en anglais
The phrase 'to english' is translated into French as en anglais.
The phrase is used to express the idea of saying or writing something using the English language.
Which one should you use?
Use en anglais to describe the mode of expression, such as saying something in English. In contrast, use l'anglais when you are referring to the language itself as a noun, such as when saying 'I learn English'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an adverbial phrase meaning 'in the English language', the word anglais is not capitalized in French.
Did you know?
- In France, the phrase franglais is used to describe a hybrid of French and English, often used critically when English words creep into everyday French speech.
- The word anglais is built from the name of the 'Angles', a Germanic tribe that migrated to Britain in the 5th century.
- French has several terms for the act of translating into English, such as traduire en anglais for written text and interpréter en anglais for spoken word.
Examples in context
- Je t'aimeI love you
- S'il vous plaîtPlease
- Je suis perdu(e)I am lost
- C'est délicieuxIt's delicious
- Je suis en retardI am late
- Pouvez-vous m'aider?Can you help me?
- Combien ça coûte?How much does it cost?
- Où est la plage?Where is the beach?
- Je ne sais pasI don't know
- Quel est ton nom?What is your name?
- Comment dit-on cela en anglais ?How do you say that in English?
- Je ne comprends pas ce texte en anglais.I do not understand this text in English.
- Elle a écrit son message en anglais.She wrote her message in English.
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are studying for a class.
- LéaEst-ce que tu peux dire cela en anglais ?Can you say that in English?
- LucasOui, c'est assez simple à traduire.Yes, it is quite simple to translate.
- LéaMerci, Lucas, je n'y arrivais pas.Thanks, Lucas, I couldn't do it.
- LucasDe rien, Léa, on continue !You're welcome, Léa, let's keep going!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anglais, en, CC BY-SA 4.0.
