proletariado = the great unwashed.* el pulmón de = the heart of.* el punto más bajo = rock-bottom.* el que = that, the one.* el que aprende = learner.* el que las hace, las paga = you've made your bed, now you must lie in it!.* el que lo encuentre se lo queda = finders keepers.* el que mantiene a la familia = breadwinner [bread winner].* el que mucho abarca poco aprieta = jack of all trades, master of none.* el que no llora, no mama = the squeaky (squeaking) wheel gets the grease (the oil/oiled).* el que no se aventura no cruza el mar = nothing ventured, nothing gained.* el que pregunta = inquirer [enquirer, -UK].* el quid de la cuestión = the crux of the problem, the crux of the matter.* el registro de los registros = record-of-record.* el registro modelo = record-of-record.* el resto = rest, the.* el resto (de) = the remainder (of), the rest (of).* El Salvador = El Salvador.* el segundo mencionado = latter.* el sendero que lleva a = a/the doorway to.* el ser barato = cheapness.* el siguiente no, el otro = next but one.* el sitio adecuado en el momento adecuado = the right place at the right time.* el sueño de toda persona = the stuff dreams are made of.* el sueño de todos = the stuff dreams are made of.* el sueño de todo ser viviente = the stuff dreams are made of.* el súmmum = the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* el tamaño de = the extent of.* el tema de la discusión = the focus of the discussion.* el tema del debate = the focus of the discussion.* el tiempo de Algo = in season.* el tiempo es oro = time is money.* el tiempo lo dirá = only time will tell.* el tiempo vuela = time flies (by).* el tipo de = the range of.* el todo es más grande que la suma de sus partes = the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.* el total de = the total sum of, the sum total of.* el transcurrir del tiempo = the sands of time.* el transcurso del tiempo = as time goes by.* el último citado = latter.* el último grito = the last word, the cat's meow, the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* el último + Nombre = the latest + Nombre.* el último pero no el menos importante = the last but by no means least.* el único = the one and only.* el único e incomparable = the one and only.* el único e inimitable = the one and only.* el único problema = a fly in the soup, the fly in the ointment.* el verdadero = the real McCoy.* el verdadero problema = the elephant in the room.* el ver televisión = television viewing.* el viejo = the elder.* el vulgo = the great unwashed.* el yugo de = the shackles of.* espicharlas = kick + the bucket.* la = the, ye.* la alternativa + ser = the alternative + be.* la belleza es superficial = beauty is only skin deep.* La Biblioteca Responde = Ask the Library.* la Biblioteca y el Archivo de Canadá = Library and Archives Canada.* la buena noticia = the good news.* la calidad es nuestro lema = quality is our middle name.* la calma que precede a la tormenta = the lull before the storm.* la cambiante fisonomía de = the changing face of, the changing nature of.* la caridad empieza por uno mismo = charity begins at home.* la ciudadana de a pie = the average Jane.* la ciudadana media = the average Jane.* la ciudad que nunca duerme = the city that never sleeps.* la clave de = at the heart of.* la clave está en la letra pequeña = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* la comunidad en general = the community at large.* la Convención de la Haya de 1954 = the 1954 Hague Convention.* la copa del árbol = the top of the tree.* la cosa es que = the thing is.* la cosa principal = the number one thing.* la crème de la crème = the cream of the crop, crème de la crème.* la cruz de = the bane of.* la cuestión es que = the thing is.* la década de los + Número = the + Número + s.* la demanda de = a call for.* la diversidad de = the range of.* la diversidad de + Nombre = the many + Nombre.* la edad se lleva en el alma = you are as old as you feel.* la época de Algo = in season.* la escoria de la sociedad = the gutter.* la espalda de = the back of.* la evidencia = the writing on the wall.* la fe mueve montañas = faith will move mountains.* la filosofía de = the reason behind, the reasoning behind.* la flor de + Nombre = the prime of + Nombre.* la flor y nata = the cream of the crop, crème de la crème.* la forma correcta de hacer las cosas = the way to go.* la forma de = ways and means (of/for/to/in/by).* la forma de + Infinitivo = the way to go about + Gerundio.* la forma de ver las cosas = the way + to see things.* la fuerza de la mayoría = strength in numbers.* la gente decía que = rumour had it that.* la gente dice que = rumour has it that.* la gente se está inquietando = the natives are nervous.* la gente se está poniendo nerviosa = the natives are nervous.* la gente se puso de pie para aplaudir = standing ovation.* la gota que colmó el vaso = the straw that broke the camel's back.* la Gran Manzana = the Big Apple.* la gran mayoría de = the vast majority of, the bulk of.* la historia + repetirse = history + come full circle.* la historia + volverse a repetir = history + come full circle.* la hostia = the cat's pyjamas, the cat's pyjamas, the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* la hoz y el martillo = the hammer and sickle.* la idea que hay detrás de = the idea behind.* la imaginación no tiene límites = your imagination is the limit.* la imitación es la mejor forma de que lo halaguen a uno = imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.* La Isla del Tesoro = Treasure Island.* la joya de = showpiece.* la judicatura = the Bench.* la justicia = the Bench.* la juventud no es cuestión de edad sino de espíritu = you are as old as you feel.* la leche = the dog's bollocks, the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers.* la luz al final del túnel = the light at the end of the tunnel.* la magistratura = the Bench.* la manera de + Infinitivo = the way to go about + Gerundio.* la mano que mece la cuna es la mano que domina el mundo = the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.* la mano que mece la cuna gobierna el mundo = the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.* la mar de = a whole slew of.* la mayoría con mucho de = the vast majority of.* la mayoría de = the majority of, most + Nombre, the main bulk of.* la mayoría de la gente = most people, the majority of the people.* la mayoría de las personas = most people, the majority of the people.* la mayoría de las veces = most of the time, more often than not.* la mayoría del mundo = the majority of the world, most people, the majority of the people.* la mayoría del tiempo = most of the time.* la mayor parte de = the majority of, the main bulk of, the lion's share of.* la mayor parte de las veces = more often than not.* la medida en que = the extent to which.* la mejor forma de hacer Algo = best practices, lessons learned [lessons learnt].* la mejor manera = how best.* la mejor manera de = the best way of.* la mejor oferta = the best deal.* la mejor opción = the best bet.* la mejor salida = the best way forward.* la mejor solución = the best way forward.* la menor duda de que = no doubt whatsoever.* la mentira = lying.* la mirada en = eye(s) on.* la misma persona = one and the same person.* la mitad (1/2) = one-half (1/2).* la necesidad agudiza el ingenio = necessity mothers invention.* la ocasión la pintan calva = make + hay while the sun shines.* la opinión de otra persona = a second opinion.* la oportunidad de + Posesivo + vida = the opportunity of a lifetime.* la parte de atrás de = the back of.* la parte más dura de = brunt of, the.* la parte más importante = the heart of.* la parte principal de = the bulk of.* la parte superior izquierda de = the upper left of.* la parte trasera de = the back of.* la personificación de la confianza en uno mismo = confidence personified.* la pesadilla de = the bane of.* la pesca del día = the day's catch, the catch of the day.* la petición de = a call for.* la píldora = the pill.* la plebe = the great unwashed.* la polla = the dog's bollocks, the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers.* la práctica hace al maestro = practice makes perfect.* la primera tentativa = the first time around.* la primera vez = the first time around.* la proporción mayor de = the lion's share of.* la próxima moda = the next hot thing.* la puntilla = the final/last nail in + Posesivo + coffin.* la que = that, the one.* la razón de ser = the reason for being.* la realidad es que = the fact remains that..., fact is, the fact is (that).* la rehostia = the dog's bollocks, the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers.* la responsabilidad ahora recae en + Nombre = the ball is in + Posesivo + court.* la responsabilidad es de... = the buck + stops....* la riqueza de = the wealth of.* la ruina de = the bane of.* las = the, ye.* las 24 horas = round the clock, around the clock.* las apariencias engañan = don't judge a book by its cover, there's more to it than meets the eye.* las ataduras de = the shackles of.* las autoridades = the powers-that-be.* las cosas + cambiar = pendulum + swing.* las cosas + estar + claras = the (hand)writing + be + on the wall, see it + coming.* las cosas no pasan así como así = everything happens for a reason (and a purpose).* las cosas no pasan (así) porque sí = everything happens for a reason (and a purpose).* las cosas no son tan simples como parecen = there's more to it than meets the eye.* las cosas + seguir + igual = business + revolve + as usual.* las cosas siguen igual = business as usual.* las cosas sólo pasan una vez = lightning never strikes twice.* las cosas son más complicadas de lo que parecen = there's more to it than meets the eye.* las cosas tal y como son = the birds and the bees.* las cosas + volver + a su punto de partida = the wheel + turn + full circle.* las de = those for.* las doce del mediodía = noon.* la segunda mitad de + Fecha = the latter part of + Fecha.* la segunda opción = the next best choice.* la segunda vez = the second time around.* la semana pasada = last week.* la senda que lleva a = a/the doorway to.* la situación = the course of events.* la sociedad en general = society at large.* las posibilidades son infinitas = the possibilities are endless.* las profundidades del mar = the deep.* las profundidades del océano = the deep.* las pruebas = the writing on the wall.* las raíces se encuentran = roots + lie.* las raíces se remontan a = roots + lie.* las razones de = the reason behind, the thinking behind, the reasoning behind, the idea behind.* las Reglas de Cutter para un Catálogo Diccionario = Cutter's Rules for a Dictionary Catalog.* las triquiñuelas de la letra pequeña = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* la suerte + cambiar = the tide + turn.* la suerte estaba echada = the die was cast, the die had been cast.* la suerte está echada = the die is cast.* la suma total de = the total sum of, the sum total of.* las uvas están verdes = sour grapes.* las veinticuatro horas = day and night, day or night, night and day.* la temporada de Algo = in season.* la tierra de la abundancia = the land of plenty.* la tierra de las oportunidades = the land of opportunity.* la tira de = a whole slew of.* la tira de tiempo = donkey's years.* la triste realidad es que = the sad fact is (that).* la última palabra = the last word, the last word, the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* la última vez = last time.* la última vez que = the last time.* la única pega = the fly in the ointment, a fly in the soup.* la unión hace la fuerza = strength in numbers.* la ventaja de = the beauty of.* la ventaja es que = on the positive side, the advantage is that, on the bright side.* la verdad = the lowdown (on).* la verdad es que = if the truth be known, if the truth be told, the fact is (that), fact is.* la verdad es que... = the fact of the matter is that....* la verdad sea dicha = to tell the truth.* la verdad sea dicha que = if the truth be told.* la Vía Láctea = the Milky Way.* la vida continúa = the show must go on.* la vida + continuar = life + go on.* la vida es así = life's like that.* ¡la vida no es un camino de rosas! = the course of true love never did run smooth!.* la vida + seguir = life + go on.* la víspera de = on the eve of.* la voz de = the voice of.* la voz de la conciencia = the voice within.* la voz de la experiencia = the voice of experience.* la voz de la razón = the voice of reason.* la voz del odio = the voice of hate.* la voz interior = the voice within.* lo absurdo = ridiculousness.* lo adecuado = adequacy.* lo + Adjetivo + que sea/esté = how + Adjetivo.* lo anodino = blandness.* lo anteriormente expuesto = the preceding.* lo apropiado = appropriateness.