-
1 over
over [ˈəʊvər]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━1. adverb2. adjective3. preposition4. noun5. modifier━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━1. adverb► to have sb over ( = invite) inviter qn chez soib. ( = there) làc. ( = above) dessusd. (with adverb/preposition)━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► When followed by an adverb or a preposition, over is not usually translated.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━e. ( = more) plusf. ( = in succession) he did it five times over il l'a fait cinq fois de suite• William played the same tune over and over again William a joué le même air je ne sais combien de fois• I got bored doing the same thing over and over again je m'ennuyais à refaire toujours la même choseg. ( = remaining) there are three over il en reste troish. (on two-way radio) over! à vous !• over and out! terminé !2. adjective( = finished) after the war was over après la guerre3. preposition━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► When over occurs in a set combination, eg over the moon, an advantage over, look up the noun. When over is used with a verb such as jump, trip, step, look up the verb.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━a. ( = on top of) surb. ( = above) au-dessus dec. ( = across) de l'autre côté ded. ( = during) over the summer pendant l'étéf. ( = more than) plus de• spending has gone up by 7% over and above inflation les dépenses ont augmenté de 7 %, hors inflation• over and above the fact that... sans compter que...h. ( = while having) they chatted over a cup of coffee ils ont bavardé autour d'une tasse de caféi. ( = recovered from)► to be over sth [+ illness, bad experience] s'être remis de qch4. noun5. modifier* * *Note: over is used after many verbs in English ( change over, fall over, lean over etc). For translations, consult the appropriate verb entry (change, fall, lean etc)over is often used with another preposition in English (to, in, on) without altering the meaning. In this case over is usually not translated in French: to be over in France = être en France; to swim over to somebody = nager vers quelqu'unover is often used with nouns in English when talking about superiority ( control over etc) or when giving the cause of something ( concern over, worries over etc). For translations, consult the appropriate noun entry (control, concern, worry etc)over is often used as a prefix in verb combinations ( overeat), adjective combinations ( overconfident) and noun combinations ( overcoat). These combinations are treated as headwords in the dictionary['əʊvə(r)] 1.1) ( across the top of) par-dessusover here/there — par ici/là
3) ( above) au-dessus de4) (covering, surrounding) gen sur5) ( physically higher than)6) ( more than) plus detemperatures over 40° — des températures supérieures à 40°
7) ( in the course of)8) ( recovered from)to be over — s'être remis de [illness, operation]
9) ( by means of)10) ( everywhere)2.over and above prepositional phrase3.adjective, adverb2) ( finished)to be over — [term, meeting] être terminé; [war] être fini
3) ( more)4) ( remaining)5) (to one's house, country)to invite ou ask somebody over — inviter quelqu'un
6) Radio, Television7) ( showing repetition)I had to do it over — US j'ai dû recommencer
I've told you over and over (again)... — je t'ai dit je ne sais combien de fois...
8) GB ( excessively) -
2 over
I.over n Sport partie f d'un match de cricket (lors de laquelle le serveur lance six balles d'une extrémité du terrain).II.❢ Over is used after many verbs in English ( change over, fall over, lean over etc). For translations, consult the appropriate verb entry (change, fall, lean etc). over is often used with another preposition in English (to, in, on) without altering the meaning. In this case over is usually not translated in French: to be over in France = être en France ; to swim over to sb = nager vers qn. over is often used with nouns in English when talking about superiority ( control over, priority over etc) or when giving the cause of something ( delays over, trouble over etc). For translations, consult the appropriate noun entry (control, priority, delay, trouble etc). over is often used as a prefix in verb combinations ( overeat), adjective combinations ( overconfident) and noun combinations ( overcoat). These combinations are treated as headwords in the dictionary.For particular usages see the entry below.A prep1 ( across the top of) par-dessus ; to jump/look/talk over a wall sauter/regarder/parler par-dessus un mur ; to step over the cat passer par-dessus le chat ; a bridge over the Thames un pont sur la Tamise ;2 ( from or on the other side of) my neighbour/the house over the road mon voisin/la maison d'en face ; it's just over the road/river c'est juste de l'autre côté de la rue/rivière ; the noise came from over the wall le bruit venait de l'autre côté du mur ; over here/there par ici/là ; come over here! viens (par) ici! ; from over the sea/the Atlantic/the Channel d'outre-mer/d'outre-atlantique/d'outre-manche ;3 ( above but not touching) au-dessus de ; clouds over the valley des nuages au-dessus de la vallée ; they live over the shop ils habitent au-dessus de la boutique ;4 (covering, surrounding) sur ; to spill tea over sth renverser du thé sur qch ; he's spilled tea over it il a renversé du thé dessus ; to carry one's coat over one's arm porter son manteau sur le bras ; to wear a sweater over one's shirt porter un pull par-dessus sa chemise ; shutters over