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1 Usage note : for
for my sister= pour ma sœurfor the garden= pour le jardinfor me= pour moiFor particular usages see the entry for.When for is used as a preposition indicating purpose followed by a verb it is translated by pour + infinitive:for cleaning windows= pour nettoyer les vitresWhen for is used in the construction to be + adjective + for + pronoun + infinitive the translation in French is être + indirect pronoun + adjective + de + infinitive:it’s impossible for me to stay= il m’est impossible de resterit was hard for him to understand that…= il lui était difficile de comprendre que…it will be difficult for her to accept the changes= il lui sera difficile d’accepter les changementsFor the construction to be waiting for sb to do see the entry wait.For particular usages see the entry for.In time expressionsfor is used in English after a verb in the progressive present perfect tense to express the time period of something that started in the past and is still going on. To express this French uses a verb in the present tense + depuis:I have been waiting for three hours (and I am still waiting)= j’attends depuis trois heureswe’ve been together for two years (and we’re still together)= nous sommes ensemble depuis deux ansWhen for is used in English after a verb in the past perfect tense, French uses the imperfect + depuis:I had been waiting for two hours (and was still waiting)= j’attendais depuis deux heuresfor is used in English negative sentences with the present perfect tense to express the time that has elapsed since something has happened. To express this, French uses the same tense as English (the perfect) + depuis:I haven’t seen him for ten years (and I still haven’t seen him)= je ne l’ai pas vu depuis dix ansIn spoken French, there is another way of expressing this: ça fait or il y a dix ans que je ne l’ai pas vu.When for is used in English in negative sentences after a verb in the past perfect tense, French uses the past perfect + depuis:I hadn’t seen him for ten years= je ne l’avais pas vu depuis dix ans, or (in spoken French) ça faisait or il y avait dix ans que je ne l’avais pas vufor is used in English after the preterite to express the time period of something that happened in the past and is no longer going on. Here French uses the present perfect + pendant:last Sunday I gardened for two hours= dimanche dernier, j’ai jardiné pendant deux heuresfor is used in English after the present progressive tense or the future tense to express an anticipated time period in the future. Here French uses the present or the future tense + pour:I’m going to Rome for six weeks= je vais à Rome pour six semainesI will go to Rome for six weeks= j’irai à Rome pour six semainesNote, however, that when the verb to be is used in the future with for to emphasize the period of time, French uses the future + pendant:I will be in Rome for six weeks= je serai à Rome pendant six semaineshe will be away for three days= il sera absent pendant trois joursFor particular usages see A13, 14, 15 and 16 in the entry for.for is often used in English to form a structure with nouns, adjectives and verbs (weakness for, eager for, apply for, fend for etc.). For translations, consult the appropriate noun, adjective or verb entry (weakness, eager, apply, fend etc.). -
2 Usage note : have
When used as an auxiliary in present perfect, future perfect and past perfect tenses, have is normally translated by avoir:I have seen= j’ai vuI had seen= j’avais vuHowever, some verbs in French, especially verbs of movement and change of state (e.g. aller, venir, descendre, mourir), take être rather than avoir in these tenses:he has left= il est partiIn this case, remember the past participle agrees with the subject of the verb:she has gone= elle est alléeReflexive verbs (e.g. se lever, se coucher) always conjugate with être:she has fainted= elle s’est évanouieFor translations of time expressions using for or since (he has been in London for six months, he has been in London since June), see the entries for and since.For translations of time expressions using just (I have just finished my essay, he has just gone), see the entry just1.to have to meaning must is translated by either devoir or the impersonal construction il faut que + subjunctive:I have to leave now= il faut que je parte maintenant or je dois partir maintenantIn negative sentences, not to have to is generally translated by ne pas être obligé de e.g.you don’t have to go= tu n’es pas obligé d’y allerFor examples and particular usages see the entry have.When have is used as a straightforward transitive verb meaning possess, have (or have got) can generally be translated by avoir, e.g.I have (got) a car= j’ai une voitureshe has a good memory= elle a une bonne mémoirethey have (got) problems= ils ont des problèmesFor examples and particular usages see entry ; see also got.have is also used with certain noun objects where the whole expression is equivalent to a verb:to have dinner = to dineto have a try = to tryto have a walk = to walkIn such cases the phrase is very often translated by the equivalent verb in French (dîner, essayer, se promener). For translations consult the appropriate noun entry (dinner, try, walk).had is used in English at the beginning of a clause to replace an expression with if. Such expressions are generally translated by si + past perfect tense, e.g.had I taken the train, this would never have happened= si j’avais pris le train, ce ne serait jamais arrivéhad there been a fire, we would all have been killed= s’il y avait eu un incendie, nous serions tous mortsFor examples of the above and all other uses of have see the entry. -
3 Usage note : be
I am tired= je suis fatiguéCaroline is French= Caroline est françaisethe children are in the garden= les enfants sont dans le jardinIt functions in very much the same way as to be does in English and it is safe to assume it will work as a translation in the great majority of cases.Note, however, that when you are specifying a person’s profession or trade, a/an is not translated:she’s a doctor= elle est médecinClaudie is still a student= Claudie est toujours étudianteThis is true of any noun used in apposition when the subject is a person:he’s a widower= il est veufButLyons is a beautiful city= Lyon est une belle villeFor more information or expressions involving professions and trades consult the usage note Shops, Trades and Professions.For the conjugation of the verb être see the French verb tables.Grammatical functionsThe passiveêtre is used to form the passive in French just as to be is used in English. Note, however, that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject:the rabbit was killed by a fox= le lapin a été tué par un renardthe window had been broken= la fenêtre avait été casséetheir books will be sold= leurs livres seront vendusour doors have been repainted red= nos portes ont été repeintes en rougeIn spoken language, French native speakers find the passive cumbersome and will avoid it where possible by using the impersonal on where a person or people are clearly involved : on a repeint nos portes en rouge.Progressive tensesIn French the idea of something happening over a period of time cannot be expressed using the verb être in the way that to be is used as an auxiliary verb in English.The presentFrench uses simply the present tense where English uses the progressive form with to be:I am working= je travailleBen is reading a book= Ben lit un livreIn order to accentuate duration être en train de is used: je suis en train de travailler ; Ben est en train de lire un livre.The futureFrench also uses the present tense where English uses the progressive form with to be:we are going to London tomorrow= nous allons à Londres demainI’m (just) coming!