Learning French language

Thread: Learning French language

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  1. Lyssa's Avatar

    Lyssa said:

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    The word "pas" has different meanings. It can be "a step", "the doorfront" = le pas de la porte or it can be used in negation with "ne pas" = not to. Exemple: Ne fais pas ça! = Don't do this!

    "Rien" is pronounced with a sound that doesn't exist in spanish, you can listen to this song to know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThYh4dBaEls

    As for the structure of sentences, could you give any exemple in english to translate? You want to know the order of words right? Basically it's Verb+ Noun + Adjectiv
     
  2. Anubisu's Avatar

    Anubisu said:

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    That song is hilarious! And I noted the pronunciation is like the "rr" in Spanish but made with the throat (...somehow) instead with the tongue.

    Okay, I have some examples in diferent tenses so you can translate (kind of homework)

    • Los niños alegres van rápidamente al lago.
    The cheerful children quickly go to the lake.

    • Estoy caminando sobre mis pasos todo el tiempo.
    I am walking over my steps all the time

    • El libro que encontramos en tu casa era interesante.
    The book that we found in your house was interesting.

    • Expertos doctores estuvieron operando a sus pacientes por varias horas.
    Expert doctors were operating their pacients for several hours

    • Ayer hizo bastante frío en toda la zona sur.
    Yesterday it was quite cold in the whole south zone

    • La verdad se sabrá pronto.
    The truth will be known soon.

    • ¿Cantarán las aves o estarán durmiendo?
    Will the birds sing or will them be sleeping?

    Oh, another thing... The adjetive in Spanish can be both, before and after the noun.. Is this so in French?

    Thank You!
    ~Ichi to sen toki boku ga okite iru yume mita shizuka ni naiteta~
     
  3. Lyssa's Avatar

    Lyssa said:

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    It's a "classique" xd

    As for your sentences:

    • Los niños alegres van rápidamente al lago.
    The cheerful children quickly go to the lake.
    Les enfants joyeux vont rapidement au lac

    • Estoy caminando sobre mis pasos todo el tiempo.
    I am walking over my steps all the time
    Je marche sur mes pas tout le temps [ litteral translation but it doesn't have sense because I don't know how to understand "SOBRE mis pasos"?? Is it an expression? ]

    • El libro que encontramos en tu casa era interesante.
    The book that we found in your house was interesting.
    Le livre que nous avons trouvé dans ta maison était intéressant.

    • Expertos doctores estuvieron operando a sus pacientes por varias horas.
    Expert doctors were operating their pacients for several hours
    Des docteurs experts opéraient leurs patients durant plusieurs heures

    • Ayer hizo bastante frío en toda la zona sur.
    Yesterday it was quite cold in the whole south zone
    Hier, il faisait assez froid dans toute la zone sud [ du pays (of the country)]

    • La verdad se sabrá pronto.
    The truth will be known soon.
    La vérité se saura bientot

    • ¿Cantarán las aves o estarán durmiendo?
    Will the birds sing or will them be sleeping?
    Les oiseaux chanteront-ils ou seront-ils endormis?

    The adjective can be before or after the word but it can change the meaning and it depends on the adjectives!
    Exemple: "Un grand homme" : a great man, meaning he did some amazing things in his life; "un homme grand" : a tall man
     
  4. Anubisu's Avatar

    Anubisu said:

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    Oh, I see it's not so different from the Spanish structure.. just the position of the adjetive and the conjugation.. which it's not easy, but neither impossible.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lyssa View Post
    [ litteral translation but it doesn't have sense because I don't know how to understand "SOBRE mis pasos"?? Is it an expression? ]
    Yes, it is an expression meaning something like "walking in circles" or anything like that.. doing something you already did =)
    I just wanted to know the order of each part of a sentence, so it doesn't really matters the meaning.. you did well in translating it literally =)

    Merci beaucoup Lyssa!
    ~Ichi to sen toki boku ga okite iru yume mita shizuka ni naiteta~
     
  5. Lyssa's Avatar

    Lyssa said:

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    I think the conjugation is way more difficult than in Spanish xD There are some tenses more ... But practising it'll be fine^^

    Oh I see, in French it would be something like "revenir sur ses pas" [ revenir = to come back ]

    De nada
     
  6. Loca-por-Ba!le's Avatar

    Loca-por-Ba!le said:

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    We say: "Ne complète pas" or "Ne pas complete" en l'infinitif ?

    Merci in advane.
     
  7. Kikyo Maaka's Avatar

    Kikyo Maaka said:

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    Quote Originally Posted by Loca-por-Ba!le View Post
    We say: "Ne complète pas" or "Ne pas complete" en l'infinitif ?

    Merci in advane.
    "Ne complète pas."

    Simple negation should be like this:

    subject (if it's in the sentence) + ne + verb conjugated with your subject + pas

    ex.
    je ne veux pas ça. (I don't want that.)

    il ne fait pas son travail. (He's not doing his work.)

    As a random side-note, the phrase you gave above is an imperative phrase, and the "subject" is thought to be the singular "you" due to how the verb is conjugated.

    Someone can correct if wrong
    こんにちわ! 私わ真紅起居! どうぞ宜しく!
    コスタス♥
    - "Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison..." -
     
  8. Loca-por-Ba!le's Avatar

    Loca-por-Ba!le said:

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    Merci Kikyo 4 replaying. But, I'm sorry, I mistaked . I typed "infinitive" instead of "prohibition". So, I do know the negation rule u wrote above, and I wanted to ask about the prohibition rule. How to say such this phrase in French: "Don't do something"?
    ThanX in advance.
     