* lo barato = inexpensiveness.* lo básico = essential, the, nuts and bolts, bare minimum, bare necessities, the, the lowdown (on).* lo bastante elevado = high enough.* lo bastante extenso = adequately scoped.* lo bueno de = the beauty of.* lo bueno es que = the good news is (that)..., on the positive side, on the bright side.* lo bueno viene en frascos pequeños = small is beautiful.* lo bueno y lo malo = the rights and wrongs.* lo caro = expensiveness.* lo chicano = Chicana.* lo chulo = coolness.* lo cierto es que = fact is, the fact is (that).* lo completo = completeness.* lo completo que Algo está = fullness.* lo creas o no = believe it or not.* lo decisivo = the last word.* lo definitivo = the last word.* lo desagradable = unpleasantness.* ¿lo dices en broma? = you must be joking!, you must be kidding!.* lo directo = directness.* lo divertido = the fun part.* lo engorroso de = cumbersomeness.* lo esencial = essential, the, nuts and bolts, bare minimum, bare necessities, the, the lowdown (on).* lo estrafalario = zaniness.* lo estrambótico = zaniness.* lo extenso = comprehensiveness.* lo favorable = propitiousness.* lo hebraico = Hebraica.* lo hecho hecho está = no use crying over spilt/spilled milk.* lo importante es lo que eres no cómo te llamas = a rose by any other name.* lo imprescindible = bare necessities, the, bare minimum.* lo incómodo de = cumbersomeness.* lo indefinido = indefiniteness.* lo indirecto = indirectness.* lo indispensable = bare necessities, the, bare minimum.* lo insulso = blandness.* lo interesante = the fun part.* lo judío = Judaica.* lo lindo = cuteness.* lo llano = flatness.* lo más cercano a = the nearest thing to.* lo más conveniente es que = optimally.* lo más destacado = highlights.* lo más detestado = pet hate.* lo más importante = most of all, at its core.* lo más interesante = highlights.* lo más mínimo = so much as.* lo más novedoso = the last word.* lo más odiado = pet hate.* lo más parecido a = the nearest thing to.* lo más probable es que = most probably.* lo más recio de = brunt of, the.* lo más recóndito = nooks and crannies.* lo máximo = the be all and end all, the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks.* lo mejor = the top of the tree.* lo mejor de = the beauty of, showpiece.* lo mejor de ambas partes = the best of both worlds.* lo mejor de lo mejor = the best of the best.* lo mejor de todo = best of all.* lo mejor entre lo mejor = the best of the best.* lo mejor es que... = the good news is (that)....* lo mejor está aún por llegar = the best is yet to come.* lo mejor posible = to the best of + Posesivo + ability, at + Posesivo + (very) best, optimally.* lo mejor que pueda = to the best of + Posesivo + ability.* lo mejor que se puede hacer = the best bet.* lo mejor + ser = the beautiful part + be.* lo menos posible = as little as possible.* lo mínimo = bare minimum, bare necessities, the.* lo mismo ocurre con = the same goes for.* lo mismo ocurre en el caso de = the same is true (for/of/with).* lo mismo que = the same as, along the lines of, in much the same way as.* lo mismo que antes = the same as before.* lo mismo que para = the same as that for.* lo mismo se aplica a = the same is true (for/of/with).* lo molesto de = cumbersomeness.* lo mucho que = how extensively.* lo noble = high-mindedness.* lo no convencional = unconventional, the.* lo normal + ser + que = there + be + a tendency (to/for), there + be + a tendency (to/for).* lo oportuno = timeliness.* lo pasado pasado está = let bygones be bygones.* lo peor de = brunt of, the.* lo peor del = the armpit of the.* lo pintoresco = quaintness.* lo plano = flatness.* lo poco común = rarity, rareness.* lo poco convencional = unconventional, the.* lo primero = for one, first off.* lo primero de todo = first of all, first off.* lo prometido es deuda = a promise is a promise.* lo propicio = propitiousness.* lo público = publicness.* lo que = that which, what.* lo que aguarda a = what is on store for.* lo que Algo o Alguien se merece, lo que le corresponde, bastante = fair share, fair share.* lo que a uno cura a otro mata = one man's meat is another man's poison.* lo que demuestra que = which (just) goes to show that.* lo que el futuro depara a = what is on store for.* lo que es aun más inquietante = more disturbingly.* lo que es aun más preocupante = more disturbingly.* lo que es aun mejor = better still.* lo que es aun peor = worse still.* lo que es bueno para uno es bueno para otro = what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.* lo que es bueno para uno también es bueno para otro = what's good for the goose is good for the gander.* lo que es más = what is more, what's more.* lo que es más importante = most importantly, more importantly, most of all, most important.* lo que es mejor aun = better still.* lo que es muy importante = importantly.* lo que es peor = what's worse.* lo que es peor aun = worse still.* lo que espera a = what is on store for.* lo que está bien y lo que está mal = rights and wrongs.* lo que existe (en el mercado) = what's out there.* lo que haya que de ser, será = que sera sera, what's meant to be, will be, whatever will be, will be.* lo que hay (en el mercado) = what's out there.* lo que hay que hacer = do + the right thing, the way to go.* lo que hay que hacer y lo que hay que evitar = do's and don'ts, rights and wrongs.* lo que le corresponde = fair share.* lo que nos espera = things to come.* lo que quiera que = whatever.* lo que sea = something or other.* lo que se gana por un lado se pierde por otro = swings and roundabouts.* lo que se pierda en una cosa se gana en la otra = what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts.* lo que + ser = what + be like.* lo que se suele pagar = going rate, the.* lo que tenga que pasar, que pase = que sera sera, what's meant to be, will be, whatever will be, will be.* lo que tenga que ser, será = que sera sera, whatever will be, will be, what's meant to be, will be.* lo que vale para tí también vale para mí = what's good for the goose is good for the gander, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.* lo rural = rurality.* los = the, ye.* los 365 días del año = year-round.* los 40 principales = Top 40 singles chart.* los abajo firmantes = the parties hereto.* los acontecimientos = the course of events.* lo sagrado = sacredness.* los albores de = the dawn of.* los años cincuenta = fifties.* los años treinta = thirties.* los árboles no dejan ver el bosque = lose + sight of the forest for the trees.* los avatares de la guerra = the tides of war.* los buenos tiempos = the good old days.* los comienzos de = the dawn of.* los constantes cambios de = the changing face of, the changing nature of.* los de = those for, those in.* los demás = rest, the, everybody else.* los detalles de la letra pequeña = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* los días antes de = leading up to.* los dos = both, both of them, both of which.* los efectos negativos se están dejando sentir ahora = chickens come home to roost.* los gobernantes = the powers-that-be.* los hay para dar y regalar = there's one born every minute.* los mandamás = the powers-that-be.* los más necesitados = those most in need.* los más pobres + Nombre = the poorest + Nombre.* los menos locuaces = inarticulate, the.* los motivos de = the reason behind, the thinking behind, the reasoning behind, the idea behind.* los necesitados = the needy.* los orígenes de = the dawn of.* los otros con los que aparece(n) = neighbours [neighbors, -USA].* los peores + Nombre = the poorest + Nombre.* los poderes fáticos = the powers-that-be.* los pormenores de la letra pequeña = the devil (is/lives) in the details.* Los Principios de París = Paris Principles.* los que = those who.* los que detentan el poder = the powers-that-be.* los que mandan = the powers-that-be.* los que no han recibido formación específica = uninstructed, the.* los que + Verbo = those + Participio.* los tribunales = the Bench.* lo suficientemente cerca = within range.* lo suficientemente cerca como para oír = within earshot of.* lo suficientemente estúpido como para = dumb enough to.* lo suficientemente grande = large enough, big enough.* lo suficientemente lejos como para no poder oír = out of earshot.* los últimos coletazos = fag-end.* lo sumo = the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers, the dog's bollocks, the cat's pyjamas.* los unos a costa de los otros = at each other's expense.* los viejos tiempos = the good old days.* lo tomas o lo dejas = take it or leave it.* lo último = the last word.* lo uno es tan malo como lo otro = one is as bad as the other.* lo vanguardista = cutting edge.* lo yidish = Yiddica.* parmarlas = kick + the bucket.* ser lo que nos espera = be the shape of things to come.* * *[ the masculine article el is also used before feminine nouns which begin with accented a or, ha e.g. el agua pura, el hada madrina]A (con un referente único, conocido o que se define) theel sol the sunel lápiz/la goma/los lápices/las gomas que compré the pencil/the eraser/the pencils/the erasers I boughtno, ése no, el que te presté ayer/el de Julio/el rojo no, not that one, the one I lent you yesterday/Julio's/the red oneen la calle Solís in Solís Streetprefiero el mío/los tuyos I prefer mine/yoursme atendió el estúpido del marido that stupid husband of hers served meyo soy la arquitecta, ella es lexicógrafa I'm the architect, she's a lexicographeryo fui la que lo rompí or rompió I was the one who broke itlos nacidos entre … those born between …los que faltamos ayer those of us who weren't here yesterday¿cuál es Ardiles? — el del sombrero negro which one's Ardiles? — the one with the black hatun encuentro al que asistieron muchas personalidades a meeting which was attended by many well known peoplela obra de la que or de la cual hablábamos the play we were talking aboutB(con sustantivos en sentido genérico): me encanta la ópera I love operaodio el pescado I hate fishasí es la vida that's life(nosotros) los mexicanos lo sabemos muy bien we Mexicans know only too well¿ya vas a la escuela? do you go to school yet?en el mar at seaviajar por el espacio to travel in spaceC(en expresiones de tiempo): ocurrió el domingo de Pascua/en el verano del 76 it happened on Easter Sunday/in the summer of '76mi cumpleaños es el 28 de mayo my birthday's on May 28el mes pasado/que viene last/next monthno trabaja los sábados she doesn't work (on) Saturdaysestudió toda la mañana he studied all morninga las ocho at eight o'clock, at eighta eso de las seis around six o'clockD(cada): lo venden a $80 el kilo/metro they're selling it at $80 a kilo/a meter o at $80 per kilo/meter¿cuánto cuesta el paquete de diez? how much does a packet of ten cost?E(con fracciones, porcentajes, números): me dio la mitad/la cuarta parte del dinero she gave me half the money/a quarter of the moneyel 20% de los peruanos 20% of Peruvians(refiriéndose a partes del cuerpo, prendas de vestir, artículos personales, etc): con las manos en los bolsillos with my/your/his hands in my/your/his pockets¡te cortaste el pelo! you've had your hair cut!tienes la falda sucia your skirt is dirtytienes el suéter puesto al revés you've got your sweater on inside outtiene el pelo largo/los ojos azules he has long hair/blue eyes1(con apellidos acompañados de título, adjetivos, etc): llamó el señor Ortiz/la doctora Vidal/el general Santos Mr Ortiz/Doctor Vidal/General Santos phonedel gran Caruso the Great Caruso2(con nombres de mujeres famosas): la última película de la Monroe Monroe's last movie3(en plural): los Ortega (matrimonio) the Ortegas, Mr and Mrs Ortega; (familia) the Ortegas, the Ortega familya los Josés se les suele llamar Pepe people called José are often known as Pepe4 (fam: en muchas regiones crit)(con nombres de pila): pregúntale a la Carmen/al Ricardo ask Carmen/Ricardo5(con algunos nombres geográficos): en la India in Indiaen (el) Perú in Peru6(al calificar): la España de Franco Franco's Spainel Buñuel que todos conocemos the Buñuel we all knowla Italia del siglo pasado Italy in the last century7(con algunos equipos deportivos): juegan contra el Juventus/el Barcelona they're playing against Juventus/BarcelonaH el(con infinitivo): odiaba el tener que pedírselo he hated having to ask heres cuidadoso y pausado en el hablar he's careful and deliberate in the way he speaksel frenético girar de los bailarines the frenzied spinning of the dancers* * *
Multiple Entries:
el
él
el (pl◊ los), la (pl las) art the masculine article el is also used before feminine nouns which begin with accented a or ha, e.g. el agua pura, el hada madrina
1
así es la vida that's life;
(nosotros) los mexicanos we Mexicans;
¿ya vas a la escuela? do you go to school yet?