= j’arrive!I’m (just) going!= j’y vais!The pastTo express the distinction between she read a newspaper and she was reading a newspaper French uses the perfect and the imperfect tenses: elle a lu un journal/elle lisait un journal:he wrote to his mother= il a écrit à sa mèrehe was writing to his mother= il écrivait à sa mèreHowever, in order to accentuate the notion of describing an activity which went on over a period of time, the phrase être en train de (= to be in the process of) is often used:‘what was he doing when you arrived?’‘he was cooking the dinner’= ‘qu’est-ce qu’il faisait quand tu es arrivé?’ ‘il était en train de préparer le dîner’she was just finishing her essay when …= elle était juste en train de finir sa dissertation quand …The compound pastCompound past tenses in the progressive form in English are generally translated by the imperfect in French:I’ve been looking for you= je te cherchaisFor progressive forms + for and since (I’ve been waiting for an hour, I had been waiting for an hour, I’ve been waiting since Monday etc.) see the entries for and since.ObligationWhen to be is used as an auxiliary verb with another verb in the infinitive ( to be to do) expressing obligation, a fixed arrangement or destiny, devoir is used:she’s to do it at once= elle doit le faire tout de suitewhat am I to do?= qu’est-ce que je dois faire?he was to arrive last Monday= il devait arriver lundi derniershe was never to see him again= elle ne devait plus le revoir.In tag questionsFrench has no direct equivalent of tag questions like isn’t he? or wasn’t it? There is a general tag question n’est-ce pas? (literally isn’t it so?) which will work in many cases:their house is lovely, isn’t it?= leur maison est très belle, n’est-ce pas?he’s a doctor, isn’t he?= il est médecin, n’est-ce pas?it was a very good meal, wasn’t it?= c’était un très bon repas, n’est-ce pas?However, n’est-ce pas can very rarely be used for positive tag questions and some other way will be found to express the extra meaning contained in the tag: par hasard ( by any chance) can be very useful as a translation:‘I can’t find my glasses’ ‘they’re not in the kitchen, are they?’= ‘je ne trouve pas mes lunettes’ ‘elles ne sont pas dans la cuisine, par hasard?’you haven’t seen Gaby, have you?= tu n’as pas vu Gaby, par hasard?In cases where an opinion is being sought, si? meaning more or less or is it? or was it? etc. can be useful:it’s not broken, is it?= ce n’est pas cassé, si?he wasn’t serious, was he?= il n’était pas sérieux, si?In many other cases the tag question is simply not translated at all and the speaker’s intonation will convey the implied question.In short answersAgain, there is no direct equivalent for short answers like yes I am, no he’s not etc. Where the answer yes is given to contradict a negative question or statement, the most useful translation is si:‘you’re not going out tonight’ ‘yes I am’= ‘tu ne sors pas ce soir’ ‘si’In reply to a standard enquiry the tag will not be translated:‘are you a doctor?’ ‘yes I am’= ‘êtes-vous médecin?’ ‘oui’‘was it raining?’ ‘yes it was’= ‘est-ce qu’il pleuvait?’ ‘oui’ProbabilityFor expressions of probability and supposition ( if I were you etc.) see the entry be.Other functionsExpressing sensations and feelingsIn expressing physical and mental sensations, the verb used in French is avoir:to be cold= avoir froidto be hot= avoir chaudI’m cold= j’ai froidto be thirsty= avoir soifto be hungry= avoir faimto be ashamed= avoir hontemy hands are cold= j’ai froid aux mainsIf, however, you are in doubt as to which verb to use in such expressions, you should consult the entry for the appropriate adjective.Discussing health and how people areIn expressions of health and polite enquiries about how people are, aller is used:how are you?= comment allez-vous?( more informally) comment vas-tu?( very informally as a greeting) ça va?are you well?= vous allez bien?how is your daughter?= comment va votre fille?my father is better today= mon père va mieux aujourd’huiDiscussing weather and temperatureIn expressions of weather and temperature faire is generally used:it’s cold= il fait froidit’s windy= il fait du ventIf in doubt, consult the appropriate adjective entry.Visiting somewhereWhen to be is used in the present perfect tense to mean go, visit etc., French will generally use the verbs venir, aller etc. rather than être:I’ve never been to Sweden= je ne suis jamais allé en Suèdehave you been to the Louvre?= est-ce que tu es déjà allé au Louvre?or est-ce que tu as déjà visité le Louvre?Paul has been to see us three times= Paul est venu nous voir trois foisNote too:has the postman been?= est-ce que le facteur est passé?The translation for an expression or idiom containing the verb to be will be found in the dictionary at the entry for another word in the expression: for to be in danger see danger, for it would be best to … see best etc.This dictionary contains usage notes on topics such as the clock, time units, age, weight measurement, days of the week, and shops, trades and professions, many of which include translations of particular uses of to be. -
4 Usage note : it
When it is used as a subject pronoun to refer to a specific object (or animal) il or elle is used in French according to the gender of the object referred to:‘where is the book/chair?’ ‘it’s in the kitchen’= ‘où est le livre/la chaise?’ ‘il/elle est dans la cuisine’‘do you like my skirt?’ ‘it’s lovely’= ‘est-ce que tu aimes ma jupe?’ ‘elle est très jolie’However, if the object referred to is named in the same sentence, it is translated by ce (c’ before a vowel):it’s a good film= c’est un bon filmWhen it is used as an object pronoun it is translated by le or la (l’ before a vowel) according to the gender of the object referred to:it’s my book/my chair and I want it= c’est mon livre/ma chaise et je le/la veuxNote that the object pronoun normally comes before the verb in French and that in compound tenses like the perfect and the past perfect, the past participle agrees with it:I liked his shirt - did you notice it?= j’ai aimé sa chemise - est-ce que tu l’as remarquée? or l’as-tu remarquée?In imperatives only, the pronoun comes after the verb:it’s my book - give it to me= c’est mon livre - donne-le-moi (note the hyphens)When it is used vaguely or impersonally followed by an adjective the translation is ce (c’ before a vowel):it’s difficult= c’est difficileit’s sad= c’est tristeBut when it is used impersonally followed by an adjective + verb the translation is il:it’s difficult to understand how…= il est difficile de comprendre comment …If in doubt consult the entry for the adjective in question.For translations for impersonal verb uses (it’s raining, it’s snowing) consult the entry for the verb in question.it is used in expressions of days of the week (it’s Friday) and clock time (it’s 5 o’clock). This dictionary contains usage notes on these and many other topics. For other impersonal and idiomatic uses see the entry it.When it is used after a preposition in English the two words (prep + it) are often translated by one word in French. If the preposition would normally be translated by de in French (e.g. of, about, from etc.) the prep + it = en:I’ve heard about it= j’en ai entendu parlerIf the preposition would normally be translated by à in French (e.g. to, in, at etc.) the prep + it = y:they went to it= ils y sont allésFor translations of it following prepositions not normally translated by de or à (e.g. above, under, over etc.) consult the entry for the preposition. -
