je vous entends
In French, 'I hear you' is said as je vous entends.
The phrase je vous entends is used to state that you can physically perceive the sound of someone speaking.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase follows a word order of subject, object and verb: je (I) + vous (you) + entends (hear).
Which one should you use?
In French, je vous entends is used for the physical perception of sound, whereas je vous comprends (I understand you) is used for understanding the meaning of what is said. Additionally, if you wish to change the meaning to 'I hear them', you would replace the object pronoun with les to say je les entends.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes from je vous entends to je t'entends when speaking to one person whom you address using the informal 'tu'.
Did you know?
- The pronoun je comes from the Classical Latin word egō̆, which is the direct ancestor of the English word 'ego'.
- The verb entendre in je vous entends is a linguistic relative of the English word 'intention'. This is because the French verb can mean both to hear a sound and to intend to do something.
- English speakers often use 'hear' and 'listen' interchangeably, but French makes a strict distinction. To say you are actively paying attention to someone, you would not use entendre, but rather the verb écouter.
Examples in context
- Je vous entends.I hear you.This sentence is useful for demonstrating the phrase je vous entends.Tatoeba #8254314 by felix63, translation #773552 by marloncori
- Je vous entends très bien.I hear you very well.
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are talking on the phone with a bad connection.
- EmmaGabriel, est-ce que vous m'entendez ?Gabriel, can you hear me?
- GabrielOui, je vous entends, mais c'est faible.Yes, I hear you, but it is faint.
- EmmaC'est mieux maintenant ?Is it better now?
- GabrielOui, je vous entends parfaitement.Yes, I hear you perfectly.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