las tuyas yours;
el último the last one;
el estúpido del marido that stupid husband of hers
2a) el + de:
el de las nueve the nine o'clock one;
el de mi hijo my son'sb) el + que:
los que estén cansados;
those who are tired, anyone who's tired;
la que te guste whichever you like
3 ( en expresiones de tiempo):
mi cumpleaños es el 28 de mayo my birthday's on May 28;
el mes pasado last month;
toda la mañana all morning;
a las ocho at eight o'clock
4 ( cada):◊ $80 el metro/kilo $80 a meter/a kilo, $80 per kilo/meter
5 (con fracciones, porcentajes, números):◊ la mitad/la cuarta parte del dinero half the money/a quarter of the money;
el 20% de … 20% of …
6 (con partes del cuerpo, prendas de vestir, artículos personales, etc):
¡te cortaste el pelo! you've had your hair cut!;
tiene los ojos azules he has blue eyes
7a) (con apellidos acompañados de título, adjetivos, etc):◊ el señor Ortiz/la doctora Vidal Mr Ortiz/Doctor Vidal;
los Ortega the Ortegas
ver África, Argentina, etc
él pron pers
◊ ¿quién se lo va a decir? — él who's going to tell her? — he is;
lo hizo él mismo he did it himself;
fue él it was him
( refiriéndose a cosas) it;◊ llegué antes que él I arrived before him o before he did;
con/para él with/for him;
son de él they're his
el art def m
1 the
2 (no se traduce) (ante un tratamiento formal) el sr. Gómez, Mr Gomez
(cuando el sustantivo es general) el hambre/tiempo, hunger/time
3 (se traduce por un posesivo) (con partes del cuerpo) se ha cortado el pelo, she's cut her hair
(prendas) se lo metió en el bolsillo, he put it in his pocket
(pertenencias) guarda el diario en el cajón, put your diary into the drawer
4 (con días de la semana) iré el miércoles, I'll go on Wednesday
5 (cuando el sustantivo está elidido) the one: prefiero el azul, I prefer the blue one
el de las diez, the ten o'clock one
el que está en la mesa, the one that's on the table
el que más nos guste, whichever one we like best
(delante de un posesivo) el de María, Maria's
es el mío, it's mine
él pron pers
1 (sujeto) (persona) he
(animal, cosa) it: fue él, it was him, fue él el que..., it was him that... o it was he who...
2 (complemento) (persona) him
(animal, cosa) it
dáselo a él, give it to him, es para él, it's for him
3 (posesivo) de él, his
4 (oración comparativa) ella es mejor que él, she's better than him o she's better than he is
'él' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
A
- abajo
- abalanzarse
- abaratarse
- abarquillarse
- abarrotar
- abarrotada
- abarrotado
- abastecimiento
- abatir
- abatimiento
- abdicar
- abierta
- abierto
- abismo
- abogada
- abogado
- abominar
- abominable
- abordar
- aborigen
- aborregarse
- abortar
- abotargada
- abotargado
- abrir
- abreviar
- abrirse
- absoluta
- absoluto
- abstención
- abundancia
- acabar
- acabarse
- acabose
- acallar
- acanallar
- accionariado
- acero
- achacosa
- achacoso
- achatamiento
- achicharrarse
- aclarar
- aclarado
- acomodarse
- acompañar
- acondicionar
- acostumbrada
- acostumbrado
English:
A
- abandon
- ABC
- ability
- about
- above
- abroad
- abseil
- absence
- absent
- absolute
- absolve
- absorb
- abstract
- academic
- accelerate
- accommodate
- accomplice
- account
- accurately
- accusation
- accused
- accustom
- aching
- act
- act on
- act up
- actual
- actually
- acute
- address
- adequately
- adjourn
- admission
- admit
- advance
- advanced
- advantage
- advantageous
- advise
- advocate
- affair
- afford
- afloat
- afraid
- after
- against
- age
- agenda
- aggregate
* * *el (f la, mpl los, fpl las) art determinado el is used instead of la before feminine nouns which are stressed on the first syllable and begin with “a” or “ha” (e.g. el agua, el hacha). Note that el combines with the prepositions a and de to produce the contracted forms al and del.1. [con valor especificador] the;el coche the car;la casa the house;los niños the children;el agua/hacha/águila the water/axe/eagle;fui a recoger a los niños I went to pick up the childrenla vida life;el hombre Man, human beings;los derechos de la mujer women's rights;los niños imitan a los adultos children copy adults;el pan es un alimento básico bread is a basic food;la mayoría de la gente no la conoce most people don't know her;vuelve el biquini bikinis are backse quitó los zapatos she took her shoes off;tiene el pelo oscuro he has dark hair;me han robado la maleta my suitcase has been stolen;se dieron la mano they shook handslos domingos vamos al cine we go to the movies (on) Sundays;llegaré el 1 de mayo [escrito] I'll arrive on 1 May;[hablado] I'll arrive on the first of May;son las siete it's seven o'clock;el año pasado/que viene last/next yearel Everest (Mount) Everest;la India India;La Haya The Hague;El Cairo Cairo;la España de la posguerra post-war Spainel señor/el doctor Juárez Mr/Doctor Juárez;los Amaya [matrimonio] Mr and Mrs Amaya, the Amayas;[familia completa] the Amayas, the Amaya family;los Austrias the Hapsburgs;el Hitler español the Spanish Hitler8. [con numerales, porcentajes, fracciones]el siete es mi número de la suerte seven's my lucky number;llegó el tercero he came third;el tercer piso the third floor;un aumento del 30 por ciento a 30 percent increase;la quinta parte (de) a fifth (of);el 20 por ciento (de) 20 percent (of)10. [con complemento especificativo]el/la del sombrero the one with the hat;los/las de azul [cosas] the blue ones;[personas] the ones in blue;he perdido el tren, cogeré el de las nueve I've missed the train, I'll get the nine o'clock one;el de aquí this one here;¿los del parque son amigos tuyos? were those people in the park friends of yours?;prefiero las del escaparate I prefer the ones in the window;los del fondo no se callan the people at the back won't shut upel mío mine;la tuya yours;los suyos theirsel/la mejor the best;es la mejor de la clase she's the best in the class, she's top of the class;los seleccionados realizarán un examen those chosen will sit an exam;el tonto de Ignacio se equivocó that idiot Ignacio got it wronges amante del buen comer she loves good food;me sienta mal el tener que decírtelo I don't like to have to tell you14. [con frases subordinadas][persona] whoever;el/la que [cosa] whichever;los/las que [cosas] whichever;[personas] whoever;coge el/los que quieras take whichever you like;el que más corra whoever runs fastest, the one who runs the fastest;las que quieran venir que levanten la mano those who want to come o anyone who wants to come should put their hand up;el que no te guste no quiere decir que sea malo the fact that you don't like him doesn't make him a bad person15. [con valor enfático]¡la pena que me dio verlo en ese estado! I felt so sorry for him when I saw him in that state!* * *elI art theII pron:el de … that of …;el de Juan Juan’s;el más grande the biggest (one);el que está … the one that is …* * *él pron: he, himél es mi amigo: he's my friendhablaremos con él: we will speak with himel pron, (referring to masculine nouns)1) : the onetengo mi libro y el tuyo: I have my book and yoursde los cantantes me gusta el de México: I prefer the singer from México2)el que : he who, whoever, the one thatel que vino ayer: the one who came yesterdayel que trabaja duro estará contento: he who works hard will be happyel, la art, pl los, las : thelos niños están en la casa: the boys are in the houseme duele el pie: my foot hurts* * *el det1. the¿qué te pareció el libro? what did you think of the book?2. (posesivo) my / your / his / her etcétera¿te has cortado el pelo? have you had your hair cut?3. (característica) the one¿cuál prefieres? el azul which one do you prefer? the blue one¡Ojo! Algunas veces no se traduce¿quieres salir el sábado? do you want to go out on Saturday?el Sr. García Mr. Garcíacon el que that... withen el que that... in -
27 faire
faire [fεʀ]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━➭ TABLE 60━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► Lorsque faire est suivi d'un nom dans une locution comme faire une faute, se faire des idées, reportez-vous à l'autre mot.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━1. <━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► Lorsque faire est utilisé pour parler d'une activité non précisée, ou qu'il remplace un verbe plus spécifique, il se traduit par to do. Lorsque faire veut dire créer, préparer, fabriquer, il se traduit souvent par to make.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━• que fais-tu ce soir ? what are you doing tonight?• que voulez-vous qu'on y fasse ? what can be done about it?• faire 100 km/h to do 100km/h• je n'en ferai rien ! I'll do nothing of the sort!► faire de ( = utiliser) to do with• qu'avez-vous fait de votre sac ? what have you done with your bag?► ne faire quec. ( = créer, préparer, fabriquer) to maked. ( = constituer) c'est ce qui fait tout son charme that's what makes him so charming• faire du piano/du violon to play the piano/the violing. (Medicine) [+ diabète, attaque] to haveh. ( = chercher dans) il a fait toute la ville pour en trouver he's been all over town looking for somei. ( = vendre) nous ne faisons pas cette marque we don't stock that make• je vous le fais à 700 € I'll let you have it for 700 eurosj. ( = mesurer, peser, coûter) to be• combien fait cette chaise ? how much is this chair?• ça fait 130 € that's 130 euros• cela fait combien en tout ? how much is that altogether?k. ( = agir sur, importer) ils ne peuvent rien me faire they can't do anything to me• on ne me la fait pas à moi ! (inf) I wasn't born yesterday!• qu'est-ce que cela peut bien te faire ? what's it to you?• cela ne vous ferait rien de sortir ? would you mind leaving the room?• ne fais pas l'enfant/l'idiot don't be so childish/so stupid• tu fais l'arbitre ? will you be referee?• quel imbécile je fais ! what a fool I am!n. ( = dire) to say• « vraiment ? » fit-il "really?" he saido. (Grammar) « canal » fait »canaux » au pluriel the plural of "canal" is "canaux"2. <• as-tu payé la note ? -- non, c'est lui qui l'a fait did you pay the bill? -- no, he did• puis-je téléphoner ? -- faites, je vous en prie could I use the phone? -- yes, of courseb. ( = agir) faire vite to act quickly• faites vite ! be quick!c. ( = paraître) to look3. <► il fait━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► cela or ça fait... que• cela fait très longtemps que je ne l'ai pas vu I haven't seen him for a very long time it's a long time since I saw him• ça fait que... that means...4. <a. ( = pousser à) to make• faire faire qch par qn to get sth made (or done) by sb• faire faire qch à qn to get sb to do (or to make) sth ; (en le forçant) to make sb do (or make) sthc. ( = laisser) faire entrer qn (qn que l'on attendait) to let sb in ; (qn que l'on n'attendait pas) to ask sb in5. <► se fairea. (pour soi)b. ( = être fait) si ça doit se faire, ça se fera sans moi if it's going to happen, it'll happen without mec. ( = être convenable, courant) ça se fait d'offrir des fleurs à un homme ? is it OK to give flowers to a man?d. (locutions)• se faire beau to make o.s. look nice• sa voix se fit plus douce his voice became softer► se faire + infinitif• faut se le faire ! (inf!) he's a real pain in the neck! (inf)► se faire à ( = s'habituer à) to get used to• il ne s'en fait pas ! he's got a nerve!► il se fait que• comment se fait-il qu'il soit absent ? how come he's not here? (inf)* * *fɛʀ
1.