5 Usage note : that
In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they precede ; that is translated by ce + masculine singular noun ( ce monsieur), cet + masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h’ ( cet homme) and cette + feminine singular noun ( cette femme) ; those is translated by ces.Note, however, that the above translations are also used for the English this (plural these). So when it is necessary to insist on that as opposed to another or others of the same sort, the adverbial tag -là is added to the noun:I prefer THAT version= je préfère cette version-làFor particular usages, see the entry that.As a pronoun meaning that one, those onesIn French, pronouns reflect the gender and number of the noun they are referring to. So that is translated by celui-là for a masculine noun, celle-là for a feminine noun and those is translated by ceux-là for a masculine noun and celles-là for a feminine noun:I think I like that one (dress) best= je crois que je préfère celle-làFor other uses of that, those as pronouns (e.g. who’s that?) and for adverbial use (e.g. that much, that many) there is no straightforward translation, so see the entry that for examples of usage.When used as a relative pronoun, that is translated by qui when it is the subject of the verb and by que when it is the object:the man that stole the car= l’homme qui a volé la voiturethe film that I saw= le film que j’ai vuRemember that in the present perfect and past perfect tenses, the past participle will agreewith the noun to which que as object refers:the apples that I bought= les pommes que j’ai achetéesWhen that is used as a relative pronoun with a preposition, it is translated by lequel when standing for a masculine singular noun, by laquelle when standing for a feminine singular noun, by lesquels when standing for a masculine plural noun and by lesquelles when standing for a feminine plural noun:the chair that I was sitting on= la chaise sur laquelle j’étais assisethe children that I bought the books for= les enfants pour lesquels j’ai acheté les livresRemember that in cases where the English preposition used would normally be translated by à in French (e.g. to, at), the translation of the whole (prep + rel pron) will be auquel, à laquelle, auxquels, auxquelles:the girls that I was talking to= les filles auxquelles je parlaisSimilarly, where the English preposition used would normally be translated by de in French (e.g. of, from), the translation of the whole (prep + rel pron) will be dont in all cases:the Frenchman that I received a letter from= le Français dont j’ai reçu une lettreWhen used as a conjunction, that can almost always be translated by que (qu’ before a vowel or mute ‘h’):she said that she would do it= elle a dit qu’elle le ferait -
6 Usage note : since
In time expressionssince is used in English after a verb in the present perfect or progressive present perfect tense to indicate when something that is still going on started. To express this French uses a verb in the present tense + depuis:I’ve been waiting since Saturday= j’attends depuis samediI’ve lived in Rome since 1988= j’habite à Rome depuis 1988I had been waiting since nine o’clock= j’attendais depuis neuf heuresIn negative time expressionsAgain since is translated by depuis, but in negative sentences the verb tenses used in French are the same as those used in English:I haven’t seen him since Saturday= je ne l’ai pas vu depuis samediI hadn’t seen him since 1978= je ne l’avais pas vu depuis 1978As a conjunctionIn time expressionsWhen since is used as a conjunction, it is translated by depuis que and the tenses used in French parallel exactly those used with the preposition depuis (see above):since she’s been living in Oxford= depuis qu’elle habite à Oxfordsince he’d been in Paris= depuis qu’il était à ParisNote that in time expressions with since French native speakers will generally prefer to use a noun where possible when English uses a verb:I haven’t seen him since he left= je ne l’ai pas vu depuis son départshe’s been living in Nice since she got married= elle habite à Nice depuis son mariageFor particular usages see the entry since.Meaning becausesince she was ill, she couldn’t go= comme elle était malade or étant donné qu’elle était malade, elle ne pouvait pas y allerAs an adverbhe hasn’t been seen since= on ne l’a pas vu depuisFor particular usages see C in the entry since. -
7 us
us [ʌs]• let's go! allons-y !• both of us tous (or toutes) les deux* * *[ʌs, əs]Note: The direct or indirect object pronoun us is always translated by nous: she knows us = elle nous connaît. Note that both the direct and the indirect object pronouns come before the verb in French and that in compound tenses like the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct object pronoun: he's seen us ( masculine or mixed gender object) il nous a vus; ( feminine object) il nous a vuesIn imperatives nous comes after the verb: tell us! = dis-nous!; give it to us or give us it = donne-le-nous (note the hyphens)After the verb to be and after prepositions the translation is also nous: it's us = c'est nousFor expressions with let us or let's see the entry letpronoun nousboth of us — tous/toutes les deux
every single one of us — chacun/-e d'entre nous
some of us — quelques uns/unes d'entre nous
give us a hand, will you? — (colloq) tu peux me donner un coup de main s'il te plaît?
give us a look! — (colloq) fais voir!
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8 us