the windows des volets aux fenêtres ;5 ( physically higher than) the water was ou came over my ankles j'avais de l'eau jusqu'aux chevilles ;6 ( more than) plus de ; children (of) over six les enfants de plus de six ans ; to be over 21 avoir plus de 21 ans ; well over 200 bien plus de 200 ; to take over a year prendre plus d'un an ; temperatures over 40° des températures supérieures à 40° ;8 ( in the course of) over the weekend/the summer pendant le week-end/l'été ; over a period of sur une période de ; over the last decade/few days au cours des dix dernières années/de ces derniers jours ; he has changed over the years il a changé avec le temps ; to do sth over Christmas faire qch à Noël or pendant les vacances de Noël ; to stay with sb over Easter passer les vacances de Pâques chez qn ; to talk over coffee/lunch parler autour d'une tasse de café/d'un déjeuner ;9 ( recovered from) to be over s'être remis de [illness, operation, loss] ; she'll be over it soon elle s'en remettra vite ; to be over the worst avoir passé le pire ;11 ( everywhere in) to travel all over the world/Africa voyager partout dans le monde/en Afrique ; to search all over the house chercher partout dans la maison ; to show sb over a house montrer or faire visiter une maison à qn ; I've lived all over France j'ai habité un peu partout en France ;12 ( because of) to laugh over sth rire de qch ; to pause over sth s'arrêter sur qch ; how long will you be over it? combien de temps cela te prendra-t-il? ;13 Math 12 over 3 is 4 12 divisé par 3 égale 4.B over and above prep phr over and above that en plus de cela ; over and above the minimum requirement au-delà du minimum requis.1 ( use with verbs not covered in NOTE) over she went elle est tombée ; over you go! allez hop! ; does it go under or over? est-ce que ça va en dessous ou au-dessus? ;2 ( finished) to be over [term, meeting, incident] être terminé ; [war] être fini ; after the war is over lorsque la guerre sera finie ; it was all over by Christmas à Noël tout était fini ; when this is all over quand tout ceci sera fini ; to get sth over with en finir avec qch ;3 ( more) children of six and over ou six or over les enfants de plus de six ans ; it can be two metres or over cela peut faire deux mètres ou plus ; temperatures of 40 ° and over des températures supérieures à 40° ;4 ( remaining) two biscuits each and one over deux biscuits par personne et il en reste un ; six metres and a bit over un peu plus de six mètres ; 2 into 5 goes 2 and 1 over 5 divisé par 2 font 2 et il reste 1 ; there's nothing over il ne reste rien ; ⇒ leave over (leave) ;5 (to one's house, country) to invite ou ask sb over inviter qn ; come over for lunch venez déjeuner ; we had them over on Sunday/for dinner ils sont venus dimanche/dîner ; they were over for the day ils sont venus pour la journée ; they're over from Sydney ils sont venus de Sydney ; when you're next over this way la prochaine fois que tu passes dans le coin ;6 Radio, TV over! à vous! ; over to you à vous ; now over to Tim for the weather laissons la place à Tim pour la météo ; now over to our Paris studios nous passons l'antenne à nos studios de Paris ;7 ( showing repetition) five/several times over cinq/plusieurs fois de suite ; to start all over again recommencer à zéro ; I had to do it over US j'ai dû recommencer ; to hit sb over and over (again) frapper qn sans s'arrêter ; I've told you over and over (again)… je t'ai dit je ne sais combien de fois… ;8 GB ( excessively) I'm not over keen je ne suis pas très enthousiaste ; she wasn't over pleased elle n'était pas très contente. -
3 British regions and counties
The names of British regions and counties usually have the definite article in French, except when used with the preposition en.In, to and from somewhereMost counties and regions are masculine ; with these, in and to are translated by dans le, and from by du:to live in Sussex= vivre dans le Sussexto go to Sussex= aller dans le Sussexto come from Sussex= venir du SussexNote however:Cornwall= la Cornouaillesto live in Cornwall= vivre en Cornouaillesto go to Cornwall= aller en Cornouaillesto come from Cornwall= venir de la CornouaillesUses with nounsThere are rarely French equivalents for English forms like Cornishmen, and it is always safe to use de with the definite article:Cornishmen= les habitants mpl de la CornouaillesLancastrians= les habitants du LancashireIn other cases, du is often possible:a Somerset accent= un accent du Somersetthe Yorkshire countryside= les paysages du Yorkshirebut it is usually safe to use du comté de:the towns of Fife= les villes du comté de Fifethe rivers of Merioneth= les rivières du comté de Merionethor de la région de:Grampian cattle= le bétail de la région des GrampiansBig English-French dictionary > British regions and counties
-
4 French departments
The names of French departments usually have the definite article, except when used after the preposition en.In, to and from somewhereto live in the Loiret= vivre dans le Loiretto go to the Loiret= aller dans le Loiretto live in the Landes= vivre dans les Landesto go to the Landes= aller dans les Landesto live in the Loir-et-Cher= vivre dans le Loir-et-Cherto go to the Loir-et-Cher= aller dans le Loir-et-Cherto live in Savoy= vivre en Savoieto go to Savoy= aller en Savoieto live in Seine-et-Marne= vivre en Seine-et-Marneto go to Seine-et-Marne= aller en Seine-et-Marneto come from the Loiret= venir du Loiretto come from the Landes= venir des Landesto come from the Loir-et-Cher= venir du Loir-et-CherFor from, use de without the definite article for feminine names of departments:to come from Savoy= venir de Savoieto come from Seine-et-Marne= venir de Seine-et-MarneUses with nounsUse de with the definite article in most cases:a Cantal accent= un accent du Cantalthe Var area= la région du Varthe Creuse countryside= les paysages de la CreuseLoiret people= les gens du LoiretYonne representatives= les représentants de l’YonneLandes restaurants= les restaurants des Landesthe Calvados team= l’équipe du CalvadosArdennes towns= les villes des ArdennesSeine-et-Marne hotels= les hôtels de Seine-et-MarneSome cases are undecided:Savoy roads= les routes de Savoie or de la Savoie -
