french

[tash_1987]

in the french language, when writing 'because he' we write 'parce qu'il'. So how would we write 'because one has'? would it be 'parce que on doit' or 'parce qu'on doit'?

[:Ace:]

you could say "car j'ai" which is Because I have. Car is just a simpler form of writing because.

:Ace:

[Kingaroo]

Be careful translating word for word. There may be verb structures or phrases or idioms involved. For example, You would use different structures for

"because one has fleas"

"because one has returned"

"because one has to leave"

You may be using the wrong verb for "has." "Avoir" is "to have." J'ai, tu as, il a, on a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont.

"On doit" means "one has to" or "one must"

[maximo]

"Because one has to" ( as pointed out by Kingaroo, the verb to have is expressed differently in French depending on its meaning ) would be "parce qu'on doit" or "parce qu'il faut + infinitive of the verb ".

[moppettshow]

In addition to the point made regarding the semantic difference between avoir and devoir, there is also a common construction used to express the 'must' element, which mirrors the English syntax:

"Tout ce qu'il a a(with grave) faire, c'est de..." means "All he has to do, is..."

It is worth remembering that the art of translation is to translate meaning, not syntax and grammar. The object is to render the souce text into the target text, so that the target text is as readable in its language as the source is in its own.This is why we see so many funny English translations abroad; someone has got a dictionary out and just translated word-for-word. The result is pidgin English, often unintelligible to the target reader.

[davver]

'Car' is a bit old-fashioned, like 'for': I was greatly disheartened, for the day's travail had come to naught.
Sorry Ace! It is still valid though, of course.

If you want to say 'because one has' then it is 'parce qu'on a', or 'parce qu'on doit' if you mean 'has' as in 'must'. you treat 'on' exactly the same as 'il' and the other personal pronouns.

Bonne chance!

[Famous5]

My old French teacher (in the sixties) said we should use parce que l'on doit - Without the l' the spoken phrase sounds like a French word not used in polite circles