GIVE ANSWERS - English

投票しよう！回答済み言語の質問
Give the green light to do something: is it correct?

This is a direct translation from French

Example :  "peux tu me donner le feu-vert pour faire partir le courrier ?",

can we translate like this: "can you give me the green light to send the mail?"

I've found also "give me the go-ahead"

thanks a lot wink

PS: Check out these free English learning resources: Learning session: More on Tautology — Top 1000 Trip Ideas — After as an adverb — CONJUNCTIONS → Cause and Effect

GIVE ANSWERS

will_stewa profile picture will_stewaJune 2021
That will work fine.
AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgJune 2021

”to give sb the green light to do sth” is fine if your emphasis is permission/approval to perform a completed action.

Where the emphasis is the activity or action then the gerund form is more applicable: ”to give sb the green light for doing sth”.

Given that you are using the verb pattern ”faire partir” in French, then the gerund form would be the better choice and more accurate here as a translation.

”to give sb the go-ahead” is more American English.

exRanger profile picture exRangerJune 2021
Vince,

The direct translation from French is fine -- ”Can you give me the green light to send the email?”” You can also translate it as ”Can you give me the go-ahead to send the email?” It’s basically a request for permission to proceed with dispatching the message -- just as you have expressed it in French.