arpents
The English phrase 'acres' is translated into French as arpents.
arpents refers to a unit of land measurement. Note that 1 acre is approximately 0.405 hectares.
Did you know?
- While 'acres' is the standard in English, the French term arpents actually refers to an older system of measurement based on the area a single person could plow in a day.
- Unlike the English 'acre', which is a fixed area, the original arpent was sometimes defined as the length of a side of a square, making it a unit of length as well as area.
- In Quebec, the arpent was often used to create long, narrow strips of land that gave every farmer access to the St. Lawrence River.
Examples in context
- Vous savez que ces deux nations sont en guerre pour quelques arpents de neige vers le Canada, et qu'elles dépensent pour cette belle guerre beaucoup plus que tout le Canada ne vaut.You know that two nations are at war about a few acres of snow somewhere around Canada, and that they are spending on this beautiful war more than the whole of Canada is worth.Tatoeba #410354 by Scott, translation #410352 by Scott
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are discussing an old family map.
- HugoRegarde, mon grand-père possédait trois arpents ici.Look, my grandfather owned three acres here.
- LéaC'est vraiment un grand domaine, Hugo.That is really a large estate, Hugo.
- HugoOui, ces arpents étaient très fertiles.Yes, those acres were very fertile.
- LéaJe comprends pourquoi il aimait cet endroit.I understand why he loved this place.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
