What this seminar will cover
What this seminar will cover • Important factors to bear in mind when choosing a bilingual dictionary • How to use the dictionary navigation tools to get to the right answer quickly and efficiently • Abbreviations and symbols used in the dictionary • How the dictionary can help you with: • irregular plurals • gender • idioms • word order • subjunctive • How the dictionary can help you with verbs: • • • tense, subject and object transitive and intransitive verbs reflexive, impersonal, and phrasal verbs • Avoiding mistakes • Extra features 1 © Oxford University Press 2005 What any good dictionary should offer • Range of vocabulary • Up-to-date vocabulary • Ease of use • Clarity of design • Clear entry structure • Large number of examples • Pointers towards the right translation • Help with forming sentences in French • Sample letters and CVs, verb tables, and other helpful material • And – only with the Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary – a free pronunciation CD-ROM that lets you type in any French word, phrase, or sentence and hear it spoken back so you can practise speaking French for presentations or exams 2 © Oxford University Press 2005 What your dictionary can help you with son/sa/ses? examples using let in the perfect tense? register? warning that téléphoner is followed by à in this context? His dad didn’t let me phone my friend Sarah. finding let = allow quickly? examples showing let + another verb in infinitive? mon/ma/mes? Son père ne m’a pas laissé téléphoner à mon amie Sarah. 3 © Oxford University Press 2005 Navigating the dictionary • French-English section first, then English-French • grey-edged section in the middle separates the two sides • printed thumb tabs on the outside margin of every page show which letter appears on that page • ‘running heads’ at the top of the page show the first and last words on that page NB: All this applies to the Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary. Other dictionaries may have different conventions. 4 © Oxford University Press 2005 The sequence of grammatical categories English – French Start Programs • Noun Either: • Adjective • Adjective • Adverb • Noun • Verb • Idioms Microsoft Word French – English • Adverb Or: • Transitive verb • Phrasal verbs (e.g. pull in, drop off) • Intransitive verb • Reflexive verb • Impersonal verb Document NB: All this applies to the OxfordHachette French Dictionary. Other dictionaries may have different conventions. 5 © Oxford University Press 2005 Then: • Compounds • Idioms Navigating an English-French entry (I) headword phonetics noun translations given with gender meaning signposts in parentheses grammatical categories contextualizations in square brackets senses within grammatical categories contextualization after verb = object contextualization before verb = subject swung dash replaces headword register Informal very informal vulgar or taboo phrasal verbs at end of entry 6 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Navigating an English-French entry (II) a kindly face kindly: adjective or adverb? narrow the meaning by using context un visage sympathique 7 © Oxford University Press 2005 Elle a souri avec gentillesse © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Navigating a French-English entry nouns are listed with their gender links to verb tables at back of dictionary warnings of translation traps 8 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Common Grammatical Categories 9 adj adjective describes a noun sad, triste adv adverb tells you how sth is done comfortably, confortablement art article definite article: the indefinite article: a the, le, la, les a, un, une aux auxiliary verb used with main verb to show tense she has arrived elle est arrivée conj conjunction links two phrases because, car n noun thing, person or idea life, vie pp past participle forms perfect tense with aux verb I have eaten j’ai mangé prep preposition used with noun to show position near, près de pron pronoun stands instead of a noun he, il pron poss possessive pronoun word used to show who sth belongs to his, her, son, sa vpr reflexive verb verb requiring a reflexive pronoun to trouble oneself, se donner la peine © Oxford University Press 2005 Grammatical Categories Exercise Match these words with the correct part of speech 10 © Oxford University Press 2005 crabe vpr bleuâtre prep parfaitement nm remarqué pp bagages conj se lever adj ou adv sur mpl Swung Dash (or Tilde) ~ and Hyphen The swung dash stands for the whole headword so the ending is added: The hyphen indicates the feminine ending replaces the masculine one: destitute les ~s the destitute, the poor un mouvement gracieux, une danse gracieuse Subject Field Labels Zool = Zoological Equit = Équitation • Check the list of subject field labels in the abbreviations list inside the front cover of the dictionary to see whether it covers areas you are interested in 11 © Oxford University Press 2005 Regional Usage GB = British usage US = American usage Can = Canadian usage Aus = Australian usage Helv = Swiss usage Belg = Belgian usage Ir = Irish usage Scot = Scottish usage Register péj, pej = pejorative informal lit = literal very informal fig = figurative vulgar or taboo hum = humorous pejorative = contempt or disapproval figurative = metaphorical 12 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Sentence patterns sb (somebody) qn (quelqu’un) sth (something) qch (quelque chose) shows pattern: permettre à qn de faire qch = to allow sb to do sth verb + à + person + de + verb + thing Ils permettent à leurs enfants d’aller en ville. They allow their children to go into town. à qn shows you must use à with the person shows pattern: montrer qch à qn = to show sth to sb verb + thing + à + person I showed Pete my new phone. J’ai montré mon nouveau portable à Pete. qch à qn shows: • The thing must come before the person in French • You must use à with the person 13 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Phonetics des 14 © Oxford University Press 2005 hôtels des haricots © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Irregular Plurals lice lice = poux Cross-checking is particularly useful for adjectives ending in –al: plural is géniaux plural is bancals And for hyphenated words: plural is bandes-annonces plural is bandes-son 15 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Gender 1 2 3 4 8 5 6 7 16 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Idioms Idiom = a saying whose meaning has evolved so that it is now different from the original literal meaning of the key words within it. It was a difficult decision for Carol, and it was a long time before she could bring herself to grasp the nettle. Louis peut sortir s’il veut; moi, j’ai d’autres chats à fouetter. 17 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Word Order shows constructio n where word order changes: 18 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Expressions requiring the subjunctive warning note: shows when subjunctive is required: note use of subjunctive: 19 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Verb Basics Types of verbs: • Transitive and Intransitive • Reflexive • Impersonal • English phrasal verbs Other help with verbs: • Verb tables • Verb complementation 20 © Oxford University Press 2005 Quick refresher on grammatical verb terms (I) • Tense = present, future, past, conditional, imperfect etc. • Subject = the noun or pronoun that causes the action of the verb – Gertrude loves Eric = Gertrude aime Eric – The dog ate the meat = Le chien a mangé la viande • Object = the word or group of words which is affected by the action indicated by the verb – Gertrude loves Eric = Gertrude aime Eric – The dog ate the meat = Le chien a mangé la viande 21 © Oxford University Press 2005 Quick refresher on grammatical verb terms (II) • Objects can be further divided into direct and indirect objects: • Direct object = the noun or pronoun directly affected by the verb - Gertrude aime Eric = Gertrude loves Eric - Gertrude l’aime = Gertrude loves him - Le chien a mangé la viande = The dog ate the meat - Le chien l’a mangée = The dog ate it • Indirect object = the noun or pronoun indirectly affected by the verb. In English, indirect objects are usually preceded by a preposition (from, to, at, etc.) - Gertrude parle à Eric = Gertrude speaks to Eric - Gertrude lui parle = Gertrude speaks to him (or to her) - Eric sourit à Gertrude = Eric smiles at Gertrude - Eric lui sourit = Eric smiles at her 22 © Oxford University Press 2005 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs (I) Transitive verbs = vtr (verbe transitif ) = verbs used with direct object • • • I wrote the letter = J’ai écrit la lettre Gertrude loves Eric and Wilhelmina = Gertrude aime Eric et Wilhelmina She loves them = Elle les aime Intransitive verbs = vi (verbe intransitif ) = verbs that do not have an object • He died yesterday = Il est mort hier • She ran very fast = Elle a couru très vite • Eric and Wilhelmina left yesterday = Eric et Wilhelmina sont partis hier • Transitive verbs do something to the object that follows them. • Intransitive verbs stand on their own without an object following them. 23 © Oxford University Press 2005 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs (II) • The same verb can be used both transitively and intransitively: • sortir - Elle a sorti son deuxième album = She brought out her second album = transitive use (son deuxième album = direct object) - Elle est sortie = She went out = intransitive use (no object) • rentrer - Il a rentré la voiture = He brought the car in = transitive use (la voiture = direct object) - Il est rentré = He came back = intransitive use (no object) • scatter - He scattered his papers = transitive use (his papers = direct object) - The birds scattered = intransitive use (no object) 24 © Oxford University Press 2005 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Exercise éparpiller: Il a éparpillé ses vêtements transitive (vtr) and intransitive (vi) dispersés takes an extra -e 25 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 se disperser: les oiseaux se sont dispersés Reflexive Verbs (I) • English-French: v refl = reflexive verb • French-English: vpr = verbe pronominal • Reflexive verbs are verbs whose subject is the same as their object. They describe what you do to yourself. They are conjugated with être. • Reflexive verbs are used with an extra pronoun, called a ‘reflexive pronoun’: myself, yourself, yourselves, themselves, etc / me, te, se etc - Je me lève = I get up - Puis je me lave et je me brosse les dents = I wash myself and brush my teeth (literally = brush to myself the teeth) • The same verb can be used reflexively and not reflexively: - Elle a ouvert la porte = She opened the door - La porte s’est ouverte = The door opened 26 © Oxford University Press 2005 Reflexive