us,❢ The direct or indirect object pronoun us is always translated by nous: she knows us = elle nous connaît. Note that both the direct and the indirect object pronouns come before the verb in French and that in compound tenses like the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct object pronoun: he's seen us ( masculine or mixed gender object) il nous a vus ; ( feminine object) il nous a vues.In imperatives nous comes after the verb: tell us! = dis-nous! ; give it to us or give us it = donne-le-nous (note the hyphens). After the verb to be and after prepositions the translation is also nous: it's us = c'est nous. For expressions with let us or let's see the entry let. For particular usages see the entry below. pron nous ; both of us tous/toutes les deux ; both of us like Balzac nous aimons Balzac tous/toutes les deux ; ( more informally) on aime Balzac tous/toutes les deux ; every single one of us chacun/-e d'entre nous ; people like us des gens comme nous ; some of us quelques-uns/-unes d'entre nous ; she's one of us elle est des nôtres ; give us a hand, will you ○ ? tu peux me donner un coup de main s'il te plaît? ; oh give us a break ○ ! fiche-moi la paix ○ ! ; give us a look ○ ! fais voir! -
9 get
❢ This much-used verb has no multi-purpose equivalent in French and therefore is very often translated by choosing a synonym: to get lunch = to prepare lunch = préparer le déjeuner. get is used in many idiomatic expressions ( to get something off one's chest etc) and translations will be found in the appropriate entry (chest etc). This is also true of offensive comments ( get stuffed etc) where the appropriate entry would be stuff. Remember that when get is used to express the idea that a job is done not by you but by somebody else ( to get a room painted etc) faire is used in French followed by an infinitive ( faire repeindre une pièce etc). When get has the meaning of become and is followed by an adjective (to get rich/drunk etc) devenir is sometimes useful but check the appropriate entry (rich, drunk etc) as a single verb often suffices ( s'enrichir, s'enivrer etc). For examples and further uses of get see the entry below.1 ( receive) recevoir [letter, school report, grant] ; recevoir, percevoir [salary, pension] ; TV, Radio capter [channel, programme] ; did you get much for it? est-ce que tu en as tiré beaucoup d'argent? ; what did you get for your car? combien as-tu revendu ta voiture? ; we get a lot of rain il pleut beaucoup ici ; our garden gets a lot of sun notre jardin est bien ensoleillé ; we get a lot of tourists nous avons beaucoup de touristes ; you get lots of attachments with this cleaner il y a beaucoup d'accessoires fournis avec cet aspirateur ; you get what you pay for il faut y mettre le prix ; he's getting help with his science il se fait aider en sciences ;2 ( inherit) to get sth from sb lit hériter qch de qn [article, money] ; fig tenir qch de qn [trait, feature] ;3 ( obtain) ( by applying) obtenir [permission, divorce, custody, licence] ; trouver [job] ; ( by contacting) trouver [plumber, accountant] ; appeler [taxi] ; ( by buying) acheter [food item, clothing] (from chez) ; avoir [theatre seat, ticket] ; to get something for nothing/at a discount avoir qch gratuitement/avec une réduction ; to get sb sth, to get sth for sb ( by buying) acheter qch à qn ; I'll get sth to eat at the airport je mangerai qch à l'aéroport ;4 ( subscribe to) acheter [newspaper] ;5 ( acquire) se faire [reputation] ; he got his money in oil il s'est fait de l'argent dans le pétrole ;6 ( achieve) obtenir [grade, mark, answer] ; he got it right ( of calculation) il a obtenu le bon résultat ; ( of answer) il a répondu juste ; how many do I need to get? ( when scoring) il me faut combien? ; he's got four more points to get il faut encore qu'il obtienne quatre points ;7 ( fetch) chercher [object, person, help] ; go and get a chair/Mr Matthews va chercher une chaise/M. Matthews ; to get sb sth, to get sth for sb aller chercher qch pour qn ; get her a chair va lui chercher une chaise ; can I get you your coat? est-ce que je peux vous apporter votre manteau? ;8 (manoeuvre, move) to get sb/sth upstairs/downstairs faire monter/descendre qn/qch ; a car to me is just something to get me from A to B pour moi une voiture ne sert qu'à aller de A à B ; I'll get them there somehow je les ferai parvenir d'une façon ou d'une autre ; can you get between the truck and the wall? est-ce que tu peux te glisser entre le camion et le mur? ;9 ( help progress) is this discussion getting us anywhere? est-ce que cette discussion est bien utile? ; I listened to him and where has it got me? je l'ai écouté mais à quoi ça m'a avancé? ; this is getting us nowhere ça ne nous avance à rien ; where will that get you? à quoi ça t'avancera? ;10 ( contact) did you manage to get Harry on the phone? tu as réussi à avoir Harry au téléphone? ;12 ( prepare) préparer [breakfast, lunch etc] ;13 ( take hold of) attraper [person] (by à) ; I've got you, don't worry je te tiens, ne t'inquiète pas ; to get sth from ou off prendre qch sur [shelf, table] ; to get sth from ou out of prendre qch dans [drawer, cupboard] ;14 ○ ( oblige to give) to get sth from ou out of sb faire sortir qch à qn [money] ; fig obtenir qch de qn [truth] ;15 ○ ( catch) gen arrêter [escapee] ; got you! gen je t'ai eu! ; ( caught in act) vu! ; a shark got him un requin l'a eu ; when I get you, you won't find it so funny quand tu auras affaire ○ à moi, tu trouveras ça moins drôle ;17 ( use as transport) prendre [bus, train] ;18 ( have) to have got avoir [object, money, friend etc] ; I've got a headache/bad back j'ai mal à la tête/au dos ;19 ( start to have) to get (hold of) the idea ou impression that se mettre dans la tête que ;20 ( suffer) to get a surprise être surpris ; to get a shock avoir un choc ; to get a bang on the head recevoir un coup sur la tête ;21 ( be given as punishment) prendre [five years etc] ; avoir [fine] ; to get (a) detention être collé ○ ;22 ( hit) to get sb/sth with toucher qn/qch avec [stone, arrow, ball] ; got it! ( of target) touché! ; the arrow got him in the heel la flèche l'a touché au talon ;23 (understand, hear) comprendre ; I didn't get what you said/his last name je n'ai pas compris ce que tu as dit/son nom de famille ; did you get it? tu as compris? ; now let me get this right… alors si je comprends bien… ; ‘where did you hear that?’-‘I got it from Paul’ ‘où est-ce que tu as entendu ça?’-‘c'est Paul qui me l'a dit’ ; get this! he was arrested this morning tiens-toi bien! il a été arrêté ce matin ;24 ○ (annoy, affect) what gets me is… ce qui m'agace c'est que… ; what really got me was… ce que je n'aimais pas c'était… ;25 (learn, learn of) to get to do ○ finir par faire ; to get to like sb finir par apprécier qn ; how did you get to know ou hear of our organization? comment avez-vous entendu parler de notre organisation? ; we got to know them last year on a fait leur connaissance l'année dernière ;26 ( have opportunity) to get to do avoir l'occasion de faire ; do you get to use the computer? est-ce que tu as l'occasion d'utiliser l'ordinateur? ; it's not fair, I never get to drive the tractor ce n'est pas juste, on ne me laisse jamais conduire le tracteur ; when do we get to eat the cake? quand est-ce qu'on va pouvoir manger le gâteau? ;27 ( start) to get (to be) commencer à devenir ; he's getting to be proficient ou an expert il commence à devenir expert ; it got to be quite unpleasant ça a commencé à devenir plutôt désagréable ; he's getting to be a big boy now c'est un grand garçon maintenant ; to get to doing ○ commencer à faire ; we got to talking/dreaming about the holidays on a commencé à parler/rêver des vacances ; then I got to thinking