Language/French/Grammar/Differences-in-the-use-of-numbers-in-French-and-English-once-twice
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Differences in the use of numbers in French and English: once, twice, 3 times, both, all 3 ...
Whereas English has the forms 'once', 'twice', then a regular pattern from 'three' onwards: 'three times', 'four times' etc., French has a fully regular pattern from 'one' on:
French | English |
---|---|
une fois | once |
deux fois | twice |
trois fois | three times |
quatre fois | four times |
French has alternative forms for 'both', 'all three', 'all four', one with a definite article and one without (found only in formal written French); but from 'all five' onwards the definite article must be used:
French | English |
---|---|
tous /toutes les deux tous/toutes deux | both |
tous/toutes les trois tous/toutes trois | all three |
tous/toutes les quatre tous/toutes quatre | all four |
tous/toutes les cinq NOT *tous/toutes cinq | all five |
tous/toutes les six NOT *tous/toutes six | all six |
Tous les deux sont arrivés | Both have arrived |
Je les ai invitées toutes les six | I invited all six |
NB: These expressions cannot precede a n o u n directly. To translate phrases like 'both players', 'all six singers', either use the definite article and a numeral alone: les deux joueurs, les six chanteuses:
- Les deux joueurs sont arrivés
- J'ai invité les six chanteuses
or, when the phrase is in subject position, move the tous/toutes (les) X to a position after the verb marked for tense:
- Les joueurs sont tous deux arrivés
Other Chapters[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Use of en
- "se faire" and "se laisser"
- Auxiliaries
- Plurals
- Gender of countries, towns, islands, rivers, regions and states
- Verb forms — Introduction
- Conventions for writing cardinal numbers in figures
- Differences in the use of numbers in French and English Page numbers, bus numbers
- Should I say "Madame le juge" or "Madame la juge"?
- Nouns with irregular plurals
- Object pronouns in coordinated clauses
- Easy way of generating the Future and Conditional
- Quantifiers and personal pronouns
- « d'autres » VS « des autres »
- Coordination of stressed pronouns