1) ( produire) to make2) ( façonner) to shape [histoire, période]3) ( étudier) to do [licence, sujet]faire du violon — to study ou play the violin
4) ( préparer) to make [soupe, thé]; to prepare [salade]5) ( nettoyer) to do, to clean [vitres]; to clean, to polish [chaussures]7) ( cultiver)faire des céréales — [personne] to grow ou do cereals; [région] to produce cereals
8) ( se fournir en)faire de l'eau — Nautisme, Chemin de Fer to take on water
faire (de) l'essence — (colloq) Automobile to get petrol GB ou gas US
9) ( parcourir) to do [distance, trajet]; to go round [magasins, agences]; ( visiter) to do (colloq) [région, musées]10) ( souffrir de) to have [diabète, tension, complexe]11) ( demander un prix)faire quelque chose à 30 francs — to sell something for 30 francs, to charge 30 francs for something
12) ( servir de) to serve as13) (user, disposer de) to doje n'en ai rien à faire — (colloq) I couldn't care less
14) ( avoir un effet)que veux-tu que j'y fasse? — what do you want me to do about it?, what am I supposed to do about it?
ça y fait — (colloq) it has an effect
pour ce que ça fait! — (colloq) for all the good it does!
qu'est-ce que ça peut bien te faire? — (colloq) what is it to you?
15) (entraîner, causer)l'explosion a fait 12 morts — the explosion killed 12 people, the explosion left 12 people dead
ça ne fait rien! — ( pas grave) it doesn't matter!
ça fait ou ce qui fait que j'ai oublié — (colloq) as a result I forgot
16) ( transformer) to makefaire d'un garage un atelier — to make ou turn a garage into a workshop
17) ( proclamer)18) ( imiter)19) ( tenir le rôle de) to be20) ( dans un souhait)mon Dieu, faites qu'il réussisse! — God, please let him succeed!
21) (colloq) ( tromper)22) ( dire) to say‘bien sûr,’ fit-elle — ‘of course,’ she said
le canard fait ‘coin-coin’ — the duck says ou goes ‘quack’
2.
verbe intransitif1) ( agir) to do, to actvas-y, mais fais vite! — go, but be quick about it!
fais comme chez toi — lit, iron make yourself at home
2) ( paraître) to look3) (colloq) ( être) to be4) ( durer) to last5) ( valoir)6) ( pour les besoins naturels) to go7) (colloq)faire avec — ( se contenter de) to make do with; ( supporter) to put up with
3.
se faire verbe pronominal1)combien se fait-il (colloq) par mois? — how much does he make a month?
2) ( devenir) to get, to become3) ( se rendre)4) ( s'inquiéter)il ne s'en fait pas! — ( sans inquiétude) he's not the sort of person to worry about things!; ( pas gêné) he's got a nerve!
5) ( s'habituer)se faire à — to get used to [lieu, situation, idée]
6) ( être d'usage)7) ( être à la mode) to be in (fashion)ça ne se fait plus — it's no longer fashionable, it's out of fashion
8) ( être produit)9) ( emploi impersonnel)comment se fait-il que...? — how is it that...?
10) [fromage] to ripen; [vin] to mature11) (colloq)il faut se le faire, son copain! — his/her mate is a real pain! (colloq)
12) ( avec infinitif)
••
Un très grand nombre de tournures et locutions contenant ce verbe sont traitées ailleurs, généralement sous le terme qui suit faire, en particulier- les expressions décrivant les tâches domestiques, agricoles (faire la cuisine/moisson), les occupations manuelles (faire du tricot/bricolage), les activités professionnelles ou de loisir (faire du théâtre/de la photo), les types d'études ( faire médecine). Pour ce qui est des jeux, sports et loisirs, voir également la note d'usage correspondante- les locutions décrivant un mouvement, l'expression, un comportement (faire un geste/une grimace/le pitre)- les expressions dans lesquelles faire signifie ‘formuler’ (faire une promesse/offre etc)- les expressions décrivant la qualité de la lumière (il fait jour/sombre) ou l'état du temps- les expressions contenant une mesure (faire 20 mètres de long/15 kilos/20°/15 kilomètres à l'heure etc) pour lesquelles on consultera les notes d'usage- les expressions décrivant une démarche de l'esprit (se faire une opinion/du souci etc)- les expressions indiquant l'effet produit (faire peur/mal/plaisir/du tort etc, faire cuire/sécher/tomber etc)- les locutions telles que faire semblant/exprès, se faire avoir etc- une activité sportive (faire du tennis/de la marche/du parapente)la consultation des notes d'usage vous fournira des traductions utiles. Voir la listeEn outre, certaines entrées telles que combien, ce, que, comment, laisser, rien, mieux, bien etc fourniront également des traductions utilesTo make ou to do?Les principales traductions de faire sont to make et to do mais elles ne sont pas interchangeablesto make traduit faire + objet dénotant ce qui est créé, confectionné, composé, réalisé, obtenu; l'objet est le résultat de l'action: faire son lit/des confitures = to make one's bed/jam; faire un discours/une faute/un bénéfice = to make a speech/a mistake/a profit; je me suis fait un café = I made myself a coffeeto do a le sens plus vague de se livrer à une activité, s'occuper à quelque chose; l'objet peut préciser la nature de l'activité: faire de la recherche/un exercice/une réparation = to do research/an exercise/a repair job; faire son devoir = to do one's dutyou bien la nature de l'activité reste indéterminée: que fait-il (dans la vie)? = what does he do in life?; qu'est-ce que tu fais ce soir? = what are you doing tonight?; la science peut tout faire = science can do anything; j'ai à faire = I have things to doou encore le contexte suggère la nature de l'activité: faire une pièce = to do a room, peut vouloir dire la nettoyer, la ranger, la peindreSi faire remplace un verbe plus précis, on traduira fréquemment par celui-ci: faire une maison/un nid = to build a house/a nest; faire une lettre = to write a letter; faire une visite = to pay a visit; faire un numéro de téléphone = to dial a numberLes périphrases verbales sont parfois rendues par un seul verbe: faire voir (= montrer) = to show; faire du tissage (= tisser) = to weave, mais faire un peu de tissage = to do a bit of weavingFaire + infinitif + quelqu'unfaire + infinitive + quelqu'un, c'est-à-dire obtenir de quelqu'un qu'il agisse d'une certaine manière, se traduit selon le sens de faire, par: to make somebody do something (forcer, être cause que): fais-la lever = make her get up; ça m'a fait rire = it made me laugh; ça fait dormir = it makes you sleep; par to get somebody to do something (inciter): fais-leur prendre un rendez-vous = get them to make an appointment; par to help somebody to do something (aider): faire traverser la rue à un vieillard = to help an old man across the street; mais faire manger un bébé = to feed a child. Dans l'exemple ça fait dormir on notera qu'en anglais le sujet du verbe est toujours exprimé, ce qui n'est pas le cas en français(se) faire faire quelque chose (par quelqu'un) se traduit par to have something done ou made (by somebody), ou, dans une langue plus familière, to get something done ou made (by somebody): (se) faire construire une maison = to have a house built; faire réparer sa voiture = to have ou get one's car repaired; c'est la table qu'il a fait faire = it's the table he had made; elle fait exécuter les travaux par un ami = she's having the work done by a friendexprime soit la continuité: il ne fait que pleuvoir = it never stops raining, it rains all the timesoit la restriction: je ne fais qu'obéir aux ordres = I'm only obeying ordersDans ce cas il sera généralement traduit par to do: ‘je peux regarder? ’ - ‘faites ou faites je vous en prie ’ = ‘may I look?’ - ‘please do’; il souffla, comme il avait vu faire son père = he blew, as he had seen his father do; on veut que je parte, mais je n'en ferai rien = they want me to leave, but I'll do nothing of the sort* * *fɛʀ1. vt1) (= fabriquer) to makeIls font trop de bruit. — They're making too much noise.
2) (= effectuer) to dofaire la vaisselle — to do the dishes, to do the washing up
3) [études, sujet] to doIl fait de l'italien. — He's doing Italian.
4) (pratiquer régulièrement) [musique, rugby] to playIl fait du piano. — He plays the piano.
6) (= visiter)faire l'Europe — to tour Europe, to do Europe
7) (= imiter)8) (= mesurer, totaliser) to be, to make2 et 2 font 4. — 2 and 2 are 4., 2 and 2 make 4.
Ça fait 10 m. — It's 10 m.
Ça fait 15 euros. — It's 15 euros.
Ça fait cinquante-trois euros en tout. — That's fifty-three euros all together., That makes fifty-three euros all together.
Je vous le fais 10 euros. — I'll let you have it for 10 euros.
9) (= dire) to go"Vraiment?" fit-il. — "Really?" he goes.
10) (= souffrir de) [diabète, eczéma] to haveIl regrettait ce qu'il avait fait à son frère. — He was sorry for what he had done to his brother.
faire que (= impliquer que) — to mean that
ce qui fait que... — which means that...
ne faire que (= ne pas arrêter de) Il ne fait que critiquer. — All he ever does is criticize.
2. vi1) (= agir) to actIl faut faire vite. — We must act quickly., It's important to act quickly.
2) (= s'y prendre)comment a-t-il fait pour...? — how did he manage to...?
3) (= paraître) (avec adjectif) to lookTu fais jeune dans cette robe. — That dress makes you look younger.
4) (remplaçant autre verbe) to doNe le casse pas comme je l'ai fait. — Don't break it like I did.
Remets-le en place. - Je viens de le faire. — Put it back in its place.- I just did.
3. vb aux(suivi d'un infinitif) to makefaire tomber qch — to make sth fall, to knock sth over
Le chat a fait tomber le vase. — The cat knocked over the vase.
faire travailler les enfants — to make the children work, to get the children to work
faire réparer qch — to get sth repaired, to have sth repaired
Je dois faire réparer ma voiture. — I've got to get my car repaired.
Elle fait faire des travaux dans sa maison. — She's having some work done on her house.
Il a fait faire son portrait. — He's had his portrait done.
Cela fait faire des économies au consommateur. — This saves the consumer money.
4. vb impers (temps)to beEspérons qu'il fera beau demain. — Let's hope it'll be nice weather tomorrow.
1) (durée)ça fait trois ans qu'ils habitent à Paris — they've lived in Paris for three years, they've been living in Paris for three years
il fait bon; Il fait bon se promener dans cette région. — It's nice to go walking in this area.
Il ne fait pas bon traîner ici le soir. — It's not a good idea to hang around here at night.