that puis je me suis dit que ; we'll have to get going il va falloir y aller ;28 ( must) to have got to do devoir faire [homework, chore] ; it's got to be done il faut le faire ; you've got to realize that il faut que tu te rendes compte que ; if I've got to go, I will s'il faut que j'y aille, j'irai ; there's got to be a reason il doit y avoir une raison ;29 ( persuade) to get sb to do demander à qn de faire ; I got her to talk about her problems j'ai réussi à la faire parler de ses problèmes ; did you get anything out of her? est-ce que tu as réussi à la faire parler? ;30 ( have somebody do) to get sth done faire faire qch ; to get the car repaired/valeted faire réparer/nettoyer la voiture ; to get one's hair cut se faire couper les cheveux ; how do you ever get anything done? comment est-ce que tu arrives à travailler? ;31 ( cause) to get the car going faire démarrer la voiture ; to get the dishes washed faire la vaisselle ; this won't get the dishes washed! la vaisselle ne se fera pas toute seule! ; to get sb pregnant ○ mettre qn enceinte ○ ; as hot/cold as you can get it aussi chaud/froid que possible ; to get one's socks wet mouiller ses chaussettes ; to get one's finger trapped se coincer le doigt.1 ( become) devenir [suspicious, rich, old] ; how lucky/stupid can you get! il y en a qui ont de la chance/qui sont vraiment stupides! ; it's getting late il se fait tard ; how did he get like that? comment est-ce qu'il en est arrivé là? ;2 ( forming passive) to get (oneself) killed/trapped se faire tuer/coincer ; to get hurt être blessé ;3 ( become involved in) to get into ○ ( as hobby) se mettre à [astrology etc] ; ( as job) commencer dans [teaching, publishing] ; fig to get into a fight se battre ;4 ( arrive) to get there arriver ; to get to the airport/Switzerland arriver à l'aéroport/en Suisse ; to get (up) to the top ( of hill etc) arriver au sommet ; how did your coat get here? comment est-ce que ton manteau est arrivé là? ; how did you get here? ( by what miracle) comment est-ce que tu es arrivé là? ; ( by what means) comment est-ce que tu es venu? ; where did you get to? où est-ce que tu étais passé? ; we've got to page 5 nous en sommes à la page 5 ;5 ( progress) it got to 7 o'clock il était plus de 7 heures ; I'd got as far as underlining the title j'en étais à souligner le titre ; I'm getting nowhere with this essay je n'avance pas dans ma dissertation ; are you getting anywhere with your investigation? est-ce que votre enquête avance? ; now we're getting somewhere ( making progress) on avance vraiment ; ( receiving fresh lead) voilà quelque chose d'intéressant ; it's a slow process but we're getting there c'est un processus lent, mais on avance ; it's not perfect yet but we're getting there ce n'est pas encore parfait mais on avance ;get ○ ! fiche-moi le camp ○ ! ; get along with you ○ ! ne sois pas ridicule! ; get away with you ○ ! arrête de raconter n'importe quoi ○ ! ; get her ○ ! regarde-moi ça! ; get him ○ in that hat! regarde-le avec ce chapeau! ; he got his ○ ( was killed) il a cassé sa pipe ○ ; I'll get you ○ for that je vais te le faire payer ○ ; I'm getting there je progresse ; it gets me right here! tu vas me faire pleurer! ; I've/he's got it bad ○ je suis/il est vraiment mordu ; I've got it je sais ; to get above oneself commencer à avoir la grosse tête ○ ; to get it together ○ se ressaisir ; to get it up ● bander ●, avoir une érection ; to get one's in ○ US prendre sa revanche ; to tell sb where to get off envoyer qn promener ; to get with it ○ se mettre dans le coup ○ ; what's got into her/them? qu'est-ce qui lui/leur a pris? ; where does he get off ○ ? pour qui se prend-il? ; you've got me there! alors là tu me poses une colle ○ !1 ( manage to move) se déplacer (by doing en faisant) ; she doesn't get about very well now elle a du mal à se déplacer maintenant ;2 ( travel) voyager, se déplacer ; do you get about much in your job? vous voyagez beaucoup pour votre travail? ; he gets about a bit ( travels) il voyage pas mal ; ( knows people) il connaît du monde ;3 ( be spread) [news] se répandre ; [rumour] courir, se répandre ; it got about that la nouvelle s'est répandue que, le bruit a couru que.■ get across:1 ( pass to other side) traverser ;2 ( be communicated) [message] passer ;▶ get [sth] across1 ( transport) how will we get it across? (over stream, gap etc) comment est-ce qu'on le/la fera passer de l'autre côté? ; I'll get a copy across to you (in separate office, building etc) je vous en ferai parvenir un exemplaire ;2 ( communicate) faire passer [message, meaning] (to à) ;2 ( go too fast) let's not get ahead of ourselves n'anticipons pas.1 ( progress) how's the project getting along? comment est-ce que le projet se présente? ; how are you getting along? ( in job) comment ça se passe? ; ( to sick or old person) comment ça va? ; ( in school subject) comment est-ce que ça se passe? ;2 ( cope) s'en sortir ; we can't get along without a computer/him on ne s'en sortira pas sans ordinateur/lui ;3 ( be suited as friends) bien s'entendre (with avec) ;4 (go) I must be getting along il faut que j'y aille.■ get around:1 (move, spread) = get about ;2 to get around to doing: she'll get around to visiting us eventually elle va bien finir par venir nous voir ; I must get around to reading his article il faut vraiment que je lise son article ; I haven't got around to it yet je n'ai pas encore eu le temps de m'en occuper ;▶ get around [sth] ( circumvent) contourner [problem, law] ; there's no getting around it il n'y a rien à faire.■ get at ○:▶ get at [sb /sth]1 ( reach) atteindre [object] ; arriver jusqu'à [person] ; fig découvrir [truth] ; let me get at her ( in anger) laissez-moi lui régler son compte ○ ;2 ( spoil) the ants have got at the sugar les fourmis ont attaqué le sucre ;3 ( criticize) être après [person] ;4 ( intimidate) intimider [witness] ;5 ( insinuate) what are you getting at? où est-ce que tu veux en venir?■ get away:▶ get away1 ( leave) partir ;3 fig ( escape unpunished) to get away with a crime échapper à la justice ; you'll never get away with it! tu ne vas pas t'en tirer comme ça! ; he mustn't be allowed to get away with it il ne faut pas qu'il s'en tire à si bon compte ; she can get away with bright colours elle peut se permettre de porter des couleurs vives ;▶ get [sb/sth] away ( for break) emmener [qn] se changer les idées ; to get sb away from a bad influence tenir qn à l'écart d'une mauvaise influence ; to get sth away from sb retirer qch à qn [weapon, dangerous object].