deux tiers
The English phrase "two thirds" is translated into French as deux tiers.
deux tiers is a phrase used to represent the fraction that consists of two out of three equal parts of a whole.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of deux (two) and tiers (thirds).
How does it change in a sentence?
When using this fraction with a noun, the preposition following deux tiers changes based on the noun's gender and number. If referring to a plural noun, use deux tiers des [plural noun] and ensure the verb agrees in the plural. For a singular feminine noun, use deux tiers de la [singular feminine noun]. For a singular masculine noun, use deux tiers du [singular masculine noun because the preposition de contracts with le to become du.
Did you know?
- In historical French taxation, the Tiers-État or 'Third Estate' referred to the common people, who represented roughly two thirds or more of the population before the French Revolution.
- In French, the word tiers can also be used as a noun to mean 'a third party' in legal or social contexts, meaning someone who is not part of a direct agreement.
- Unlike most French nouns that add an 's' to become plural, tiers is spelled the same way for both un tiers and deux tiers.
Examples in context
- Environ deux tiers de notre corps est composé d'eau.Around two-thirds of our body is made up of water.This sentence shows how to use deux tiers to describe the composition of a body.Tatoeba #7414352 by Rockaround, translation #5695935 by shea
- Deux tiers des salariés de cette entreprise sont des ingénieurs.Two thirds of the employees of this company are engineers.This sentence illustrates the use of deux tiers when referring to a group of employees.Tatoeba #12456078 by lbdx, translation #60001 by CK
- Les deux tiers des étudiants de cette école sont des garçons.Two-thirds of the students of this school are boys.This sentence demonstrates how deux tiers functions when referring to a group of students.Tatoeba #6170496 by Alexs, translation #59939 by CK
- La réunion durera deux tiers de l'après-midi.The meeting will last two thirds of the afternoon.
- Deux tiers du cheminTwo-thirds of the journey
- Deux tiers des invités ont confirmé leur présence.Two thirds of the guests have confirmed their attendance.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are discussing a project's progress.
- LucasAs-tu fini le rapport ?Have you finished the report?
- ManonNon, j'ai fait environ deux tiers du travail.No, I've done about two thirds of the work.
- LucasC'est déjà un bon début !That's already a good start!
- ManonMerci, je termine tout demain.Thanks, I'll finish everything tomorrow.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
