#realalchemist

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

wicked patioBOT
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Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

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Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

lethal apex
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in this context

sharp coyote
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How would you say well? As in, "well, no. I'm actually American?

lethal apex
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A few ways this could be done. You don't necessarily translate this all word for word

Eh ben, non, je suis américain
En fait, non, je suis américain
Ben, non, je suis en fait américain

Ben here being a common shortening of bien

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Bah, non, je suis américain, depending on level of indignation

sharp coyote
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Why do you remove the 'Eh' at the begining when you add the "en fait"?

lethal apex
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Just a vibes thing, honestly. There's a lot of mix-and-match that you can do by feeling

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It's one of those things that becomes more clear and natural as you progress

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You could easily leave it in

sharp coyote
lethal apex
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Yes. These are two entirely unrelated concepts and words in French

sharp coyote
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Does the meaning change because of the shortening of it or because of the context?

lethal apex
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Well, to say get well soon in french, you wouldn't use bien/ben. You'd say "bon rétablissement"

sharp coyote
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Yes but I just meant the meaning of the word well?

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Like I'm doing well

lethal apex
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In that case you would use bien, without shortening it -> Je vais bien

There's a nuance here between bien and ben that I can't express properly, especially since my dialect will use ben in a lot of place European French can't or won't

sharp coyote
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Ok

lethal apex
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Essentially, in most cases, you should use bien, but when it's more of an expletive marking resignation, indignation, surprise, or just as a filler word, ben works

lilac nest