▶ get away from [sth]1 ( leave) quitter [town] ; I must get away from here ou this place! il faut que je parte d'ici! ; ‘get away from it all’ ( in advert) ‘évadez-vous de votre quotidien’ ;■ get back:▶ get back2 ( move backwards) reculer ; get back! reculez! ;▶ get back to [sth]1 ( return to) rentrer à [house, city] ; revenir à [office, centre, point] ; we got back to Belgium nous sommes rentrés en Belgique ; when we get back to London à notre retour à Londres ;2 ( return to former condition) revenir à [teaching, publishing] ; to get back to sleep se rendormir ; to get back to normal redevenir normal ;3 ( return to earlier stage) revenir à [main topic, former point] ; to get back to your problem,… pour en revenir à votre problème,… ;▶ get back to [sb]1 ( return to) revenir à [group, person] ;2 ( on telephone) I'll get right back to you je vous rappelle tout de suite ;▶ get [sb/sth] back1 ( return) ( personally) ramener [object, person] ; ( by post etc) renvoyer ; Sport ( in tennis etc) renvoyer [ball] ; when they got him back to his cell quand ils l'ont ramené dans sa cellule ;2 ( regain) récupérer [lost object, loaned item] ; fig reprendre [strength] ; she got her money back elle a été remboursée ; she got her old job back on lui a redonné son travail ; he got his girlfriend back il s'est remis avec sa petite amie ○.■ get behind:▶ get behind ( delayed) prendre du retard ;▶ get behind [sth] se mettre derrière [hedge, sofa etc].■ get by1 ( pass) passer ;2 ( survive) se débrouiller (on, with avec) ; we'll never get by without him/them nous ne nous en sortirons jamais sans lui/eux.■ get down:▶ get down1 ( descend) descendre (from, out of de) ;2 ( leave table) quitter la table ;3 ( lower oneself) ( to floor) se coucher ; ( to crouching position) se baisser ; to get down on one's knees s'agenouiller ; to get down to ( descend to reach) arriver à [lower level etc] ; atteindre [trapped person etc] ; ( apply oneself to) se mettre à [work] ; to get down to the pupils' level fig se mettre à la portée des élèves ; let's get down to business parlons affaires ; when you get right down to it quand on regarde d'un peu plus près ; to get down to doing se mettre à faire ;▶ get down [sth] descendre [slope] ; if we get down the mountain alive si nous arrivons vivants en bas de la montagne ; when we got down the hill quand nous nous sommes retrouvés en bas de la colline ;▶ get [sth] down, get down [sth]1 ( from height) descendre [book, jar etc] ;2 ( swallow) avaler [medicine, pill] ;3 ( record) noter [speech, dictation] ;▶ get [sb] down1 ( from height) faire descendre [person] ;2 ○ ( depress) déprimer [person].■ get in:▶ get in2 fig ( participate) to get in on réussir à s'introduire dans [project, scheme] ; to get in on the deal ○ faire partie du coup ;3 ( return home) rentrer ;4 ( arrive at destination) [train, coach] arriver ;5 ( penetrate) [water, sunlight] pénétrer ;8 ( associate) to get in with se mettre bien avec [person] ; he's got in with a bad crowd il traîne avec des gens peu recommandables ;▶ get [sth] in, get in [sth]1 ( buy in) acheter [supplies] ;2 ( fit into space) I can't get the drawer in je n'arrive pas à faire rentrer le tiroir ;5 (deliver, hand in) rendre [essay, competition entry] ;6 ( include) (in article, book) placer [section, remark, anecdote] ; he got in a few punches il a distribué quelques coups ;7 ( fit into schedule) faire [tennis, golf] ; I'll try to get in a bit of tennis ○ j'essayerai de faire un peu de tennis ;▶ get [sb] in faire entrer [person].■ get into:▶ get into [sth]2 ( be admitted) ( as member) devenir membre de [club] ; ( as student) être admis à [school, university] ; I didn't know what I was getting into fig je ne savais pas dans quoi je m'embarquais ;▶ get [sb/sth] into faire entrer [qn/qch] dans [good school, building, room, space].■ get off:▶ get off1 ( from bus etc) descendre (at à) ;2 ( start on journey) partir ;3 ( leave work) finir ;4 ○ ( escape punishment) s'en tirer (with avec) ;5 to get off to partir pour [destination] ; did they get off to school OK? est-ce qu'ils sont partis sans problèmes pour l'école? ; ( make headway) to get off to a good/poor start prendre un bon/mauvais départ ; to get off to sleep s'endormir ; to get off on doing ○ péj ( get buzz from) prendre plaisir à faire ; to get off with, GB rencontrer, ramasser ○ pej [person] ;▶ get off [sth]1 ( climb down from) descendre de [wall, ledge] ;2 ( alight from) descendre de [bus etc] ;3 ( remove oneself from) get off my nice clean floor/the grass ne marche pas sur mon sol tout propre/la pelouse ;▶ get [sb/sth] off2 ( dispatch) envoyer [parcel, letter, person] ; I've got the children off to school j'ai envoyé les enfants à l'école ;3 ( remove) enlever [stain] ;4 ○ ( send to sleep) endormir [baby].■ get on:▶ get on1 ( climb aboard) monter (at à) ;2 ( work) get on a bit faster/more sensibly travaille un peu plus vite/plus sérieusement ;3 ( continue with work) let's get on! continuons! ;4 GB ( like each other) bien s'entendre ;5 ( fare) how did you get on? comment est-ce que ça s'est passé? ;6 ( cope) how are you getting on? comment est-ce que tu t'en sors? ;7 GB ( approach) he's getting on for 40 il approche des quarante ans ; it's getting on for midnight il est presque minuit ; there are getting on for 80 people ○ il y a presque 80 personnes ;8 ( grow late) time's getting on le temps passe ;9 ( grow old) to be getting on a bit commencer à vieillir ;▶ get [sth] on, get on [sth] ( put on) mettre [boots, clothing] ; monter [tyre] ; mettre [lid, tap washer etc].■ get onto:▶ get onto [sth]1 ( board) monter dans [vehicle] ;2 ( be appointed) être nommé à [Board] ;3 ( start to discuss) arriver à parler de [topic, subject] ;■ get on with:▶ get on with [sth] ( continue to do) to get on with one's work/with preparing the meal continuer à travailler/à préparer le repas ; let's get on with the job! au travail! ;▶ get on with [sb] GB s'entendre avec [person].■ get out:▶ get out1 ( exit) sortir (through, by par) ; get out and don't come back! va-t'en et ne reviens pas! ; they'll never get out alive ils ne s'en sortiront jamais vivants ;2 ( make social outing) sortir ; you should get out more tu devrais sortir plus ;3 (resign, leave) partir ;4 ( alight) descendre ;6 ( leak) [news] être révélé ;▶ get [sth] out, get out [sth]1 ( bring out) sortir [handkerchief, ID card] ;3 ( erase) enlever [stain] ;4 ( take on loan) emprunter [library book] ;5 ( produce) sortir [plans, product] ;6 ( utter) I couldn't get the words out les mots ne voulaient pas sortir ;7 ( solve) faire [puzzle] ;▶ get [sb] out ( release) faire libérer [prisoner] ; to get sb out of sth ( free from detention) ( personally) libérer qn de qch ; ( by persuasion) faire libérer qn de qch [prisoner] ; to get sth out of sth ( bring out) sortir qch de qch [handkerchief etc] ; ( find and remove) récupérer qch dans qch [required object, stuck object] ; I can't get it out of my mind je ne peux pas l'effacer de mon esprit.■ get out of:▶ get out of [sth]1 ( exit from) sortir de [building, bed] ;2 ( alight from) descendre de [vehicle] ;3 ( leave at end of) sortir de [meeting] ;4 ( be freed from) être libéré de [prison] ;5 ( withdraw from) quitter [organization] ; échapper à [responsibilities] ; he's got out of oil ○ ( as investment) il a vendu toutes ses actions dans le pétrole ;6 ( avoid doing) s'arranger pour ne pas aller à [appointment, meeting] ; I'll try to get out of it j'essaierai de me libérer ; I accepted the invitation and now I can't get out of it j'ai accepté l'invitation et maintenant je ne peux pas me défiler ○ ; to get out of doing s'arranger pour ne pas faire ;7 ( no longer do) perdre [habit] ;8 ( gain from) what do you get out of your job? qu'est-ce que ton travail t'apporte? ; what will you get out of it? qu'est-ce que vous en retirerez?