* * *faire ⇒ Note d'usage verb table: faireA vtr1 (donner, émettre, produire) to make; le raisin fera un vin excellent the grapes will make ou produce (an) excellent wine; cet arbre fait des fleurs/baies this tree produces flowers/berries; le garage ferait une belle pièce the garage would make a nice room; ils font un beau couple they make a handsome couple; il fera un bon médecin he'll make a good doctor; les qualités qui font un champion the qualities which make a champion; trois et deux font cinq three and two make five; ça fait deux chacun that makes two each; combien font 13 fois 13? what's 13 times 13?; œil fait yeux au pluriel œil is yeux in the plural;2 fig ( façonner) to shape [période]; les événements qui font l'histoire events which shape history;3 ( étudier) to do [licence, diplôme]; on a fait la Chine en géographie we did China in geography; faire du violon to study ou play the violin; tu as fait ton piano? have you practised your piano?; faire une école de commerce/les Beaux-Arts to go to business school/art college;4 ( préparer) to make [sauce, soupe, thé]; to prepare [salade]; faire du poulet to do ou cook a chicken; qu'est-ce que je fais pour le déjeuner? what shall I cook ou prepare for lunch?;6 ( proposer) Comm to do [service, marque]; ( vendre) to do, to sell [article]; ils ne font pas le petit déjeuner/les réparations they don't do breakfast/repairs; je fais beaucoup ce modèle en ce moment I'm selling a lot of this particular model at the moment; l'hôtel fait-il restaurant? does the hotel do meals, does the hotel have a restaurant?;7 (cultiver, produire) Agric faire des céréales [personne] to grow ou do cereals; [région] to produce cereals;8 ( se fournir en) faire de l'eau Naut, Rail to take on water; faire (de) l'essence○ Aut to get petrol GB ou gas US; faire du bois dans la forêt to gather wood in the forest; faire de l'herbe pour les bêtes to cut grass for the animals;9 ( parcourir) to do [distance, trajet]; to go round [magasins, agences]; ( visiter) to do○ [région, ville, musées]; faire 200 kilomètres to do 200 kilometresGB; faire Rome-Nice en avion to do the Rome-Nice journey by plane; représentant qui fait○ la région parisienne rep○ who does the Paris area; j'ai dû faire toute la ville/toutes les boutiques pour trouver ça I had to go all over town/round GB ou around US all the shops to find this; faire la vallée de la Loire to do○ the Loire Valley; faire l'Écosse to visit Scotland; j'ai fait tous les tiroirs mais je ne l'ai pas trouvé I went through all the drawers but I couldn't find it;10 ( dans le domaine de la santé) to have [diabète, tension, complexe]; faire une crise cardiaque to have a heart attack; faire de la fièvre○ to have ou run a temperature; faire de l'angine de poitrine to get angina; elle m'a encore fait une otite○! she's had another ear-infection!;11 ( demander un prix) faire qch à 30 euros to sell sth for 30 euros, to charge 30 euros for sth; il me l'a fait à 500 euros he charged me ou sold it to me for 500 euros;12 ( servir de) to serve as; ce coin fera bureau this corner will serve as a study;13 (user, disposer de) to do; que vais-je faire des bagages/enfants? what am I going to do with the luggage/children?; qu'as-tu fait du billet? what have you done with the ticket?; pour ce qu'elle en fait! for all she does with it/them!; pour quoi faire? what for?; je n'ai que faire de I have no need for; je n'en ai rien à faire it's nothing to do with me;14 ( avoir un effet) faire plus de mal que de bien to do more harm than good; qu'as-tu fait à ta sœur? what have you done to your sister?; que veux-tu que j'y fasse? what do you want me to do about it?, what am I supposed to do about it?; le cachet ne m'a rien fait the tablet didn't do anything, the tablet had no effect; ça y fait it has an effect; leur départ ne m'a rien fait their departure didn't affect me at all, their departure left me cold; ça me fait quelque chose de la voir dans cet état it upsets me to see her in that state; ça fait quelque chose pour la grippe? is it any good for flu?; pour ce que ça fait! for all the good it does!; ça ne vous fait rien que je fume? do you mind ou does it bother you if I smoke?; ça ne fait rien à la chose it doesn't alter ou change anything, it makes no difference; qu'est-ce que ça peut bien te faire? what is it to you?;15 (entraîner, causer) faire des jaloux to make some people jealous; ça a fait leur fortune it made them rich; l'explosion a fait 12 morts the explosion killed 12 people, the explosion left 12 people dead; ne t'inquiète pas, ça ne fait rien! don't worry, it doesn't matter!; ça fait ou ce qui fait que j'ai oublié○ as a result I forgot; ‘qu'est-ce que j'ai fait?’-‘tu as fait que tu as menti○’ ‘what have I done?’-‘you lied, that's what you've done’; faites que tout se passe bien make sure that all goes well;16 ( transformer) to make; l'armée en a fait un homme the army made a man of him; ils veulent en faire un avocat they want to make a lawyer of him; elle en a fait sa confidente she's made her her confidante; ça a fait de lui un révolté it turned him into a rebel, it made him a rebel; j'en ai fait un principe I made it a principle; faire d'un garage un atelier to make ou turn a garage into a workshop; faire sien qch to make sth one's own;17 ( proclamer) faire qn duc/général to make sb a duke/general; la presse l'a fait diplomate ( à tort) the press made him out to be a diplomat; ne le fais pas pire qu'il n'est! don't make him out to be worse than he is!, don't paint him blacker than he is!;18 ( imiter) faire le malade/le courageux to pretend to be ill/brave; faire l'ignorant or celui qui ne sait rien to pretend not to know; faire le dictateur to act the dictator;19 ( tenir le rôle de) to be; quel plaisantin vous faites! what a joker you are!; vous ferez les voleurs! Jeux you be the robbers!; l'acteur qui fait le roi○ Cin, Théât the actor who plays the part of the king, the actor who is the king;20 ( dans un souhait) mon Dieu, faites qu'il réussisse! God, please let him succeed!; Dieu or le ciel fasse qu'il ne leur arrive rien! may God ou Heaven protect them!;21 ○( tromper) il me l'a fait au baratin/chantage he talked/blackmailed me into it; on ne me la fait pas! I'm not a fool!, I wasn't born yesterday!B vi1 (agir, procéder) to do, to act; je n'ai pas pu faire autrement I couldn't do otherwise; fais comme tu veux do as you like; elle peut faire mieux she can do better; dans ces situations, il faut faire vite in that sort of situation, one must act quickly; vas-y, mais fais vite! go, but be quick about it!; fais comme chez toi lit, iron make yourself at home;2 ( paraître) to look; faire jeune/son âge to look young/one's age; ça fait bien avec du bleu it looks nice with blue; tes lunettes font très distingué your glasses make you look very distinguished; il croit que ça fait chic de dire ça he thinks it's chic to say that;3 ( être) to be; il veut faire pompier he wants to be a fireman;4 ( dire) to say; ‘bien sûr,’ fit-elle ‘of course,’ she said; le canard fait ‘coin-coin’ the duck says ou goes ‘quack’; faire plouf/aïe etc to go plop/ouch etc;5 ( durer) to last; sa robe lui a fait deux ans her dress lasted her two years;6 (+ adverbe de quantité) ça fait cher/grand/trop etc it is expensive/big/too much etc;7 ( pour les besoins naturels) to go; tu as fait? have you been?; faire dans sa culotte ( déféquer) to dirty one's pants; ( uriner) to wet one's pants; fig to wet oneself;8 ○ faire avec ( se contenter de) to make do with [personne, objet, quantité]; ( supporter) to put up with [personne, situation]; elle est là, et il faudra faire avec she's here, and we'll have to put up with her.C se faire vpr1 (confectionner, exécuter, obtenir pour soi) se faire un café to make oneself a coffee; se faire de l'argent/des amis to make money/friends; se faire ses vêtements to make one's own clothes; se faire la cuisine soi-même to do one's own cooking; combien se fait-il par mois? how much does he make a month? ; se faire un mec◑ to have◑ a man;2 ( devenir) (+ adjectif attribut) to get, to become; (+ nom attribut) to become; il se fait vieux he's getting old; il se fait tard it's getting late; sa voix se fit dure his/her voice hardened ou became hard; se faire avocat to become a lawyer;3 ( se rendre) se faire belle/tout petit to make oneself beautiful/very small;4 ( s'inquiéter) s'en faire to worry; il ne s'en fait pas! ( sans inquiétude) he's not the sort of person to worry about things!; ( pas gêné) he's got a nerve!;5 ( s'habituer) se faire à to get used to [lieu, situation, idée]; je ne m'y fais pas I can't get used to it;6 ( être d'usage) ça se fait encore ici it's still done here; ça ne se fait pas de manger avec les doigts it's not the done thing ou it's not polite to eat with one's fingers;7 ( être à la mode) [couleur, style] to be in (fashion); le tweed se fait beaucoup cette année tweed is very much in this year; ça ne se fait plus it's no longer fashionable, it's out of fashion;8 ( être produit ou accompli) c'est ce qui se fait de mieux it's the best there is; le mariage s'est fait à Paris the wedding took place in Paris; le pont se fera bien un jour the bridge will be built one day; souhaitons que la paix se fasse let's hope there'll be peace;9 ( emploi impersonnel) il se fit que it (so) happened that; il se fit un grand silence there was complete silence; il s'est fait un déclic dans mon esprit something clicked in my mind; il pourrait se faire que je parte I might leave; comment se fait-il que…? how is it that…?;10 ( mûrir) [fromage] to ripen; [vin] to mature;11 ○( supporter) to put up with, to endure [importun]; il faut se le faire, son copain! his/her mate is a real pain○!;12 ( avec infinitif) se faire couler un bain to run oneself a bath; se faire comprendre to make oneself understood; se faire agresser to get mugged; tu vas te faire écraser! you'll get run over![fɛr] verbe transitifA.[FABRIQUER, RÉALISER]1. [confectionner - objet, vêtement] to make ; [ - construction] to build ; [ - tableau] to paint ; [ - film] to make ; [ - repas, café] to make, to prepare ; [ - gâteau, pain] to make, to bake ; [ - vin] to make ; [ - bière] to brew[concevoir - thèse, dissertation] to dogrand-mère est super — oui, on n'en fait plus des comme ça! (familier) grandma's great — yes, they broke the mould when they made her!2. [produire, vendre]faire du blé/de la vigne to grow wheat/grapesfaire une marque/un produit to stock a make/an articleje vous fais les deux à 350 euros (familier) you can have both for 350 euros, I'll take 350 euros for both3. [obtenir, gagner - bénéfices] to makefaire de l'argent to earn ou to make money4. [mettre au monde]5. PHYSIOLOGIEB.[ACCOMPLIR, EXÉCUTER]1. [effectuer - mouvement, signe] to make[saut périlleux, roue] to do2. [accomplir - choix, erreur, réforme, proposition] to make ; [ - inventaire] to do ; [ - discours] to deliver, to make, to give ; [ - conférence] to give ; [ - exercice] to do ; [ - recherches] to do, to carry out (separable) ; [ - enquête] to carry out (separable)on me l'a déjà faite, celle-là I know that one already[suivre les cours de]4. [pratiquer]faire de la flûte/du violon to play the flute/the violinfaire de l'équitation/de la natation/de la voile to go horseriding/swimming/sailingfaire du basket/du tennis to play basketball/tennis6. [dire] to sayil fit oui/non de la tête he nodded/he shook his head"non", fit-elle "no", she saidla vache fait "meuh!" the cow goes "moo!"8. [action non précisée] to dofaire quelque chose de quelqu'un/quelque chose: qu'ai-je fait de mes clefs ? what have I done with ou where did I put my keys ?donne-le moi! — non, rien à faire! give it to me! — nothing doing ou no way!tu lui as parlé ? — oui, mais rien à faire, il ne cédera pas did you talk to him ? — yes, but it's no use, he won't give inje vais vous raccompagner — n'en faites rien! (soutenu) I'll take you back — there's really no need!j'apprécie peu sa façon de travailler mais il faut bien faire avec! I don't like the way he works but I suppose I'll just have to put up with it!autant que faire se peut if possible, as far as possiblemais bien sûr, tu n'as que faire de ma carrière! but of course, my career matters very little to you! ou you don't care about my career!C.[AVEC IDÉE DE DÉPLACEMENT]1. [se déplacer à la vitesse de]le train peut faire jusqu'à 400 km/h the train can do 400 km/h2. [couvrir - distance]le Concorde fait Paris-New York en moins de quatre heures Concorde goes ou flies from Paris to New York in less than fours hours[inspecter, passer au crible]a. [j'y suis allé] I did ou went to ou tried every hotel in townb. [j'ai téléphoné] I called ou did ou tried every hotel in townD.[AVEC IDÉE DE TRANSFORMATION]1. [nommer]elle l'a fait baron she gave him the title of Baron, she made him a baron2. [transformer en]faire quelque chose de quelqu'un/quelque chose: des rats, la fée fit des laquais the fairy changed the rats into footmengarde les restes, j'en ferai une soupe keep the leftovers, I'll make a soup with themc'était un tyran et votre livre en fait un héros! he was a tyrant, and your book shows ou presents him as a hero!3. [devenir]"cheval" fait "chevaux" au pluriel the plural of "cheval" is "chevaux"4. [servir de]une fois plié, le billard fait table the billiard table, when folded, can be used ou can serve as a normal table5. [remplir un rôle, une fonction]il fera un bon mari he'll make ou be a good husbandE.