Grammar Flashcards
idioms, phrasal verbs, compounds, collocations, prepositional phrases and other common fixed phrases.
Prior to…
avant
Prior to the meeting, we need to finalize the agenda
She had been nervous prior to her performance.
That is…
“c’est-à-dire”
He’s very punctual—that is, he’s never late for anything.
She’s a polyglot, that is, someone who speaks multiple languages.
Up to somebody
“c’est à quelqu’un de”
It’s up to you to decide whether we go or not.
Whether or not
“que… ou non”
ou “si… ou non”.
Whether or not you agree, we need to move forward.
Whether or not the reforms will succeed remains uncertain.
Whether or not you agree, we’ll proceed.
“Whether” seul peut aussi être traduit par “si” dans certains contextes, mais “whether or not” insiste davantage sur l’alternative entre deux options.
Above all…
avant tout
Above all, we must remain calm in the face of adversity.
Above all else, I am a father
All but…
“Presque” ou “quasiment”
All but one of the paintings were destroyed in the fire. The team was all but defeated before the match even started.
All the more…
“d’autant plus”
Her success made him all the more determined to win.
Your words make me all the more eager to prove myself.
As of…
“à partir de”
As of next week, masks will no longer be mandatory.”
“As of today, she is officially a member of the team.”
As opposed to…
“par opposition à”
“I prefer tea as opposed to coffee.”
“It’s about exclusivity as opposed to inclusivity.”
As such…
“en tant que tel” “He is a lawyer and as such he has a duty to uphold the law.”
“The city is a cultural hub and as such attracts many tourists.”
As to something…
“en ce qui concerne quelque chose”
“quant à”
“As to your question, I’ll need more time to think about it.”
“As to where we’ll go next, I haven’t decided yet.”
As to how…
quant à la manière dont
“As to how they achieved it, it remains a mystery.”
“As to how the government plans to address this issue, details are scarce.”
As to whether…
“quant à savoir si”
“As to whether he’ll join us, I’m not sure yet.”
“As to whether this policy will work, experts are divided.”
Back and forth
“va-et-vient”
“The argument went back and forth for hours.”
“We’ve been going back and forth about this for years!”
Bear something in mind
garder à l’esprit
“Bear in mind that this is only a preliminary report.”
“Bear in mind that time works differently here.”
By means of something
“au moyen de”
“They solved the problem by means of advanced technology.”
“By means of diplomacy, they avoided conflict.”
By no means
“en aucun cas”
“This is by no means an easy task.”
“By no means am I finished with this family business.”
For that matter
“à ce sujet”
“I don’t like football, or any sports for that matter.”
“I’m not a businessman, for that matter I’m not even a Harvard student.”
For the sake of somebody/something
“dans l’intérêt de quelqu’un/quelque chose”
We stayed together for the sake of the children.”
“For the sake of clarity, let me explain this again.”
Given that
“étant donné que”
“Given that it’s raining, we should postpone the game.”
“Given that you’ve defied all odds, what’s your next goal?”
In any case
“en tout cas”
“I might be late. In any case, don’t wait for me.”
“In any case, I need to get back to work.”
In effect
En effet
“The law is, in effect, unenforceable.”
“In effect, the new policy has lowered consumer prices.”
In full
“en entier”
“The bill must be paid in full by the end of the month.”
“I want those reports in full on my desk by morning.”
In line with something
“conformément à”
“The decision is in line with company policy.”
“The CEO’s compensation is in line with industry standards.”
In the course of
“au cours de”
“In the course of the investigation, new evidence emerged.”
“In the course of doing his duty, he was injured.”
“In the course of the investigation, new evidence emerged.”
In the event of something
“en cas de”
“In the event of fire, please use the stairs.”
“In the event of a power outage, emergency generators will activate.”
In the face of something
“face à”
“They showed courage in the face of danger.”
“In the face of overwhelming odds, he survived.”
