Verb transfers and confusing verbs
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this book. But I’ve chosen this layout for this chapter because of the immense power—con-
scious and unconscious—of English syntactic and idiomatic patterns. These patterns are the
main cause of negative transfers.
Here are some examples of the negative transfer:
“I returned the book,” said Anne
« J’ai retourné le livre », a dit Anne au
to the librarian.
bibliothécaire.
Since Anne returned the book, but didn’t turn it over with its cover facing the desk, the cor-
rect translation is:
« J’ai rendu le livre », dit Anne au bibliothécaire.
Michael really needs to get into the habit of finishing his homework. Tempting as it may be to
start translating this sentence as XMichael doit prendre l’habit de finir ses devoirs, it would
comically undermine the meaning of the original sentence, for in French, prendre l’habit means
to take the habit, that is, join a religious order.
Naturally, I am not recommending translation from English into French as a method of
learning! However, in certain situations, especially for the native English speaker who doesn’t
think in French, it is necessary to shed light on the initial stages of forming a French phrase, for
they encompass unconscious or barely conscious thought processes that are informed by the
speaker’s tacit knowledge of rules pertaining to his or her own language. This, of course, does not
call into question the fundamental principle that for a bilingual person, learning, so to speak,
moves in both directions. Nevertheless, in this particular context, using English as a starting
point will, as we shall see, yield many valuable insights.
To have
The temptation to overuse this verb, in both languages, should not surprise us: owing to its
remarkable versatility and universality, this verb may, covering a wide semantic field, fit into a
variety of phrases and expressions. However, count to ten when you feel the urge to “cut and
paste” the English semantic field of have into a French phrase that you feel will work with avoir.
Remember that highly idiomatic phrases are particularly dangerous. For example: Thanks for
having me should not be translated as
XMerci de m’avoir eu(e), for that means
Thanks for playing
a trick on me. The proper sentence is
Merci de m’avoir invité(e).
As a rule, French is often more precise than English:
Pierre has many friends among artists.
Pierre compte beaucoup d’amis parmi les artistes.
Here are some other examples:
May I have another look?
Je peux jeter un autre coup d’œil?
We had a goat cheese sandwich in
Nous avons mangé un sandwich au fromage de
the park.
chèvre dans le parc.
They had breakfast in the garden.
Ils ont pris le petit déjeuner dans le jardin.
Ambroise had another serving of egg
Ambroise a repris de la quiche lorraine.
and bacon quiche.
I had lunch with my best friend yesterday. J’ai déjeuné avec mon meilleur ami hier.
We have dinner at 8 o’clock.
Nous dînons à 20 heures.
My grandfather always had a
Mon grand-père buvait toujours un cognac
cognac after dinner.
après le dîner.
Adèle had sex with Jonas last weekend.
Adèle a couché avec Jonas le week-end dernier.
Did you have a nice evening with
Tu as passé une bonne soirée avec tes amis?
your friends?
This summer, they had a lot of visitors in
Cet été, ils ont reçu beaucoup de monde dans
their country house.
leur maison de campagne.
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practice makes perfect Complete French All-in-One
Elizabeth had a good time with her
Elizabeth a passé de bons moments avec ses
friends in Spain.
amis en Espagne.
Have fun!
Amuse-toi!/Amusez-vous bien!
Jacques had a hard time last year.
Jacques a traversé une période difficile l’année
dernière.
I am sure you’ll have a very nice
Je suis sûr que vous passerez de bonnes
vacation in Scotland.
vacances en Écosse.
Can I have my books back?
Tu peux me rendre mes livres?
Noémie had a pink cap on.
Noémie portait une casquette rose.
You’d better go now before it starts
Il vaut mieux que vous partiez avant qu’il
raining.
pleuve.
Violaine had her hair cut.
Violaine s’est fait couper les cheveux.
The music teacher soon had them
Le professeur de musique a réussi très vite à les
all singing in tune.
faire chanter juste.
“Yvon, you have not done your homework!” —Yvon, tu n’as pas fait tes devoirs!—Mais si!
“Yes, I have!”
“You have lied to your sister!”
—Tu as menti à ta sœur!—Mais non!
“No, I haven’t!”
I’ve had it!
J’en ai marre!
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