[INDIQUE UN RÉSULTAT]1. [provoquer]ça va faire une marque/une auréole it will leave a mark/a ringl'accident a fait cinq morts the accident left five dead ou claimed five livesfaire quelque chose à quelqu'un [l'émouvoir] to move somebody, to affect somebodyla vue du sang ne me fait rien I don't mind the sight of blood, the sight of blood doesn't bother mefaire que: la gravitation, force qui fait que les objets s'attirent gravitation, the force which causes objects to be attracted towards each other[pour exprimer un souhait]2. [importer]qu'est-ce que cela peut faire? what does it matter ?, so what?cela ne fait rien it doesn't matter, never mindF.[INDIQUE UNE QUALITÉ, UNE FORME, UNE MESURE]1. [former]on a dix euros, ça ne fait pas assez we've got ten euros, that's not enough4. [mesurer][taille, pointure][peser]je fais 56 kg I weigh ou am 56 kg5. [indique la durée, le temps]elle a téléphoné, cela fait bien une heure she phoned at least an hour agoG.[VERBE ATTRIBUTIF]1. [paraître]la broche fait bien ou joli ou jolie sur ta robe the brooch looks nice on your dresselle parle avec un léger accent, il paraît que ça fait bien! she talks with a slight accent, it's supposed to be smart!ça fait comment ou quoi de voir son nom sur une affiche? what's it like to see your name on a poster ?2. (familier) [devenir, embrasser la carrière de] to beH.[VERBE DE SUBSTITUTION] (toujours en rappel du verbe utilisé)vous le lui expliquerez mieux que je ne saurais le faire you'll explain it to her better than I couldtu lui écriras ? — oui, je le ferai will you write to him ? — yes I willpuis-je prendre cette chaise ? — (mais) faites donc! (soutenu) may I take this chair ? — please do ou by all means!————————[fɛr] verbe intransitif[agir] to dofais comme chez toi [à l'arrivée de quelqu'un] make yourself at homefais comme tu veux! [ton irrité] suit yourself!je le lui ai rendu — tu as bien fait! I gave it back to him — you did the right thing ou you did right!pourquoi l'as-tu acheté ? — je croyais bien faire! why did you buy it ? — I thought it was a good idea!tu ferais bien d'y réfléchir you'd do well to ou you should ou you'd better think about it!pour bien faire, il faudrait réserver aujourd'hui the best thing would be to book today, ideally we should book today————————[fɛr] verbe impersonnel1. MÉTÉOROLOGIEil fait chaud/froid it's hot/cold2. (locution)————————[fɛr] verbe auxiliaire1. [provoquer une réaction]ça me fait dormir it puts ou sends me to sleepa. [pour qu'il s'impatiente] let him waitb. [en lui demandant] ask him to waitn'essaie pas de me faire croire que... don't try to make ou to have me believe that...3. [commander de]fairefaire quelque chose par quelqu'un to have somebody do ou make something, to have something done ou made by somebody————————faire dans verbe plus préposition————————se faire verbe pronominal (emploi réfléchi)1. [réussir]2. [se forcer à]se faire pleurer/vomir to make oneselfcry/vomit————————se faire verbe pronominal (emploi réciproque)————————se faire verbe pronominal (emploi passif)2. [être convenable]ça ne se fait pas de demander son âge à une femme it's rude ou it's not done to ask a woman her age3. [être réalisé]je dois signer un nouveau contrat, mais je ne sais pas quand cela va se faire I'm going to sign a new contract, but I don't know when that will betu pourrais me prêter 1 500 euros ? — ça pourrait se faire could you lend me 1,500 euros ? — that should be possiblecomment se fait-il que... ? how come ou how is it that... ?il pourrait se faire que... it might ou may be that..., it's possible that...————————se faire verbe pronominal intransitif1. [se former]3. [devenir] to becomes'il arrive à l'heure, je veux bien me faire nonne! (familier) if he arrives on time, I'll eat my hat!————————se faire verbe pronominal transitif1. [fabriquer]2. [effectuer sur soi][se maquiller]3. (familier) [gagner]elle se fait 4000 euros par mois she earns 4,000 euros per month, she gets 4,000 euros every month4. (familier) [s'accorder]on se fait un film/un petit café ? what about going to see a film/going for a coffee ?5. (familier) [supporter][agresser] to beat up————————se faire à verbe pronominal plus préposition————————s'en faire verbe pronominal intransitifelle s'en souviendra, ne t'en fais pas! she'll remember, don't you worry!encore au lit ? tu ne t'en fais pas! still in bed ? you're taking it easy, aren't you ? -
28 Daguerre, Louis Jacques Mandé
SUBJECT AREA: Photography, film and optics[br]b. 18 November 1787 Carmeilles-en-Parisis, Franced. 10 July 1851 Petit-Bry-sur-Marne, France[br]French inventor of the first practicable photographic process.[br]The son of a minor official in a magistrate's court, Daguerre showed an early aptitude for drawing. He was first apprenticed to an architect, but in 1804 he moved to Paris to learn the art of stage design. He was particularly interested in perspective and lighting, and later showed great ingenuity in lighting stage sets. Fascinated by a popular form of entertainment of the period, the panorama, he went on to create a variant of it called the diorama. It is assumed that he used a camera obscura for perspective drawings and, by purchasing it from the optician Chevalier, he made contact with Joseph Nicéphore Niepce. In 1829 Niepce and Daguerre entered into a formal partnership to perfect Niepce's heliographic process, but the partnership was dissolved when Niepce died in 1833, when only limited progress had been made. Daguerre continued experimenting alone, however, using iodine and silver plates; by 1837 he had discovered that images formed in the camera obscura could be developed by mercury vapour and fixed with a hot salt solution. After unsuccessfully attempting to sell his process, Daguerre approached F.J.D. Arago, of the Académie des Sciences, who announced the discovery in 1839. Details of Daguerre's work were not published until August of that year when the process was presented free to the world, except England. With considerable business acumen, Daguerre had quietly patented the process through an agent, Miles Berry, in London a few days earlier. He also granted a monopoly to make and sell his camera to a Monsieur Giroux, a stationer by trade who happened to be a relation of Daguerre's wife. The daguerreotype process caused a sensation when announced. Daguerre was granted a pension by a grateful government and honours were showered upon him all over the world. It was a direct positive process on silvered copper plates and, in fact, proved to be a technological dead end. The future was to lie with negative-positive photography devised by Daguerre's British contemporary, W.H.F. Talbot, although Daguerre's was the first practicable photographic process to be announced. It captured the public's imagination and in an improved form was to dominate professional photographic practice for more than a decade.[br]Principal Honours and DistinctionsOfficier de la Légion d'honneur 1839. Honorary FRS 1839. Honorary Fellow of the National Academy of Design, New York, 1839. Honorary Fellow of the Vienna Academy 1843. Pour le Mérite, bestowed by Frederick William IV of Prussia, 1843.Bibliography14 August 1839, British patent no. 8,194 (daguerrotype photographic process).The announcement and details of Daguerre's invention were published in both serious and popular English journals. See, for example, 1839 publications of Athenaeum, Literary Gazette, Magazine of Science and Mechanics Magazine.Further ReadingH.Gernsheim and A.Gernsheim, 1956, L.J.M. Daguerre (the standard account of Daguerre's work).—1969, The History of Photography, rev. edn, London (a very full account).J.M.Eder, 1945, History of Photography, trans. E. Epstean, New York (a very full account).JWBiographical history of technology > Daguerre, Louis Jacques Mandé
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29 Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig
SUBJECT AREA: Architecture and building[br]b. 27 March 1886 Aachen, Germanyd. 17 August 1969 Chicago, USA[br]German architect, third of the great trio of long-lived, second-generation modernists who established the international style in the inter-war years and brought it to maturity (See Jeanneret (Le Corbusier) and Gropius).[br]Mies van der Rohe was the son of a stonemason and his early constructional training came from his father. As a young man he gained experience of the modern school from study of the architecture of the earlier leaders, notably Peter Behrens, Hendrik Berlage and Frank Lloyd Wright. He commenced architectural practice in 1913 and soon after the First World War was establishing his own version of modern architecture. His building materials were always of the highest quality, of marble, stone, glass and, especially, steel. He stripped his designs of all extraneous decoration: more than any of his contemporaries he followed the theme of elegance, functionalism and an ascetic concentration on essentials. He believed that architectural design should not look backwards but should reflect the contemporary achievement of advanced technology in both its construction and the materials used, and he began early in his career to act upon these beliefs. Typical was his early concrete and glass office building of 1922, after which, more importantly, came his designs for the German Pavilion at the Barcelona Exposition of 1929. These designs included his famous Barcelona chair, made from chrome steel and leather in a geometrical design, one which has survived as a classic and is still in production. Another milestone was his Tugendhat House in Brno (1930), a long, low, rectilinear structure in glass and steel that set a pattern for many later buildings of this type. In 1930 Mies followed his colleagues as third Director of the Bauhaus, but due to the rise of National Socialism in Germany it was closed in 1933. He finally left Germany for the USA in 1937, and the following year he took up his post as Director of Architecture in Chicago at what is now known as the Illinois Institute of Technology and where he remained for twenty years. In America Mies van der Rohe continued to develop his work upon his original thesis. His buildings are always recognizable for their elegance, fine proportions, high-quality materials and clean, geometrical forms; nearly all are of glass and steel in rectangular shapes. The structure and design evolved according to the individual needs of each commission, and there were three fundamental types of design. One type was the single or grouped high-rise tower, built for apartments for the wealthy, as in his Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Chicago (1948–51), or for city-centre offices, as in his Seagram Building in New York (1954–8, with Philip Johnson) or his Chicago Federal Centre (1964). Another form was the long, low rectangle based upon the earlier Tugendhat House and seen again in the New National Gallery in Berlin (1965–8). Third, there were the grouped schemes when the commission called for buildings of varied purpose on a single, large site. Here Mies van der Rohe achieved a variety and interest in the different shapes and heights of buildings set out in spatial harmony of landscape. Some examples of this type of scheme were housing estates (Lafayette Park Housing Development in Detroit, 1955–6), while others were for educational, commercial or shopping requirements, as at the Toronto Dominion Centre (1963–9).[br]Further ReadingL.Hilbersheimer, 1956, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Chicago: P.Theobald.Peter Blake, 1960, Mies van der Rohe, Architecture and Structure, Penguin, Pelican. Arthur Drexler, 1960, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, London: Mayflower.Philip Johnson, 1978, Mies van der Rohe, Seeker and Warburg.DYBiographical history of technology > Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig
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30 Kettering, Charles Franklin