■ get over:▶ get over [sth]1 ( cross) traverser [bridge, stream] ;2 ( recover from) se remettre de [illness, shock] ; to get over the fact that se remettre du fait que ; I can't get over it ( in amazement) je n'en reviens pas ; I couldn't get over how she looked ça m'a fait un choc de la voir comme ça ; I can't get over how you've grown je n'en reviens pas de ce que tu as grandi ;3 ( surmount) surmonter [problem] ; to get sth over with en finir avec qch ; let's get it over with finissons-en ;4 ( stop loving) oublier ; she never got over him elle ne l'a jamais oublié ;▶ get [sb/sth] over1 ( cause to cross) faire passer [injured person, object] ; faire passer [qn/ qch] au-dessus de [bridge, wall etc] ;2 ( cause to arrive) get the plumber over here at once faites venir tout de suite le plombier ;3 ( communicate) faire passer [message].■ get round GB:▶ get round = get around ;▶ get round [sth] = get around [sth] ;▶ get round ○ [sb] persuader [qn], avoir [qn] au sentiment ○ ; can't you get round him? est-ce que tu ne peux pas le persuader? ; she easily gets round her father elle fait tout ce qu'elle veut de son père.■ get through:1 ( squeeze through) passer ;2 Telecom to get through to sb avoir qn au téléphone ; I couldn't get through je n'ai pas réussi à l'avoir ;4 ( arrive) [news, supplies] arriver ;5 ( survive) s'en sortir (by doing en faisant) ;▶ get through [sth]1 ( make way through) traverser [checkpoint, mud] ;3 ( survive mentally) I thought I'd never get through the week j'ai cru que je ne tiendrais pas la semaine ;4 ( complete successfully) [candidate, competitor] réussir à [exam, qualifying round] ; I got through the interview l'entretien s'est bien passé ;5 (consume, use) manger [supply of food] ; boire [supply of drink] ; dépenser [money] ; I get through two notebooks a week il me faut or j'use deux carnets par semaine ;▶ get [sb/sth] through1 ( squeeze through) faire passer [car, object, person] ;2 ( help to endure) [pills, encouragement, strength of character] aider [qn] à continuer ; her advice/these pills got me through the day ses conseils/ces comprimés m'ont aidé à tenir le coup ○ ;3 ( help through frontier etc) faire passer [person, imported goods] ;5 Pol faire passer [bill].■ get together:▶ get together ( assemble) se réunir (about, over pour discuter de) ;▶ get [sb/sth] together, get together [sb/sth]1 ( assemble) réunir [different people, groups] ;3 ( form) former [company, action group].■ get under:▶ get under passer en-dessous ;▶ get under [sth] passer sous [barrier, floorboards etc].■ get up:▶ get up1 (from bed, chair etc) se lever (from de) ; get up off the grass! ne reste pas sur l'herbe! ;2 (on horse, ledge etc) monter ; how did you get up there? comment est-ce que tu es monté là-haut? ;4 to get up to ( reach) arriver à [page, upper floor] ; what did you get up to? fig ( sth enjoyable) qu'est-ce que tu as fait de beau? ; ( sth mischievous) qu'est-ce que tu as fabriqué ○ ? ;▶ get up [sth]1 arriver en haut de [hill, ladder] ;2 ( increase) augmenter [speed] ;3 (start, muster) former [group] ; faire [petition] ; obtenir [support, sympathy] ;▶ get [sth] up organiser ; -
10 Usage note : them
When used as a direct object pronoun, referring to people, animals or things, them is translated by les:I know them= je les connaisNote that the object pronoun normallycomes before the verb in French and that in compound tenses like the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct object pronoun:He’s seen them( them being masculine or of mixed gender)= il les a vus( them being all feminine gender)= il les a vuesIn imperatives, the direct object pronoun is translated by les and comes after the verb:catch them!= attrape-les! (note the hyphen)I gave them it or I gave it to them= je le leur ai donnéIn imperatives, the indirect object pronoun is translated by leur and comes after the verb:phone them!= téléphone-leur! (note the hyphen)After prepositions and the verb to be, the translation is eux for masculine or mixed gender and elles for feminine gender:he did it for them= il l’a fait pour eux or pour ellesit’s them= ce sont eux or ce sont ellesFor particular usages see the entry them. -
11 Usage note : which
In questionsWhen which is used as a pronoun in questions it is translated by lequel, laquelle, lesquels or lesquelles according to the gender and number of the noun it is referring to:there are three peaches, which do you want?= il y a trois pêches, laquelle veux-tu?‘Lucy’s borrowed three of your books’ ‘which did she take?’= ‘Lucy t’a emprunté trois livres’ ‘lesquels a-t-elle pris?’The exception to this is when which is followed by a superlative adjective, when the translation is quel, quelle, quels or quelles:which is the biggest (apple)?= quelle est la plus grande?which are the least expensive (books)?= quels sont les moins chers?In relative clauses as subject or objectthe book which is on the table= le livre qui est sur la tablethe books which are on the table= les livres qui sont sur la tablethe book which Tina is reading= le livre que lit TinaNote the inversion of subject and verb ; this is the case where the subject is a noun but not where the subject is a pronoun:the book which I am reading= le livre que je lisIn compound tenses such as the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the noun que is referring to:the books which I gave you= les livres que je t’ai donnésthe dresses which she bought yesterday= les robes qu’elle a achetées hierIn relative clauses after a prepositionHere the translation is lequel, laquelle, lesquels or lesquelles according to the gender and number of the noun referred to:the road by which we came or the road which we came by= la route par laquelle nous sommes venusthe expressions for which we have translations= les expressions pour lesquelles nous avons une traductionRemember that if the preposition would normally be translated by à in French (to, at etc.), the preposition + which is translated by auquel, à laquelle, auxquels or auxquelles:the addresses to which we sent letters= les adresses auxquelles nous avons envoyé des lettresWith prepositions normally translated by de (of, from etc.) the translation of the preposition which becomes dont:a blue book, the title of which I’ve forgotten= un livre bleu dont j’ai oublié le titreHowever, if de is part of a prepositional group, as for example in the case of près de meaning near, the translation becomes duquel, de laquelle, desquels or desquelles:the village near which they live= le village près duquel ils habitentthe houses near which she was waiting= les maisons près desquelles elle attendaita hill at the top of which there is a house= une colline au sommet de laquelle il y a une maisonAs a determinerIn questionsWhen which is used as a determiner in questions it is translated by quel, quelle, quels or quelles according to the gender and number of the noun that follows:which car is yours?= quelle voiture est la vôtre?which books did he borrow?= quels livres a-t-il empruntés?Note that in the second example the object precedes the verb so that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the object. -
