least in the Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary

Translations for least in the English»French Dictionary (Go to French»English)

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I.least [Brit liːst, Am list] superlative of little ADJ When the least is used as an adjective followed by a noun to mean the smallest quantity of it is translated by le moins de: to have the least food = avoir le moins de nourriture.
But when the least is used as an adjective to mean the slightest it is translated by le or la moindre: I haven't the least idea = je n'en ai pas la moindre idée.
For examples of these and particular usages see I. below.
For translations of least as a pronoun or adverb see II. and III. below.
The phrase at least is usually translated by au moins.
For examples and exceptions see IV. below.
For the phrase in the least see V. below.

II.least [Brit liːst, Am list] superlative of little PRON

III.least [Brit liːst, Am list] superlative of little ADV

at least (stating minimum quantity or advantage)
au moins
at least (qualifying statement)
du moins
there were at least 50 people in the room
il y avait au moins 50 personnes dans la pièce
it must have cost at least £1, 000
cela a dû coûter au moins 1 000 livres sterling
she's at least 40
elle a au moins 40 ans
he's at least as qualified as she is
il est au moins aussi qualifié qu'elle
they could at least have phoned!
ils auraient au moins pu téléphoner!
you could at least have told me!
tu aurais pu au moins me le dire!
at least she didn't suffer
au moins elle n'a pas souffert
he's gone to bed—at least I think so
il est allé se coucher—du moins, je pense
he has never been there—at least, that's what he says
il n'y a jamais été—du moins, c'est ce qu'il dit
such people are at the very least guilty of negligence
de telles personnes sont au moins coupables de négligence
candidates should, at the very least, be proficient in two foreign languages
les candidats devront maîtriser au moins deux langues étrangères

VI.least [Brit liːst, Am list] superlative of little

See also little2, little1

little2 [Brit ˈlɪt(ə)l, Am ˈlɪdl] ADJ

I.little1 <comp less, superl least> [ˈlɪtl] ADJ When little is used as an adjective (little hope, little damage) it is translated by peu de: peu d'espoir, peu de dégâts.
For examples and particular usages see I. below.
When a little is used as a pronoun (give me a little) it is translated by un peu: donne m'en-un peu.
When little is used alone as a pronoun (there's little I can do) it is very often translated by pas grand-chose: je ne peux pas faire grand-chose.
For examples of these and other uses of little as a pronoun (to do as little as possible etc.) see II. below.
For uses of little and a little as adverbs see the entry below.
Note that less, and least are treated as separate entries in the dictionary.

II.little1 <comp less, superl least> [ˈlɪtl] PRON

taste a little
goûtez-en un peu
save a little for me
gardes-en un peu pour moi
I only ate a little
je n'en ai mangé qu'un peu
a little of the money
un peu de l'argent
the little I saw wasn't very good
le peu que j'ai vu n'était pas très bien
I did what little I could
j'ai fait le peu que j'ai pu
he remembers very little
il ne se souvient pas bien
little of what he says is true
il n'y a pas grand-chose de vrai dans ce qu'il dit
there's little I can do
je ne peux pas faire grand-chose
she did little to help
elle n'a pas fait grand-chose pour aider
I got little out of the lecture
je n'ai pas compris grand-chose au cours
age has little to do with it
l'âge n'a pas grand-chose à voir là-dedans
to do as little as possible
faire le moins possible
to know little about mechanics
ne pas s'y connaître beaucoup en mécanique
there's little to worry about
il n'y a pas tellement de raisons de s'inquiéter
little of note
rien de bien particulier
it says little for his honesty
ça en dit long sur son honnêteté
it says very little for her
ce n'est pas tellement à son honneur
little or nothing
quasiment rien

III.little1 <comp less, superl least> [ˈlɪtl] ADV

IV.a little (bit) ADV (slightly)

Your search term in other parts of the dictionary
to take the line or path of least resistance
choisir la voie de la facilité

Translations for least in the French»English Dictionary (Go to English»French)