SUBJECT AREA: Automotive engineering, Electricity, Electronics and information technology, Metallurgy, Steam and internal combustion engines[br]b. 29 August 1876 near Londonsville, Ohio, USAd. 25 November 1958 Dayton, Ohio, USA[br]American engineer and inventor.[br]Kettering gained degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering from Ohio State University. He was employed by the National Construction Register (NCR) of Dayton, Ohio, where he devised an electric motor for use in cash registers. He became Head of the Inventions Department of that company but left in 1909 to form, with the former Works Manager of NCR, Edward A. Deeds, the Dayton Engineering Laboratories (later called Delco), to develop improved lighting and ignition systems for automobiles. In the first two years of the new company he produced not only these but also the first self-starter, both of which were fitted to the Cadillac, America's leading luxury car. In 1914 he founded Dayton Metal Products and the Dayton Wright Airplane Company. Two years later Delco was bought by General Motors. In 1925 the independent research facilities of Delco were moved to Detroit and merged with General Motors' laboratories to form General Motors Research Corporation, of which Kettering was President and General Manager. (He had been Vice-President of General Motors since 1920.) In that position he headed investigations into methods of achieving maximum engine performance as well as into the nature of friction and combustion. Many other developments in the automobile field were made under his leadership, such as engine coolers, variable-speed transmissions, balancing machines, the two-way shock absorber, high-octane fuel, leaded petrol or gasoline, fast-drying lacquers, crank-case ventilators, chrome plating, and the high-compression automobile engine. Among his other activities were the establishment of the Charles Franklin Kettering Foundation for the Study of Chlorophyll and Photosynthesis at Antioch College, and the founding of the Sloan- Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in New York City. He sponsored the Fever Therapy Research Project at Miami Valley Hospital at Dayton, which developed the hypertherm, or artificial fever machine, for use in the treatment of disease. He resigned from General Motors in 1947.IMcNBiographical history of technology > Kettering, Charles Franklin
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31 Fado
Traditional urban song and music sung by a man or woman, to the accompaniment of two stringed instruments. The Portuguese word, fado, derives from the Latin word for fate ( fatum), and the fado's usage does not distinguish the sex of the singer. Traditionally, wherever the fado is performed, the singer, the fadista—who is often but not always a woman wearing a shawl around her shoulders—is accompanied by the Portuguese guitarra, a 12-stringed mandolin-like instrument or lute, and the viola, a Spanish guitar. There are at least two contemporary variations of the fado: the Lisbon fado and the Coimbra or university student fado. While some authorities describe the song as typical of the urban working classes, its popularity and roots are wider than only this group and it appears that, although the song's historic origins are urban and working class, its current popularity is more universal. The historic origins of the fado are not only obscure but hotly debated among scholars and would-be experts. Some suggest that its origins are Brazilian and African, while others detect a Muslim, North African element mixed with Hispanic.After the Revolution of 25 April 1974, there was talk that the fado's days were numbered as a popular song because it seemed an obsolete, regime-encouraged entertainment, which, like a drug or soporific, encouraged passivity. In the new Portugal, however, the fado is still popular among various classes, as well as among an increasingly large number of visitors and tourists. The fado is performed in restaurants, cafes, and special fado houses, not only in Portugal and other Lusophone countries like Brazil, but wherever Portuguese communities gather abroad. Although there do not appear to be schools of fado, fadistas learn their trade by apprenticeship to senior performers, both men and women.In fado history, Portugal's most celebrated fadista was Amália Rodrigues, who died in 1999. She made her premier American debut in New York's Carnegie Hall in the 1950s, at about the same time Americans were charmed by a popular song of the day, April in Portugal, an American version of a traditional Portuguese fado called Fado de Coimbra, about Coimbra University's romantic traditions. The most celebrated fadista of the first decade of the 21st century is Marisa dos Reis Nunes, with the stage name of Mariza, who embodies a new generation of singers' contemporary interpretation of fado. The predominant tone of the Lisbon variation of the fado, sung often in the areas of Alfama, Mouraria, Bairro Alto, and Alcântara, is that of nostalgia and saudade — sadness and regret. Traditionally, the Coimbra version has a lighter, less somber tone. -
32 Cobbett, William
SUBJECT AREA: Agricultural and food technology[br]b. 9 March 1762 Farnham, Surrey, Englandd. 17 June 1835 Guildford, Surrey, England[br]English political writer and activist; writer on rural affairs, with a particular concern for the conditions of the agricultural worker; a keen experimental farmer who claimed responsibility for the import of Indian maize to Britain.[br]The son of a smallholder farmer and self-taught surveyor, William Cobbett was brought up to farm work from an early age. In 1783 he took employment as an attorney's clerk in London, but not finding this to his liking he travelled to Chatham with the intention of joining the Navy. A mistake in "taking the King's shilling" found him in an infantry regiment. After a year's training he was sent out to Nova Scotia and quickly gained the rank of sergeant major. On leaving the Army he brought corruption charges against three officers in his regiment, but did not press with the prosecution. England was not to his taste, and he returned to North America with his wife.In America Cobbett taught English to the growing French community displaced by the French Revolution. He found American criticism of Britain ill-balanced and in 1796 began to publish a daily newspaper under the title Porcupine's Gazetteer, in which he wrote editorials in defence of Britain. His writings won him little support from the Americans. However, on returning to London in 1800 he was offered, but turned down, the management of a Government newspaper. Instead he began to produce a daily paper called the Porcupine, which was superseded in 1802 by Cobbett's Political Register, this publication continued on a weekly basis until after his death. In 1803 he also began the Parliamentary Debates, which later merged into Hansard, the official report of parliamentary proceedings.In 1805 Cobbett took a house and 300-acre (120-hectare) farm in Hampshire, from which he continued to write, but at the same time followed the pursuits he most enjoyed. In 1809 his criticism of the punishment given to mutineers in the militia at Ely resulted in his own imprisonment. On his release in 1812 he decided that the only way to remain an independent publisher was to move back to the USA. He bought a farm at Hampstead, Long Island, New York, and published A Year's Residence in America, which contains, amongst other things, an interesting account of a farmer's year.Returning to Britain in the easier political climate of the 1820s, Cobbett bought a small seed farm in Kensington, then outside London. From there he made a number of journeys around the country, publishing accounts of them in his famous Rural Rides. His experiments and advice on the sowing and cultivation of crops, particularly turnips and swedes, and on forestry, were an important mechanism for the spread of ideas within the UK. He also claimed that he was the first to introduce the acacia and Indian maize to Britain. Much of his writing expresses a concern for the rural poor and he was firmly convinced that only parliamentary reform would achieve the changes needed. His political work and writing led to his election as Member of Parlaiment for Oldham in the 1835 election, which followed the Reform Act of 1832. However, by this time his energy was failing rapidly and he died peacefully at Normandy Farm, near Guildford, at the age of 73.[br]BibliographyCobbett's Observations on Priestley's Emigration, published in 1794, was the first of his pro-British tracts written in America. On the basis of his stay in that country he wrote A Year's Residence in America. His books on agricultural practice included Woodlands (1825) and Treatise on Cobbett's Corn (1828). Dealing with more social problems he wrote an English Grammar for the use of Apprentices, Plough Boys, Soldiers and Sailors in 1818, and Cottage Economy in 1821.Further ReadingAlbert Pell, 1902, article in Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England 63:1–26 (describes the life and writings of William Cobbett).James Sambrook, 1973, William Cobbett, London: Routledge (a more detailed study).AP -
33 Grove, Sir William Robert
SUBJECT AREA: Electricity[br]b. 11 July 1811 Swansea, Walesd. 1 August 1896 London, England[br]Welsh chemist and physicist, inventor of the Grove electrochemical primary cell.[br]After education at Brasenose College, Oxford, Grove was called to the Bar in 1835. Instead of immediately practising, he became involved in electrical research, devising in 1839 the cell that bears his name. He became Professor of Experimental Philosophy at the London Institution from 1840 to 1845; it was during this period that he built up his high reputation among physicists. In 1846 he published On the Correlation of Physical Forces, which was based on a course of his lectures. He returned to the practice of law, becoming a judge in 1871, but retained his interest in scientific research during his sixteen-year occupancy of the Bench. He served as a member of the Council of the Royal Society in 1846 and 1847 and played a leading part in its reform. Contributing to the science of electrochemistry, he invented the Grove cell, which together with its modification by Bunsen became an important source of electrical energy during the middle of the nineteenth century, before mechanically driven generators became available. The Grove cell had a platinum electrode immersed in strong nitric acid, separated by a porous diaphragm from a zinc electrode in weak sulphuric acid. The hydrogen formed at the platinum electrode was immediately oxidized by the acid, turning it into water. This avoided the polarization which occurred in the early copper-zinc cells. It was a very powerful primary cell with a high voltage and a low internal resistance, but it produced objectionable fumes. Grove also invented his "gas battery", the earliest fuel cell, in which a current resulted from the chemical energy released from combining oxygen and hydrogen. This was developed by Rawcliffe and others, and found applications as a power source in manned spacecraft.[br]Principal Honours and DistinctionsKnighted 1872. FRS 1840. Fellow of the Chemistry Society 1841. Royal Society Royal Medal 1847.Bibliography1846, On the Correlation of Physical Forces, London; 1874, 6th edn, with reprints of many of Grove's papers (his only book, an early view on the conservation of energy).1839, "On a small voltaic battery of great energy", Philosophical Magazine 15:287–93 (his account of his cell).Further ReadingObituary, 1896, Electrician 37:483–4.K.R.Webb, 1961, "Sir William Robert Grove (1811–1896) and the origin of the fuel cell", Journal of the Royal Institute of Chemistry 85: 291–3 (for the present-day significance of Grove's experiments).C.C.Gillispie (ed.), 1972, Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Vol. V, New York, pp. 559–61.GWBiographical history of technology > Grove, Sir William Robert
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34 Niepce, Joseph Nicéphore
SUBJECT AREA: Photography, film and optics[br]b. 1765 Franced. 5 July 1833 Chalon, France[br]French inventor who was the first to produce permanent photographic images with the aid of a camera.[br]Coming from a prosperous family, Niepce was educated in a Catholic seminary and destined for the priesthood. The French Revolution intervened and Niepce became an officer in an infantry regiment. An attack of typhoid fever in Italy ended his military career, and he returned to France and was married. Returning to his paternal home in Chalon in 1801, he joined with his brother Claude to construct an ingenious engine called the pyréolophore, which they patented in 1807. The French Government also encouraged the brothers in their attempts to produce large quantities of indigo-blue dye from wood, a venture that was ultimately unsuccessful.Nicéphore began to experiment with lithography, which led him to take an interest in the properties of light-sensitive materials. He pursued this interest after Claude moved to Paris in 1816 and is reported to have made negative images in a camera obscura using paper soaked in silver chloride. Niepce went on to experiment with bitumen of judea, a substance that hardened on exposure to light. In 1822, using bitumen of judea on glass, he produced a heliograph from an engraving. The first images from nature may have been made as early as 1824, but the world's earliest surviving photographic image was made in 1826. A view of the courtyard of Niepce's home in Chalon was captured on a pewter plate coated with bitumen of judea; an exposure of several hours was required, the softer parts of the bitumen being dissolved away by a solvent to reveal the image.In 1827 he took examples of his work to London where he met Francis Bauer, Secretary of the Royal Society. Nothing came of this meeting, but on returning to France Niepce continued his work and in 1829 entered into a formal partnership with L.J.M. Daguerre with a view to developing their mutual interest in capturing images formed by the camera obscura. However, the partnership made only limited progress and was terminated by Niepce's death in 1833. It was another six years before the announcement of the first practicable photographic processes was made.[br]Bibliography1973. Joseph Nicéphore Niepce lettres 1816–7, Pavillon de Photographie du Parc Naturel, Régional de Brotonne.1974, Joseph Nicéphore Niepce correspondences 1825–1829, Pavillon de Photographie du Parc Naturel, Régional de Brotonne.Further ReadingJ.M.Eder, 1945, History of Photography, trans. E. Epstean, New York (provides a full account of Niepce's life and work).H.Gernsheim and A.Gernsheim, 1969, The History of Photography, rev. edn, London (provides a full account of Niepce's life and work).JWBiographical history of technology > Niepce, Joseph Nicéphore