5 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.). -
6 such
such [sʌt∫]1. adjectivea. ( = of that sort) tel, pareil• did you ever hear of such a thing? avez-vous jamais entendu une chose pareille ?• ... or some such thing... ou une chose de ce genreb. ( = so much) tellement, tant• we had such a surprise! quelle surprise nous avons eue !• there was such a lot of noise that... il y avait tellement de bruit que...► no such...• there's no such thing! ça n'existe pas !• animals such as cats les animaux tels que or comme les chats• such as? (inf) quoi, par exemple ?• you can take my car, such as it is vous pouvez prendre ma voiture pour ce qu'elle vaut► such... as• I'm not such a fool as to believe that! je ne suis pas assez bête pour croire ça !• have you such a thing as a penknife? auriez-vous un canif par hasard ?• until such time as... jusqu'à ce que... + subj en attendant que... + subj2. adverba. ( = so very) si• it was such a long time ago! il y a si longtemps de ça !3. pronoun• the work as such is boring, but the pay is good le travail en soi est ennuyeux, mais le salaire est bon4. compounds* * *[sʌtʃ] 1.2.she's a good singer and recognized as such — c'est une bonne chanteuse et elle est reconnue comme telle
1) ( of kind previously mentioned) ( replicated) tel/telle; ( similar) pareil/-eille; ( of similar sort) de ce type (after n)there's no such person — il/elle n'existe pas
2) ( of specific kind)to be such that — être tel/telle que
his movements were such as to arouse suspicion — il se conduisait de telle façon qu'il éveillait les soupçons
3) ( any possible)such money as I have — le peu d'argent or tout l'argent que j'ai
4) ( so great) tel/telle5) iron (of such small worth, quantity)3.we picked up the apples, such as there were — nous avons ramassé les rares pommes qu'il y avait par terre
4.there were (ever (colloq)) such a lot of people — il y avait beaucoup de monde
such as phrasal determiner, conjunctional phrase comme, tel/telle quesuch a house as this, a house such as this — une maison comme celle-ci
such as? — ( as response) gen quoi par exemple?
-
7 whether
whether [ˈweðər]a. ( = if) si• I doubt whether... je doute que... + subj• I'm not sure whether... je ne suis pas sûr que... + subjb. ( = regardless of) que + subjc. ( = either) soit* * *['weðə(r)], US ['hweðər]Note: When whether is used to mean if, it is translated by si: I wonder whether she got my letter = je me demande si elle a reçu ma lettre. See 1 in the entry belowwhether often occurs after verbs such as ask, doubt, decide, know, say, see and wonder, with adjectives such as doubtful, sure, and with nouns like doubt, question. You can find further examples at these entriesIn whether...or not sentences whether is translated by que and the verb that follows is in the subjunctive: whether you agree or not = que vous soyez d'accord ou non. See 2 in the entry below1) (when outcome is uncertain: if) siI wasn't sure whether to answer or not ou whether or not to answer — je ne savais pas s'il fallait répondre, je n'étais pas sûr qu'il faille répondre
2) (when outcome is fixed: no matter if)whether you have children or not, this book should interest you — que vous ayez des enfants ou non, ce livre devrait vous intéresser
whether or not people are happy is of little importance — que les gens soient heureux ou non ce n'est pas très important
everyone, whether students or townspeople, celebrates — tout le monde, que ce soient les étudiants ou les habitants de la ville, fait la fête
-
8 such
A pron1 ( this) such is life c'est la vie ; she's a good singer and recognized as such c'est une bonne chanteuse et elle est reconnue comme telle ; she's talented and recognized as such elle a du talent et son talent est reconnu ; ⇒ as ;2 = suchlike.B det1 ( of kind previously mentioned) ( replicated) tel/telle ; ( similar) pareil/-eille ; ( of similar sort) de ce type (after n) ; such a situation une telle situation ; such individuals de tels individus ; in such a situation dans une situation pareille ; at such a time dans un moment pareil ; many such proposals de nombreuses propositions de ce type ; and other such arguments et autres arguments de ce type ; all such basic foods tous les aliments de base de ce type ; potatoes, bread and all such basic foods les pommes de terre, le pain et tous les autres aliments de base ; doctors, dentists and all such people les docteurs, les dentistes et toutes les personnes qui exercent ce type de métier ; a mouse or some such animal une souris ou un animal semblable ; he said ‘so what!’ or some such remark il a dit ‘et alors!’ ou quelque chose comme ça ; there was some such case last year il s'est produit la même chose l'année dernière ; there's no such person il/elle n'existe pas ; there was such a man I believe je crois que cet homme a existé ; there's no such thing ça n'existe pas ; I've never heard of such a thing je n'ai jamais entendu parler d'une chose pareille ; I didn't say any such thing je n'ai jamais dit une chose pareille ; you'll do no such thing! il n'en est pas question! ; I 've been waiting for just such an opportunity j'attendais justement que l'occasion se présente ;2 ( of specific kind) to be such that être tel/telle que ; my hours are such that I usually miss the last train mes horaires sont tels que je rate habituellement le dernier train ; his movements were such as to arouse suspicion il se conduisait de telle façon qu'il éveillait les soupçons ; in such a way that d'une telle façon que ;3 ( any possible) such money as I have le peu d'argent or tout l'argent que j'ai ; until such time as jusqu'à ce que (+ subj) ;4 ( so great) tel/telle ; there was such carnage! il y avait un tel carnage! ; to be having such problems avoir de tels problèmes ; such was his admiration/anger that son admiration/sa colère était telle que ; his fear was such that il avait tellement peur que ; to be in such despair/in such a rage être tellement désespéré/dans une telle colère ;5 iron (of such small worth, quantity) you can borrow my boots such as they are ces bottes ne sont pas géniales ○ mais tu peux les emprunter ; we picked up the apples such as there were nous avons ramassé les rares pommes qu'il y avait par terre.C such as det phr, conj phr comme, tel/telle que ; such a house as this, a house such as this une maison comme celle-ci ; it was on just such a night as this that c'est par une nuit exactement comme celle-ci que ; such cities as or cities such as Manchester and Birmingham des villes telles que or comme Manchester et Birmingham ; a person such as her une personne comme elle ; such as? ( as response) gen quoi par exemple? ; ( referring to person) qui par exemple? ; there are no such things as giants les géants n'existent pas ; have you such a thing as a screwdriver? auriez-vous un tournevis par hasard? ; inflation such as occurred last year l'inflation telle qu'elle s'est manifestée l'année dernière.D adv1 ( to a great degree) ( with adjectives) si, tellement ; ( with nouns) tel/telle ; in such a persuasive way d'une façon si convaincante ; such a nice boy! un garçon si gentil!, un si gentil garçon! ; such excellent meals de si bons plats ; such good quality as this une telle qualité ; I hadn't seen such a good film for years je n'avais pas vu un aussi bon film depuis des années ; don't be such an idiot ne sois pas si stupide ; she's not such an idiot as she seems elle n'est pas aussi stupide que l'on croit ; only such an idiot (as him) would do il n'y a qu' un imbécile (comme lui) qui ferait ; it was such (a lot of) fun on s'est tellement amusé ; such a lot of problems tant de problèmes ; (ever ○ ) such a lot of people beaucoup de gens ; thanks ever such a lot ○ merci mille fois. -
9 whether
❢ When whether is used to mean if, it is translated by si: I wonder whether she got my letter = je me demande si elle a reçu ma lettre. See 1 in the entry below. whether often occurs after verbs such as ask, doubt, decide, know, say, see and wonder, with adjectives such as doubtful, sure, and with nouns like doubt, question. You can find further examples at these entries.In whether…or not sentences whether is translated by que and the verb that follows is in the subjunctive: whether you agree or not = que vous soyez d'accord ou non. See 2 in the entry below. conj1 (when outcome is uncertain: if) si ; I wasn't sure whether to answer or not ou whether or not to answer je ne savais pas s'il fallait répondre, je n'étais pas sûr qu'il fallait répondre ; I wonder whether it's true je me demande si c'est vrai ; you can't tell whether she's joking or not c'est impossible de savoir si elle plaisante ; they can't decide whether to buy or rent ils n'arrivent pas à décider s'ils doivent acheter ou louer ; can you check whether it's cooked? est-ce que tu peux vérifier si c'est cuit? ; it's not clear whether they've reached an agreement c'est difficile de savoir s'ils sont tombés d'accord ; the question is whether anyone is interested le problème est de savoir si quelqu'un est intéressé ; she was worried about whether to invite them elle se demandait si elle devait les inviter ;2 (when outcome is fixed: no matter if) you're going to school whether you like it or not! tu iras à l'école que cela te plaise ou non! ; whether you have children or not, this book should interest you que vous ayez des enfants ou non, ce livre devrait vous intéresser ; whether or not people are happy is of little importance que les gens soient heureux ou non ce n'est pas très important ; they need an adult whether it be a parent or teacher ils ont besoin d'un adulte que ce soit un parent ou un professeur ; everyone, whether students or townspeople, celebrates tout le monde, que ce soient les étudiants ou les habitants de la ville, fait la fête. -
10 Games and sports