In the hands of somebody
“aux mains de quelqu’un”
“The future of the company is in the hands of its employees.”
“Power remains in the hands of the military.”
In the light of something
“à la lumière de”
“In the light of new evidence, the case will be reopened.”
“In the light of what we’ve discussed, I’d like to change my vote.”
In the meantime
“en attendant”
“We’re waiting for the bus. In the meantime, let’s have a coffee.”
“The results will be announced next week. In the meantime, speculation continues.”
In the midst of something
“au milieu de”
“We were in the midst of dinner when the phone rang.”
“We’re in the midst of a revolution in genetic engineering.”
Let alone
sans parler, encore moins
“He couldn’t afford a car, let alone a house.”
“The team can’t win a game, let alone the championship.”
Nothing like
rien de tel que
“This coffee is nothing like what I’m used to.”
There’s nothing like the sound of a well-tuned guitar.”
To date
“à ce jour”
“To date, no cure has been found for the disease.”
“This is the longest survival on Mars to date.”
Not to mention
“sans parler de”
“The hotel was expensive, not to mention uncomfortable.”
“The plan faces legal obstacles, not to mention public opposition.”
With regard to somebody or something
“en ce qui concerne quelqu’un ou quelque chose”
“With regard to your application, we will contact you next week.”
“With respect to the theory, I’ve made some breakthroughs.”
Opposed to something
“opposé à”
“I am opposed to the idea of working on weekends.”
“The council is opposed to any further development in the area.”
With respect to something
“en ce qui concerne quelque chose”
“With respect to your concerns, I’d like to offer some clarification.”
“With respect to the theory, I’ve made some breakthroughs.”
to talk to so
to speak to so
parler à quelqu’un
who were you talking to ?
to listen to so
écouter quelqu’un, quelque chose
When I am driving, I like to listen to the radio
to explain sth to sb
Can you explain this word to me ?
to phone / call / email / text somebody
I called the airline to cancel my flight
to ask sb a question
if there’s anything you want to know, you can ask me
to answer sb, sth
you didn’t answer my email
but we say “I replied to your email”
to thank sb (for…)
He thanked me for helping him
to look /stare / glance at…
to have a look at / to take a look at…
why are you looking at me like that ?
to laugh at
se moquer de
I look stupid with this haircut. Everybody will laugh at me
to aim at / to point at
to shoot / fire a gun at…
Don’t point that knife at me, it’s dangerous
to shout at sb
to shout to sb
at: angry or aggressive
to: so that they can hear you
to throw sth at sb
to throw sth to sb
to hit them
Somebody threw an egg at the politician
Lisa shouted “catch” and threw the keys to me from the window
to talk/read/know about sth
we talked about a lot of things at the meeting
to have a discussion about sth
we had a discussion about we should do.
we discussed what we should do.
to ask sb for
I sent an email to the company, asking them for more information about the job
I asked somebody the way to the station
to apply to a company (for a job..)
I think you could do this job. Why don’t you apply for it ?
to wait for sb
to wait for sth to happen
Don’t wait for me. I’ll join later.
I’am not going out yet. I’am waiting for the rain to stop.
to search (a person, a place, a bag etc) for…
I’ve searched the house for my keys, but I still can’t find them.
to take care of…
= look after, keep safe, take responsibility for
Prendre soin de
Don’t worry for me. I can take care of myself.
I’ll take care of the travel arrangements. You don’t need to do anything.
to care for somebody
prendre soin de quelqu’un
= take care of them, keep them safe.
Alan is 85 and lives alone. He needs somebody to care for him.
I don’t care for something
je n’aime pas quelque chose
= I don’t like it
I don’t care for hot weather
to care about
to think that sb/sth is important
He’s very selfish. He doesn’t care about other people.
Care what/where/how….etc (without about)
You can do like you want. I don’t care what you do.
Se soucier de quoi, se soucier d’ou, se soucier de la façon dont….
