Jane in NC Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 It seems that I have a problem: paraitre, avoir l'air, sembler. Are they used interchangably? Suppose "he is tired" and forgive my lack of symbols, please: Il parait fatigue. Il a l'air fatigue. Il semble fatigue. Are there times when one of the verbs is a better expression than another? In English, we would use "He appears tired" and "He seems tired" to mean the same thing. Is this true in French? Thank you in advance to the kind soul who can help. Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 That's a toughy... First, "he is tired" would be "il est fatigué". There's no doubt there. All other versions have "doubt". Il parait fatigué. Il a l'air fatigué. Il semble fatigué. The second one uses familiar language. You would say it, write it in an email. But not use it in a formal presentation. First and third are pretty much interchangeable. I would say, to me, the first one really hints at outside appearances. The third one would take into account non visual cues. But it's really splitting hairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I really appreciate having you on the board, Cleo. I am working within my knowledge at the moment, teaching my boys French, but I will definitely need help as time goes on, and it's great to have you around. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I'm going to be asking a lot of English help soon! My son is reaching the limits of what I can teach him! LOL... Donnant donnant.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Ask, ask away, Cleo. I owe you lots and lots of English help GRIN. AND... I would be happy to help anyway, because I find it interesting to think about how English works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 That's a toughy... First, "he is tired" would be "il est fatigué". There's no doubt there. All other versions have "doubt". Il parait fatigué. Il a l'air fatigué. Il semble fatigué. The second one uses familiar language. You would say it, write it in an email. But not use it in a formal presentation. First and third are pretty much interchangeable. I would say, to me, the first one really hints at outside appearances. The third one would take into account non visual cues. But it's really splitting hairs. Well, Cleo, I owe you more than thanks. Eventually I see you touring the US (with a side trip to Scotland), tutoring French for your supper and a bed. Your explanation mirrors English. He appears tired (Il parait fatigué) is based more on a physical look, whereas he seems tired (Il semble fatigué) is often on some intuitive understanding. It is that middle one (Il a l'air fatigué) that just doesn't seem to translate directly into common English usage which may be why I was feeling stumped. It helps to know that all three statements say that the poor fellow in question seems tired, none are incorrect and that the second is informal. Merci, my friend. Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 how about this? Il a l'air fatigué -> he looks like he's tired. That's as close to a literal translation as I can get. Touring with tutoring seems like a great idea :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 how about this? Il a l'air fatigué -> he looks like he's tired. That's as close to a literal translation as I can get. Touring with tutoring seems like a great idea :) Thanks again. I may be back with some followup questions tomorrow after I look over exercises in the French in Action workbook. This is a case where I don't think the answers are necessarily obvious or unique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.