With or without the definite article?French normally uses the definite article with names of games and sports:football= le footballbridge= le bridgechess= les échecs mplmarbles= les billes fplcops and robbers= les gendarmes et les voleursto play football= jouer au footballto play bridge= jouer au bridgeto play chess= jouer aux échecsto play marbles or at marbles= jouer aux billesto play cops and robbers or at cops and robbers= jouer aux gendarmes et aux voleursto like football= aimer le footballto like chess= aimer les échecsBut most compound nouns (e.g. saute-mouton, colin-maillard, pigeon vole) work like this:hide-and-seek= cache-cache mto play at hide-and-seek= jouer à cache-cacheto like hide-and-seek= aimer jouer à cache-cacheNames of other ‘official’ games and sports follow the same pattern as bridge in the following phrases:to play bridge with X against Y= jouer au bridge avec X contre Yto beat sb at bridge= battre qn au bridgeto win at bridge= gagner au bridgeto lose at bridge= perdre au bridgeshe’s good at bridge= elle joue bien au bridgea bridge club= un club de bridgePlayers and eventsa bridge player= un joueur de bridgebutI’m not a bridge player= je ne joue pas au bridgehe’s a good bridge player= il joue bien au bridgea game of bridge= une partie de bridgea bridge champion= un champion de bridgethe French bridge champion= le champion de France de bridgea bridge championship= un championnat de bridgeto win the French championship= gagner le championnat de Francethe rules of bridge= les règles du bridgePlaying cardsThe names of the four suits work like club here:clubs= les trèfles mplto play a club= jouer un trèflea high/low club= un gros/petit trèflethe eight of clubs= le huit de trèflethe ace of clubs= l’as de trèfleI’ve no clubs left= je n’ai plus de trèflehave you any clubs?= as-tu du trèfle?clubs are trumps= l’atout est trèfleto call two clubs= demander deux trèflesOther games’ vocabulary can be found in the dictionary at match, game, set, trick etc. -
11 measuring-tape
nouns (a length of eg plastic, cloth or metal tape, marked with centimetres, metres etc for measuring.) mètre à ruban -
12 pen-friend
nouns (a usually young person (usually living abroad) with whom another (usually young) person regularly exchanges letters: My daughter has pen-friends in India and Spain.) correspondant/-ante -
13 pen-pal
nouns (a usually young person (usually living abroad) with whom another (usually young) person regularly exchanges letters: My daughter has pen-friends in India and Spain.) correspondant/-ante -
14 tape-measure
nouns (a length of eg plastic, cloth or metal tape, marked with centimetres, metres etc for measuring.) mètre à ruban -
15 tea-service
nouns (a set of cups, saucers and plates, sometimes with a teapot and milk-jug.) service à thé -
16 tea-set
nouns (a set of cups, saucers and plates, sometimes with a teapot and milk-jug.) service à thé -
17 Colours
Not all English colour terms have a single exact equivalent in French: for instance, in some circumstances brown is marron, in others brun. If in doubt, look the word up in the dictionary.Colour termswhat colour is it?= c’est de quelle couleur? or (more formally) de quelle couleur est-il?it’s green= il est vert or elle est verteto paint sth green= peindre qch en vertto dye sth green= teindre qch en vertto wear green= porter du vertdressed in green= habillé de vertColour nouns are all masculine in French:I like green= j’aime le vertI prefer blue= je préfère le bleured suits her= le rouge lui va bienit’s a pretty yellow!= c’est un joli jaune!have you got it in white?= est-ce que vous l’avez en blanc?a pretty shade of blue= un joli ton de bleuit was a dreadful green= c’était un vert affreuxa range of greens= une gamme de vertsMost adjectives of colour agree with the noun they modify:a blue coat= un manteau bleua blue dress= une robe bleueblue clothes= des vêtements bleusSome that don’t agree are explained below.Words that are not true adjectivesSome words that translate English adjectives are really nouns in French, and so don’t show agreement:a brown shoe= une chaussure marronorange tablecloths= des nappes fpl orangehazel eyes= des yeux mpl noisetteOther French words like this include: cerise ( cherry-red), chocolat ( chocolate-brown) and émeraude ( emerald-green).Shades of colourExpressions like pale blue, dark green or light yellow are also invariable in French and show no agreement:a pale blue shirt= une chemise bleu pâledark green blankets= des couvertures fpl vert foncéa light yellow tie= une cravate jaune clairbright yellow socks= des chaussettes fpl jaune vifFrench can also use the colour nouns here: instead of une chemise bleu pâle you could say une chemise d’un bleu pâle ; and similarly des couvertures d’un vert foncé (etc). The nouns in French are normally used to translate English adjectives of this type ending in -er and -est:a darker blue= un bleu plus foncéthe dress was a darker blue= la robe était d’un bleu plus foncéSimilarly:a lighter blue= un bleu plus clair (etc.)In the following examples, blue stands for most basic colour terms:pale blue= bleu pâlelight blue= bleu clairbright blue= bleu vifdark blue= bleu foncédeep blue= bleu profondstrong blue= bleu soutenuOther types of compound in French are also invariable, and do not agree with their nouns:a navy-blue jacket= une veste bleu marineThese compounds include: bleu ciel ( sky-blue), vert pomme ( apple-green), bleu nuit ( midnight-blue), rouge sang ( blood-red) etc. However, all English compounds do not translate directly into French. If in doubt, check in the dictionary.French compounds consisting of two colour terms linked with a hyphen are also invariable:a blue-black material= une étoffe bleu-noira greenish-blue cup= une tasse bleu-verta greeny-yellow dress= une robe vert-jauneEnglish uses the ending -ish, or sometimes -y, to show that something is approximately a certain colour, e.g. a reddish hat or a greenish paint. The French equivalent is -âtre:blue-ish= bleuâtregreenish or greeny= verdâtregreyish= grisâtrereddish= rougeâtreyellowish or yellowy= jaunâtreetc.Other similar French words are