  9. Lyssa's Avatar

    Lyssa said:

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    Don't do "something" = Ne fais pas "ça"; the structure is the same as for the negation actually, you just have to use impératif to make a prohibition

    exemple: Je ne vais pas au cinéma = I don't go to the cinema (negation, indicatif )
    Ne vas pas au cinéma! = Don't go to the cinema! (prohibition, impératif)
     
  10. Derin89's Avatar

    Derin89 said:

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    Can someone explain this to me, when someone's tired/fed up of something they say "J'en ai par-dessus la tete" what does this literally mean? I have (of) them down with the head? I can't make any meaningful conclusion with this guess lol
    Bana muvaffakiyetsizlestiricilestiriveremeyebilecekleri mizdenmissinizcesineden daha uzun bir kelime bul çekirge.
     
  11. Lyssa's Avatar

    Lyssa said:

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    Literally, something like: "that's too much, it's going over my head"
    Meaning, that's more than one can stand. If someone is getting on you nerves constantly, there is a point when you can't take it any longer, it's going over you head ! ( I don't know how to say it properly in english, is it understandable? )
     
  12. Derin89's Avatar

    Derin89 said:

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    Ah oui je comprends parfaitement maintenant. Merci Lyssa!
    Bana muvaffakiyetsizlestiricilestiriveremeyebilecekleri mizdenmissinizcesineden daha uzun bir kelime bul çekirge.
     
  13. ~Sav~ said:

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    Bonjour tout le monde! I live in the french part of Canada, so it's very important for me to know proper french. I'm not that good, since I speak english at home, and it's always very embarrassing to ask people about the proper grammar, since everyone else knows it perfectly. So I thought I'd sign up here, and get to know some people. Who knows, I might actually be able to help out a bit!

    Any way, here's my first question: how do we know when to use "tout" or "tous"?

    Merci!
     
  14. Måneblomst's Avatar

    Måneblomst said:

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    that depends: when "tout" is an adjective (meaning all, any, every, etc) it can be
    tout= masculine singular
    toute= feminine singular
    tous= masculine plural
    toutes= feminine plural

    for example: tous mes amis all my friends
    toutes mes amies all my friends ( feminine)
    tous les garçons (all the boys)
    toutes les filles (all the girls)
    tout le temps all the time
    toute la journée all day

    when tout is an adverb, it almost never changes
    for example: tout près very near
    Ils sont tout seuls. They are all alone.

    but there's an exception and that's when there's a feminine adjective that begins with a consonant:
    Elle est toute petite. She is very small.
    Elles sont toutes petites They are very small.

    so when "tout" is an adverb there's tout, toute or toutes.

    I hope you understand

    and BTW I'm also from Canada and no one knows all the French grammar rules perfectly!
    Twój świat kręci się wokół mnie
    En pige danser i flammernes skær
    Måneblomst hun danser som den varme vind og ulvene hyler i nat ★
     
  15. ~Sav~ said:

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    Thanks for that, I understand now!

    I go to a french private school with only 150 students accepted per year, it goes without saying we're all goody two shoes and know our grammar! :P
     
  16. Derin89's Avatar

    Derin89 said:

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    Pouvez-vous me dire quelle est la difference entre "C'est une histoire incroyable" est "C'est une incroyable histoire" ?

    And can someone translate the following too: "Chaque année de nouveaux magazines sont lancés, certains sont tres beaux et tres original"

    Merci en avance.
    Bana muvaffakiyetsizlestiricilestiriveremeyebilecekleri mizdenmissinizcesineden daha uzun bir kelime bul çekirge.
     
  17. DeBaires's Avatar

    DeBaires said:

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    Quote Originally Posted by Derin89 View Post
    Pouvez-vous me dire quelle est la difference entre "C'est une histoire incroyable" est "C'est une incroyable histoire" ?

    And can someone translate the following too: "Chaque année de nouveaux magazines sont lancés, certains sont tres beaux et tres original"

    Merci en avance.
    I believe that when an adjective is placed before the noun, as in the second phrase, it's done to give more emphasis; "It's a very unbelievable/unconvincing story"/"The story is really unbelievable/unconvincing."

    I think there's a typo or 2 & should be "des nouveaux magazines..." & "...et tres originaux."

    "Every/Each year some new magazines are launched/put out, certain ones are very beautiful & very orginal."
    Nu ştiu de ce lupt aşa pentru tine.
    Ti it l'avìe tut ma adess 't as nen gnente.
    Exchange the sunshine for brown eyes & dark skies, replace this dull life with you.
     
  18. Avoss's Avatar

    Avoss said:

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    Quote Originally Posted by DeBaires View Post
    I think there's a typo or 2 & should be "des nouveaux magazines..." &
    "de nouveaux magazines" is also correct imho ! And prettier in this sentence (for my belgian ears ).

    About the adjective, I agree with you ; here, I think the meaning is not that different.

    But in some cases it can be really different ! Example :
    Un homme grand : the man is big in size
    Un grand homme : its rather a man who has done important things in his life

    Voilà
     
  19. Ithane said:

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    Salut, est-ce que je peux demander votre aide s’il vous plait ?
    Je parle français un peu lors je ne suis pas sûre mais je voudrais dire en français (light) which can’t be without darkness et past of the future and future of the past.
    Est-ce que mes traductions bonnes : (lumière) qui ne peut pas être sans obscurité et du passé de l’avenir et de l’avenir du passé ?
    Merci beaucoup.
     
  20. Avoss's Avatar

    Avoss said:

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    Oui

    Pour la deuxième, je dirais plutôt "passé de l'avenir et avenir du passé" (mais c'est difficile avec la phrase hors contexte).