Verbs (II) 1st pers singular je me je ne me rappelle pas les mots/chiffres exacts I don't remember the actual words/figures 2nd pers singular tu te pour qui est-ce que tu te prends? who do you think you are? 3rd pers singular il/elle/on se l'action se passe à Beyrouth the action takes place in Beirut 1st pers plural nous nous nous nous sommes disputés avec nos professeurs we had a confrontation with our teachers 2nd pers plural vous vous vous vous trompez fort you are sadly mistaken 3rd pers plural ils/elles se ils ne se sont pas vraiment plaints they didn't actually complain • Remember: just because a verb is reflexive in the source language, it doesn’t mean it’s reflexive in the target language. None of the examples in this table is translated by a reflexive verb in English. • A reflexive verb table showing a model verb, s’adonner, is on p 1925 at the back of the Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary. 27 © Oxford University Press 2005 Impersonal Verbs • Impersonal verbs = v impers throughout the dictionary • Impersonal verbs use the impersonal pronoun it or il: – Il faut que tu sois prêt = You must/It is necessary that you be ready – Il pleut = It is raining • Falloir and neiger are the only verbs that only ever take il English Phrasal Verbs • Phrasal verbs are at the end of the entry, marked Phrasal verbs • verb + preposition or adverb e.g. run away • Other examples: give up, take off, let down • There are no phrasal verbs in French 28 © Oxford University Press 2005 Verb Tables Verbs are listed at their infinitive form: we went to Italy they bought a DVD elles veulent partir j’ai mis la table je me suis trompé il s’agit de ta santé Wellington defeated Napoleon look up the infinitive go look up the infinitive buy look up the infinitive vouloir look up the infinitive mettre look up the infinitive tromper look up the infinitive agir check against verb table 57 at the back past participle Wellington a vaincu Napoléon 29 © Oxford University Press 2005 Verb Complementation (I) = the range of structures that can be used after any given verb • There are many different patterns of verb complementation in French, e.g.: verb + que + indicative (verb form used to express factual statements or questions) verb + que + subjunctive (verb form used to express hypothetical statements) 30 Je crois qu’il fait de son mieux. Je ne crois pas qu’il fasse de son mieux. verb + à + faire Il a commencé à pleurer. verb + de + faire Elle a décidé de voyager. © Oxford University Press 2005 Verb Complementation (II) She allowed Matt to go out permettre à qn de faire qch = to allow sb to do sth Elle a permis à Matt de sortir She wanted him to leave to want sb to do = vouloir que qn fasse Elle voulait qu’il parte • The dictionary entry gives you information on all these constructions. 31 © Oxford University Press 2005 Adapting examples Careful! Sometimes you may need to adapt a given translation Nouns: • may have irregular plurals • may require modifications to determiners or possessive adjectives (e.g. mon ► ma or mes) • feminine nouns may require accompanying adjectives to add -e • if you refer back to feminine nouns in a following sentence, the pronoun will be elle/elles or la/les Verbs: • need to be in the correct form, unless the sentence uses the infinitive • need the appropriate reflexive pronoun, if they are reflexive (e.g. nous nous moquons de lui) • need to use the right structures (e.g. permettre à qn de faire qch) 32 © Oxford University Press 2005 Cross-checking Cross-checking on the other side of the dictionary helps when: • a French word has several meanings • you are unsure which French translation to choose • you don’t know if the French word you know can be used in a certain context • you want to check the plural or feminine form • you want to know how to conjugate the verb 33 © Oxford University Press 2005 What else can a good dictionary offer you? 1 Information about life and culture 2 Thematic boxes explaining grammatical points and giving extra vocabulary, crossreferenced from the headword 3 Correspondence – letters, CVs, emails, and linking vocabulary useful for essays Letter openings The standard opening greeting for personal correspondence is Cher/Chère 4 French verb tables 34 © Oxford University Press 2005 in other words In other words, we must be wary of hasty judgments. Autant dire qu’il faut se méfier de jugements hâtifs. © Oxford Hachette Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860363-0 Review (I) • Important factors to bear in mind when choosing a bilingual dictionary • Navigating through an entry – English-French, then French-English • Explaining abbreviations and symbols: • common grammatical categories • swung dash (or tilde) and hyphen • subject field labels • regional labels • register labels • sb, sth, qn, and qch • phonetics • How the dictionary can help you with: • irregular plurals • gender • idioms • word order • subjunctive 35 © Oxford University Press 2005 Review (II) • How the dictionary can help you with verbs: • tense, subject, and object • direct and indirect objects • transitive and intransitive verbs • reflexive verbs • impersonal verbs • phrasal verbs • verb tables • verb complementation • Avoiding mistakes: • adapting examples • cross-checking • Extra features Questions A chance to discuss any ideas or points raised in the seminar 36 © Oxford University Press 2005
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