rosâtre, noirâtre and blanchâtre. Note however that these words are often rather negative in French. It is better not to use them if you want to be complimentary about something. Use instead tirant sur le rouge/jaune etc.To describe a special colour, English can add -coloured to a noun such as raspberry (framboise) or flesh (chair). Note how this is said in French, where the two-word compound with couleur is invariable, and, unlike English, never has a hyphen:a chocolate-coloured skirt= une jupe couleur chocolatraspberry-coloured fabric= du tissu couleur framboiseflesh-coloured tights= un collant couleur chairColour verbsEnglish makes some colour verbs by adding -en (e.g. blacken). Similarly French has some verbs in -ir made from colour terms:to blacken= noircirto redden= rougirto whiten= blanchirThe other French colour terms that behave like this are: bleu (bleuir), jaune (jaunir), rose (rosir) and vert (verdir). It is always safe, however, to use devenir, thus:to turn purple= devenir violetDescribing peopleNote the use of the definite article in the following:to have black hair= avoir les cheveux noirsto have blue eyes= avoir les yeux bleusNote the use of à in the following:a girl with blue eyes= une jeune fille aux yeux bleusthe man with black hair= l’homme aux cheveux noirsNot all colours have direct equivalents in French. The following words are used for describing the colour of someone’s hair (note that les cheveux is plural in French):fair= blonddark= brunblonde or blond= blondbrown= châtain invred= rouxblack= noirgrey= griswhite= blancCheck other terms such as yellow, ginger, auburn, mousey etc. in the dictionary.Note these nouns in French:a fair-haired man= un blonda fair-haired woman= une blondea dark-haired man= un bruna dark-haired woman= une bruneThe following words are useful for describing the colour of someone’s eyes:blue= bleulight blue= bleu clair invlight brown= marron clair invbrown= marron invhazel= noisette invgreen= vertgrey= grisgreyish-green= gris-vert invdark= noir -
18 Numbers
0 zéro*1 un†2 deux3 trois4 quatre5 cinq6 six7 sept8 huit9 neuf10 dix11 onze12 douze13 treize14 quatorze15 quinze16 seize17 dix-sept18 dix-huit19 dix-neuf20 vingt21 vingt et un22 vingt-deux30 trente31 trente et un32 trente-deux40 quarante50 cinquante60 soixante70 soixante-dixseptante (in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland etc.)71 soixante et onzeseptante et un ( etc)72 soixante-douze73 soixante-treize74 soixante-quatorze75 soixante-quinze76 soixante-seize77 soixante-dix-sept78 soixante-dix-nuit79 soixante-dix-neuf80 quatre-vingts‡81 quatre-vingt-un§82 quatre-vingt-deux90 quatre-vingt-dix ; nonante (in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, etc)91 quatre-vingt-onze ; nonante et un92 quatre-vingt-douze ; nonante-deux ( etc.)99 quatre-vingt-dix-neuf100 cent101 cent un†102 cent deux110 cent dix111 cent onze112 cent douze187 cent quatre-vingt-sept200 deux cents250 deux cent|| cinquante300 trois cents1000 || mille1001 mille un†1002 mille deux1020 mille vingt1200 mille** deux cents2000 deux mille††10000 dix mille10200 dix mille deux cents100000 cent mille102000 cent deux mille1000000 un million‡‡1264932 un million deux cent soixante-quatre mille neuf cent trente-deux1000000000 un milliard‡‡1000000000000 un billion‡‡* In English 0 may be called nought, zero or even nothing ; French is always zéro ; a nought = un zéro.† Note that one is une in French when it agrees with a feminine noun, so un crayon but une table, une des tables, vingt et une tables, combien de tables? - il y en a une seule etc.‡ Also huitante in Switzerland. Note that when 80 is used as a page number it has no s, e.g. page eighty = page quatre-vingt.§ Note that vingt has no s when it is in the middle of a number. The only exception to this rule is when quatre-vingts is followed by millions, milliards or billions, e.g. quatre-vingts millions, quatre-vingts billions etc.Note that cent does not take an s when it is in the middle of a number. The only exception to this rule is when it is followed by millions, milliards or billions, e.g. trois cents millions, six cents billions etc. It has a normal plural when it modifies other nouns, e.g. 200 inhabitants = deux cents habitants.|| Note that figures in French are set out differently ; where English would have a comma, French has simply a space. It is also possible in French to use a full stop (period) here, e.g. 1.000. French, like English, writes dates without any separation between thousands and hundreds, e.g. in 1995 = en 1995.** When such a figure refers to a date, the spelling mil is preferred to mille, i.e. en 1200 = en mil deux cents. Note however the exceptions: when the year is a round number of thousands, the spelling is always mille, so en l’an mille, en l’an deux mille etc.†† Mille is invariable ; it never takes an s.