12 Usage note : you
In English you is used to address everybody, whereas French has two forms: tu and vous. The usual word to use when you are speaking to anyone you do not know very well is vous. This is sometimes called the polite form and is used for the subject, object, indirect object and emphatic pronoun:would you like some coffee?= voulez-vous du café?can I help you?= est-ce que je peux vous aider?what can I do for you?= qu’est-ce que je peux faire pour vous?The more informal pronoun tu is used between close friends and family members, within groups of children and young people, by adults when talking to children and always when talking to animals ; tu is the subject form, the direct and indirect object form is te (t’ before a vowel) and the form for emphatic use or use after a preposition is toi:would you like some coffee?= veux-tu du café?can I help you?= est-ce que je peux t’aider?there’s a letter for you= il y a une lettre pour toiAs a general rule, when talking to a French person use vous, wait to see how they address you and follow suit. It is safer to wait for the French person to suggest using tu. The suggestion will usually be phrased as on se tutoie? or on peut se tutoyer?Note that tu is only a singular pronoun and vous is the plural form of tu.Remember that in French the object and indirect object pronouns are always placed before the verb:she knows you= elle vous connaît or elle te connaîtIn compound tenses like the present perfect and the past perfect, the past participle agrees in number and gender with the direct object:I saw you on Saturday(to one male: polite form)= je vous ai vu samedi(to one female: polite form)= je vous ai vue samedi(to one male: informal form)= je t’ai vu samedi(to one female: informal form)= je t’ai vue samedi(to two or more people, male or mixed)= je vous ai vus samedi(to two or more females)= je vous ai vues samediWhen you is used impersonally as the more informal form of one, it is translated by on for the subject form and by vous or te for the object form, depending on whether the comment is being made amongst friends or in a more formal context:you can do as you like here= on peut faire ce qu’on veut icithese mushrooms can make you ill= ces champignons peuvent vous rendre malade or ces champignons peuvent te rendre maladeyou could easily lose your bag here= on pourrait facilement perdre son sac iciNote that your used with on is translated by son/sa/ses according to the gender and number of the noun that follows.For verb forms with vous, tu and on see the French verb tables.For particular usages see the entry you. -
13 Usage note : not
When not is used without a verb before an adjective, an adverb, a verb or a noun, it is translated by pas:it’s a cat not a dog= c’est un chat pas un chiennot at all= pas du toutnot bad= pas malFor examples and particular usages see the entry not.When not is used to make the verb be negative (it’s not a cat) it is translated by ne…pas in French ; ne comes before the verb or the auxiliary in compound tenses and pas comes after the verb or auxiliary: ce n’est pas un chat ;she hasn’t been ill= elle n’a pas été malade.When not is used with the auxiliary do to make a verb negative (he doesn’t like oranges) do + not is translated by ne…pas in French: il n’aime pas les oranges.When not is used in the present perfect tense (I haven’ t seen him, she hasn’t arrived yet), ne…pas is again used in French on either side of the appropriate auxiliary ( avoir or être): je ne l’ai pas vu, elle n’est pas encore arrivée.When not is used with will to make a verb negative (will not, won’t), ne…pas is used with the future tense in French:she won’t come by car= elle ne viendra pas en voitureWhen used with a verb in the infinitive, ne…pas are placed together before the verb:he decided not to go= il a décidé de ne pas y alleryou were wrong not to tell her= tu as eu tort de ne pas le lui direWhen not is used in question tags, the whole tag can usually be translated by the French n’est-ce pas, e.g.she bought it, didn’t she?= elle l’a acheté, n’est-ce pas?For usages not covered in this note see the entry not. -
14 would
would [wʊd]1. modal verba.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► When would is used to form the conditional, the French conditional is used.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━• I wouldn't worry, if I were you à ta place, je ne m'inquiéterais pas• to my surprise, he agreed -- I never thought he would à ma grande surprise, il a accepté -- je ne l'aurais jamais pensé• who would have thought it? qui l'aurait pensé ?• I said I'd go, so I'm going j'ai dit que j'irais, alors j'y vais• I said I'd go, so I went j'avais dit que j'irais, alors j'y suis allé━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━• if you would come with me, I'd go to see him si vous vouliez bien m'accompagner, j'irais le voir━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━would you wait here please! attendez ici s'il vous plaît !• would you close the window please voulez-vous fermer la fenêtre, s'il vous plaît► would you like ( = do you want)would you like some tea? voulez-vous du thé ?• would you like to go for a walk? est-ce que vous aimeriez faire une promenade ?• 50 years ago the streets would be empty on Sundays il y a 50 ans, les rues étaient vides le dimanche• I saw him come out of the shop -- when would this be? je l'ai vu sortir du magasin -- quand ?d. (inevitability) you would go and tell her! évidemment tu es allé le lui dire !• it would have to rain! évidemment il fallait qu'il pleuve !e. (conjecture) it would have been about 8 o'clock when he came il devait être 8 heures à peu près quand il est venu2. modifier* * *[wʊd, wəd]Note: When would is used with a verb in English to form the conditional tense, would + verb is translated by the present conditional of the appropriate verb in French and would have + verb by the past conditional of the appropriate verb: I would do it if I had time = je le ferais si j'avais le temps; I would have done it if I had had time = je l'aurais fait si j'avais eu le temps; he said he would fetch the car = il a dit qu'il irait chercher la voitureFor more examples, particular usages and all other uses of would see the entry below1) (in sequence of past tenses, in reported speech)if we'd left later we would have missed the train — si nous étions partis plus tard nous aurions raté le train
wouldn't it be nice if... — ce serait bien si...
they couldn't find anyone who would take the job — ils n'arrivaient pas à trouver quelqu'un qui accepte le poste
5) (expressing desire, preference)switch off the radio, would you? — éteins la radio, tu veux bien?
8) ( when giving advice)9) ( expressing exasperation)‘he denies it’ - ‘well he would, wouldn't he?’ — ‘il le nie’ - ‘évidemment!’
‘she put her foot in it (colloq)’ - ‘she would!’ — ‘elle a mis les pieds dans le plat (colloq)’ - ‘tu m'étonnes!’
10) ( expressing an assumption)let's see, that would be his youngest son — voyons, ça doit être son plus jeune fils
11) (indicating habitual event or behaviour in past: used to)
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