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35 Steinheil, Carl August von
[br]b. 1801 Roppoltsweiler, Alsaced. 1870 Munich, Germany[br]German physicist, founder of electromagnetic telegraphy in Austria, and photographic innovator and lens designer.[br]Steinheil studied under Gauss at Göttingen and Bessel at Königsberg before jointing his parents at Munich. There he concentrated on optics before being appointed Professor of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Munich in 1832. Immediately after the announcement of the first practicable photographic processes in 1839, he began experiments on photography in association with another professor at the University, Franz von Kobell. Steinheil is reputed to have made the first daguerreotypes in Germany; he certainly constructed several cameras of original design and suggested minor improvements to the daguerreotype process. In 1849 he was employed by the Austrian Government as Head of the Department of Telegraphy in the Ministry of Commerce. Electromagnetic telegraphy was an area in which Steinheil had worked for several years previously, and he was now appointed to supervise the installation of a working telegraphic system for the Austrian monarchy. He is considered to be the founder of electromagnetic telegraphy in Austria and went on to perform a similar role in Switzerland.Steinheil's son, Hugo Adolph, was educated in Munich and Augsburg but moved to Austria to be with his parents in 1850. Adolph completed his studies in Vienna and was appointed to the Telegraph Department, headed by his father, in 1851. Adolph returned to Munich in 1852, however, to concentrate on the study of optics. In 1855 the father and son established the optical workshop which was later to become the distinguished lens-manufacturing company C.A. Steinheil Söhne. At first the business confined itself almost entirely to astronomical optics, but in 1865 the two men took out a joint patent for a wide-angle photographic lens claimed to be free of distortion. The lens, called the "periscopic", was not in fact free from flare and not achromatic, although it enjoyed some reputation at the time. Much more important was the achromatic development of this lens that was introduced in 1866 and called the "Aplanet"; almost simultaneously a similar lens, the "Rapid Rentilinear", was introduced by Dallmeyer in England, and for many years lenses of this type were fitted as the standard objective on most photographic cameras. During 1866 the elder Steinheil relinquished his interest in lens manufacturing, and control of the business passed to Adolph, with administrative and financial affairs being looked after by another son, Edward. After Carl Steinheil's death Adolph continued to design and market a series of high-quality photographic lenses until his own death.[br]Further ReadingJ.M.Eder, 1945, History of Photography, trans. E.Epstean, New York (a general account of the Steinheils's work).Most accounts of photographic lens history will give details of the Steinheils's more important work. See, for example, Chapman Jones, 1904, Science and Practice of Photography, 4th edn, London: and Rudolf Kingslake, 1989, A History of the Photographic Lens, Boston.JWBiographical history of technology > Steinheil, Carl August von
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36 Henry, Joseph
[br]b. 17 December 1797 Albany, New York, USAd. 13 May 1878 Washington, DC, USA[br]American scientist after whom the unit of inductance is named.[br]Sent to stay with relatives at the age of 6 because of the illness of his father, when the latter died in 1811 Henry was apprenticed to a silversmith and then turned to the stage. Whilst he was ill himself, a book on science fired his interest and he began studying at Albany Academy, working as a tutor to finance his studies. Initially intending to pursue medicine, he then spent some time as a surveyor before becoming Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Albany Academy in 1826. There he became interested in the improvement of electromagnets and discovered that the use of an increased number of turns of wire round the core greatly increased their power; by 1831 he was able to supply to Yale a magnet capable of lifting almost a ton weight. During this time he also discovered the principles of magnetic induction and self-inductance. In the same year he made, but did not patent, a cable telegraph system capable of working over a distance of 1 mile (1.6 km). It was at this time, too, that he found that adiabatic expansion of gases led to their sudden cooling, thus paving the way for the development of refrigerators. For this he was recommended for, but never received, the Copley Medal of the Royal Society. Five years later he became Professor of Natural Philosophy at New Jersey College (later Princeton University), where he deduced the laws governing the operation of transformers and observed that changes in magnetic flux induced electric currents in conductors. Later he also observed that spark discharges caused electrical effects at a distance. He therefore came close to the discovery of radio waves. In 1836 he was granted a year's leave of absence and travelled to Europe, where he was able to meet Michael Faraday. It was with his help that in 1844 Samuel Morse set up the first patented electric telegraph, but, sadly, the latter seems to have reaped all the credit and financial rewards. In 1846 he became the first secretary of the Washington Smithsonian Institute and did much to develop government support for scientific research. As a result of his efforts some 500 telegraph stations across the country were equipped with meteorological equipment to supply weather information by telegraph to a central location, a facility that eventually became the US National Weather Bureau. From 1852 he was a member of the Lighthouse Board, contributing to improvements in lighting and sound warning systems and becoming its chairman in 1871. During the Civil War he was a technical advisor to President Lincoln. He was a founder of the National Academy of Science and served as its President for eleven years.[br]Principal Honours and DistinctionsPresident, American Association for the Advancement of Science 1849. President, National Academy of Science 1893–1904. In 1893, to honour his work on induction, the International Congress of Electricians adopted the henry as the unit of inductance.Bibliography1824. "On the chemical and mechanical effects of steam". 1825. "The production of cold by the rarefaction of air".1832, "On the production of currents \& sparks of electricity \& magnetism", AmericanJournal of Science 22:403."Theory of the so-called imponderables", Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 6:84.Further ReadingSmithsonian Institution, 1886, Joseph Henry, Scientific Writings, Washington DC.KF -
37 Lavoisier, Antoine Laurent
SUBJECT AREA: Chemical technology[br]b. 26 August 1743 Paris, Franced. 8 May 1794 Paris, France[br]French founder of the modern science of chemistry.[br]As well as receiving a formal education in law and literature, Lavoisier studied science under some of the leading figures of the day. This proved to be an ideal formation of the man in whom "man of science" and "public servant" were so intimately combined. His early work towards the first geological map of France and on the water supply of Paris helped to win him election to the Royal Academy of Sciences in 1768 at the youthful age of 25. In the same year he used some of his private income to buy a part-share in the "tax farm", a private company which leased from the Government the right to collect certain indirect taxes.In 1772 Lavoisier began his researches into the related phenomena of combustion, respiration and the calcination or oxidation of metals. This culminated in the early 1780s in the overthrow of the prevailing theory, based on an imponderable combustion principle called "phlogiston", and the substitution of the modern explanation of these processes. At the same time, understanding of the nature of acids, bases and salts was placed on a sounder footing. More important, Lavoisier defined a chemical element in its modern sense and showed how it should be applied by drawing up the first modern list of the chemical elements. With the revolution in chemistry initiated by Lavoisier, chemists could begin to understand correctly the fundamental processes of their science. This understanding was the foundationo of the astonishing advance in scientific and industrial chemistry that has taken place since then. As an academician, Lavoisier was paid by the Government to carry out investigations into a wide variety of practical questions with a chemical bias, such as the manufacture of starch and the distillation of phosphorus. In 1775 Louis XVI ordered the setting up of the Gunpowder Commission to improve the supply and quality of gunpowder, deficiencies in which had hampered France's war efforts. Lavoisier was a member of the Commission and, as usual, took the leading part, drawing up its report and supervising its implementation. As a result, the industry became profitable, output increased so that France could even export powder, and the range of the powder increased by two-thirds. This was a material factor in France's war effort in the Revolution and the Napoleonic wars.As if his chemical researches and official duties were not enough, Lavoisier began to apply his scientific principles to agriculture when he purchased an estate at Frechines, near Blois. After ten years' work on his experimental farm there, Lavoisier was able to describe his results in the memoir "Results of some agricultural experiments and reflections on their relation to political economy" (Paris, 1788), which holds historic importance in agriculture and economics. In spite of his services to the nation and to humanity, his association with the tax farm was to have tragic consequences: during the reign of terror in 1794 the Revolutionaries consigned to the guillotine all the tax farmers, including Lavoisier.[br]Bibliography1862–93, Oeuvres de Lavoisier, Vols I–IV, ed. J.B.A.Dumas; Vols V–VI, ed. E.Grimaux, Paris (Lavoisier's collected works).Further ReadingD.I.Duveen and H.S.Klickstein, 1954, A Bibliography of the Works of Antoine Laurent Lavoisier 1743–1794, London: William Dawson (contains valuable biographical material).D.McKie, 1952, Antoine Lavoisier, Scientist, Economist, Social Reformer, London: Constable (the best modern, general biography).H.Guerlac, 1975, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, Chemist and Revolutionary, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (a more recent work).LRDBiographical history of technology > Lavoisier, Antoine Laurent
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38 Tournachon, Gaspard Félix (Nadar)
SUBJECT AREA: Photography, film and optics[br]b. 1820d. 1910 Paris, France[br]French photographer and photographic innovator, pioneer of balloon photography.[br]He began his photographic career as a daguerreotypist and at an early date called himself "Nadar", the name by which he was known for the rest of his life. Between 1855 and 1858 he made captive balloon ascents with the idea of producing a topographic map of Paris from aerial photographs. Nadar was also one of the first photographers to take successful photographs with the aid of artificial illuminants; using Bunsen batteries to power electric arc lamps, he was able to take views of the underground catacombs in Paris during 1861 and 1862. This exercise captured the imagination of the Paris public, and Nadar's work was widely acclaimed. In December 1863 he exhibited portraits taken by electric light, and later used magnesium illuminants to photograph underground canal construction. For many years Nadar practised as a photographer with his son Paul, a relationship that was sometimes stormy. Paul eventually took the name Nadar for himself and was, in turn, to become one of France's most celebrated photographers.[br]Bibliography29 October 1858, British patent no. 2,425 (balloon photography).Further ReadingJ.M.Eder, 1945, History of Photography, trans. E.Epstean, New York.H.Gernsheim and A.Gernsheim, 1969, The History of Photography, rev. edn, London.JWBiographical history of technology > Tournachon, Gaspard Félix (Nadar)
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