‡‡ Note that the French words million, milliard and billion are nouns, and when written out in full they take de before another noun, e.g. a million inhabitants is un million d’habitants, a billion francs is un billion de francs. However, when written in figures, 1,000,000 inhabitants is 1000000 habitants, but is still spoken as un million d’habitants. When million etc. is part of a complex number, de is not used before the nouns, e.g. 6,000,210 people = six millions deux cent dix personnes.Use of enNote the use of en in the following examples:there are six= il y en a sixI’ve got a hundred= j’en ai centEn must be used when the thing you are talking about is not expressed (the French says literally there of them are six, I of them have a hundred etc.). However, en is not needed when the object is specified:there are six apples= il y a six pommesApproximate numbersWhen you want to say about…, remember the French ending -aine:about ten= une dizaineabout ten books= une dizaine de livresabout fifteen= une quinzaineabout fifteen people= une quinzaine de personnesabout twenty= une vingtaineabout twenty hours= une vingtaine d’heuresSimilarly une trentaine, une quarantaine, une cinquantaine, une soixantaine and une centaine ( and une douzaine means a dozen). For other numbers, use environ (about):about thirty-five= environ trente-cinqabout thirty-five francs= environ trente-cinq francsabout four thousand= environ quatre milleabout four thousand pages= environ quatre mille pagesEnviron can be used with any number: environ dix, environ quinze etc. are as good as une dizaine, une quinzaine etc.Note the use of centaines and milliers to express approximate quantities:hundreds of books= des centaines de livresI’ve got hundreds= j’en ai des centaineshundreds and hundreds of fish= des centaines et des centaines de poissonsI’ve got thousands= j’en ai des milliersthousands of books= des milliers de livresthousands and thousands= des milliers et des milliersmillions and millions= des millions et des millionsPhrasesnumbers up to ten= les nombres jusqu’à dixto count up to ten= compter jusqu’à dixalmost ten= presque dixless than ten= moins de dixmore than ten= plus de dixall ten of them= tous les dixall ten boys= les dix garçonsNote the French word order:my last ten pounds= mes dix dernières livresthe next twelve weeks= les douze prochaines semainesthe other two= les deux autresthe last four= les quatre derniersCalculations in FrenchNote that French uses a comma where English has a decimal point.0,25 zéro virgule vingt-cinq0,05 zéro virgule zéro cinq0,75 zéro virgule soixante-quinze3,45 trois virgule quarante-cinq8,195 huit virgule cent quatre-vingt-quinze9,1567 neuf virgule quinze cent soixante-septor neuf virgule mille cinq cent soixante-sept9,3456 neuf virgule trois mille quatre cent cinquante-sixPercentages in French25% vingt-cinq pour cent50% cinquante pour cent100% cent pour cent200% deux cents pour cent365% troix cent soixante-cinq pour cent4,25% quatre virgule vingt-cinq pour centFractions in FrenchOrdinal numbers in French§1st 1er‡ premier ( feminine première)2nd 2e second or deuxième3rd 3e troisième4th 4e quatrième5th 5e cinquième6th 6e sixième7th 7e septième8th 8e huitième9th 9e neuvième10th 10e dixième11th 11e onzième12th 12e douzième13th 13e treizième14th 14e quatorzième15th 15e quinzième16th 16e seizième17th 17e dix-septième18th 18e dix-huitième19th 19e dix-neuvième20th 20e vingtième21st 21e vingt et unième22nd 22e vingt-deuxième23rd 23e vingt-troisième24th 24e vingt-quatrième25th 25e vingt-cinquième30th 30e trentième31st 31e trente et unième40th 40e quarantième50th 50e cinquantième60th 60e soixantième70th 70e soixante-dixième or septantième (in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland etc.)71st 71e soixante et onzième or septante et unième (etc.)72nd 72e soixante-douzième73rd 73e soixante-treizième74th 74e soixante-quatorzième75th 75e soixante-quinzième76th 76e soixante-seizième77th 77e soixante-dix-septième78th 78e soixante-dix-huitième79th 79e soixante-dix-neuvième80th 80e quatre-vingtième¶81st 81e quatre-vingt-unième90th 90e quatre-vingt-dixième or nonantième (in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland etc.)91st 91e quatre-vingt-onzième, or nonante et unième (etc.)99th 99e quatre-vingt-dix-neuvième100th 100e centième101st 101e cent et unième102nd 102e cent-deuxième196th 196e cent quatre-vingt-seizième200th 200e deux centième300th 300e trois centième400th 400e quatre centième1,000th 1000e millième2,000th 2000e deux millième1,000,000th 1000000e millionièmeLike English, French makes nouns by adding the definite article:the firstthe second= le second (or la seconde etc.)the first three= les trois premiers or les trois premièresNote the French word order in:the third richest country in the world= le troisième pays le plus riche du monde* Note that half, when not a fraction, is translated by the noun moitié or the adjective demi ; see the dictionary entry.† Note the use of les and d’entre when these fractions are used about a group of people or things: two-thirds of them = les deux tiers d’entre eux.‡ This is the masculine form ; the feminine is 1re and the plural 1ers (m) or 1res (f).§ All the ordinal numbers in French behave like ordinary adjectives and take normal plural endings where appropriate.¶ Also huitantième in Switzerland. -
19 Swiss cantons
All names of cantons are masculine, and the definite article is normally used:Ticino= le TessinValais= le ValaisGraubünden= les GrisonsSo:I like Ticino= j’aime le Tessinthe Valais is beautiful= le Valais est beaudo you know Graubünden?= connaissez-vous les Grisons?Many cantons have names which are also names of towns. If you are not sure of the name in French, le canton de X is usually safe, and in some cases this is the only form available, as, for instance, le canton de Vaud ( because le Vaud sounds like le veau = the calf). Similarly it is usual to say le canton de Lucerne, le canton de Berne, le canton de Fribourg to distinguish them from the towns bearing those names).In, to and from somewhereto live in the Valais= vivre dans le Valaisto go to the Valais= aller dans le Valaisto come from the Valais= venir du Valaisto live in Graubünden= vivre dans les Grisonsto go to Graubünden= aller dans les Grisonsto come from Graubünden= venir des Grisonsto live in the Vaud= vivre dans le canton de Vaudto go to the Vaud= aller dans le canton de Vaudto come from the Vaud= venir du canton de VaudUses with other nounsThere are a number of words used as adjectives and as nouns referring to the people of the canton, e.g.: bernois, valaisan, vaudois. When nouns, these start with a capital letter.However, it is always safe to make a phrase with du, de l’ or des:a Valais accent= un accent du Valaisthe Graubünden area= la région des Grisonsthe Vaud countryside= les paysages du canton de Vaud -
20 French provinces and regions
Both traditional pre-Revolution regions and modern administrative regions usually take the definite article as in l’Alsace, la Champagne etc.:I like Alsace= j’aime l’AlsaceChampagne is beautiful= la Champagne est belleFor names which have a compound form, such as Midi-Pyrénées or Rhône-Alpes, it is safer to include the words la région:do you know Midi-Pyrénées?= connaissez-vous la région Midi-Pyrénées?In, to and from somewhereThere are certain general principles regarding names of French provinces and regions. However, usage is sometimes uncertain ; doubtful items should be checked in the dictionary.For in and to, with feminine names and with masculine ones beginning with a vowel, use en without the definite article:to live in Burgundy= vivre en Bourgogneto go to Burgundy= aller en Bourgogneto live in Anjou= vivre en Anjouto go to Anjou= aller en AnjouFor in and to with masculine names beginning with a consonant, use dans le:to live in the Berry= vivre dans le Berryto go to the Berry= aller dans le BerryFor from with feminine names and with masculine ones beginning with a vowel, use de without the definite article:to come from Burgundy= venir de Bourgogneto come from Anjou= venir d’AnjouFor from with masculine names beginning with a consonant, use du:to come from the Berry= venir du BerryRegional adjectivesRelated adjectives and nouns exist for most of the names of provinces and regions. Here is a list of the commonest:an Alsace accent= un accent alsacienAlsace costume= le costume alsacienthe Alsace countryside= les paysages alsaciensAlsace traditions= les traditions alsaciennesAlsace villages= les villages alsaciensThese words can also be used as nouns, meaning a person from X ; in this case they are written with a capital letter:a person from Alsace= un Alsacienan Alsace woman= une Alsaciennethe people of Alsace= les Alsaciens mplBig English-French dictionary > French provinces and regions
См. также в других словарях:
Nouns (album) — Nouns Studio album by No Age Released May 8, 2008 Recorded … Wikipedia
with a difference — 1. With something special 2. In a special way • • • Main Entry: ↑differ * * * with a difference phrase used for saying that something is more interesting or unusual than other similar things It was a wedding with a difference – the bride wore… … Useful english dictionary
Romanian nouns — This article on Romanian nouns is related to the Romanian grammar and belongs to a series of articles on the Romanian language. It describes the morphology of the noun in this language, and includes details about its declension according to… … Wikipedia
Bulgarian nouns — have the categories grammatical gender, number, case (only vocative) and definiteness. A noun has one of three specific grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) and two numbers (singular and plural), With cardinal numbers and some… … Wikipedia
Sesotho nouns — Notes: *The orthography used in this and related articles is that of South Africa, not Lesotho. For a discussion of the differences between the two see the notes on Sesotho orthography. *Hovering the mouse cursor over most H:title| [ɪ talɪk] |… … Wikipedia
Spanish nouns — The Spanish language has nouns that express concrete objects, groups and classes of objects, qualities, feelings and other abstractions. All nouns have a conventional grammatical gender. Countable nouns inflect for number (singular and plural).… … Wikipedia
Gender-neutrality in languages with grammatical gender — implies promoting language usage which is balanced in its treatment of the genders. For example, advocates of gender neutral language challenge the traditional use of masculine nouns and pronouns ( man , businessman , he , and so on) when… … Wikipedia
List of English words with disputed usage — Some English words are often used in ways that are contentious between writers on usage and prescriptive commentators. The contentious usages are especially common in spoken English. While in some circles the usages below may make the speaker… … Wikipedia
Slovene nouns — In Slovene, nouns, which are used to define a person, place, or a thing, as well as adjectives, which describe the attributes of a noun, are declined for 6 cases and 3 numbers (singular, dual, and plural). This section presents an overview of the … Wikipedia
German nouns — A German noun has one of three specific grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) and belongs to one of three declension classes, only partly dependent of gender. A fourth declension is used for plural declension. These features remain… … Wikipedia
Persian nouns — have no grammatical gender, and the case markers have been greatly reduced since Old Persian both characteristics of contact languages. Persian nouns now mark with a postpositive only for the specific accusative case; the other oblique cases are… … Wikipedia