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Your search term in other parts of the dictionary
trentenaire arbre, construction:
at least thirty years old
le moindre
the least (de, des of)
il n'y a pas le moindre doute là-dessus
there isn't the least ou slightest doubt about it
c'est le moindre de mes soucis
that's the least of my worries
la générosité n'est pas la moindre de ses qualités
generosity is not the least of his/her qualities
c'est la moindre des choses
it's the least I could do
ce serait la moindre des politesses de répondre à leur lettre
you could at least have the courtesy to reply to their letter
il cumule plusieurs fonctions dont la moindre n'est pas celle de maire
he combines various duties, not least of which is that of mayor
dernier point à souligner et non des moindres
last but not least
je ne suis aucunement surpris
I'm not surprised in the least, I'm not at all surprised
‘est-ce que je vous dérange?’—‘aucunement!’
‘am I disturbing you?’—‘not in the least!’
(superlatif) le moins
the least
c'est lui qui travaille le moins de tous
he's the one who works the least of all
le film qui m'a le moins plu
the film I liked the least
ce que j'aime le moins chez lui
what I like least about him
le moins , la moins , les moins (de plus de deux)
the least
ce sont les employés les moins compétents de l'entreprise
they're the least competent employees in the company
(superlatif) le moins
least
le moins souvent
(the) least often
c'est lui qui a le moins d'expérience des trois
of the three he's the one with the least experience
à tout le moins
to say the least
au moins
at least
tout au moins
at least
il y avait au moins 3 000 personnes
there were at least 3, 000 people
au moins, lui, il a réussi dans la vie
he, at least, succeeded in life
du moins
at least
c'est du moins ce qu'il m'a raconté
at least that's what he told me
pour le moins
to say the least
ton attitude est pour le moins étrange
your attitude is strange to say the least (of it)
sans exagérer nous étions au moins 100
without exaggeration there were at least 100 of us
il n'est pas du tout complexé par son accent
he is not in the least self-conscious about his accent
un an, c'est le délai minimum
it will take one year at least
il faut au minimum deux heures pour faire le trajet
it takes at least two hours for that journey
au minimum 2 000 euros
at least 2, 000 euros
enfin et surtout
last but not least
enfin
well, at least
elle n'est pas mariée, enfin je crois
she is not married, at least I don't think so

least in the PONS Dictionary

Translations for least in the English»French Dictionary (Go to French»English)

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Your search term in other parts of the dictionary
to take the path [or line Brit] of least ng class="tilde">resistance
choisir la solution de facilité

Translations for least in the French»English Dictionary (Go to English»French)

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Your search term in other parts of the dictionary
ne pas avoir le moindre diplôme
to not have the least qualification
ce serait la moindre des choses/des politesses
it would be the least you could do/be common courtesy
c'est élémentaire! (c'est bien le moins qu'on puisse faire)
it's the least one can do!
le moins
the least
au moins
at least
(tout) au moins
at the very least
du moins
at least
moins
least
la loi du moindre effort
the line of least resistance
c'est le cadet de mes soucis
it's the least of my worries
c'est du moins ce qu'elle raconte
at least, that's what she says
largement
at least
sinon ... du [ou au] moins (en tout cas)
if not ... at least

least Examples from the PONS Dictionary (editorially verified)

it's the least I can do
c'est la moindre des choses
that's the least of my worries
c'est le moindre de mes soucis
to be the least of sb's troubles
être le moindre des soucis de qn
the least that can be said
le moins qu'on puisse dire
it's the least I could do
c'est la moindre des choses
not to be the least bit funny
ne pas être rigolo pour un sou
it's the least one can do!
c'est élémentaire! (c'est bien le moins qu'on puisse faire)
to not have the least qualification
ne pas avoir le moindre diplôme
it's the least of my worries
c'est le cadet de mes soucis
at least, that's what she says
c'est du moins ce qu'elle raconte
American English

Monolingual examples (not verified by PONS Editors)

English
The princess cut is also popular among diamond cutters: of all the cuts, it wastes the least of the original crystal.
en.wikipedia.org
Most adults need at least five hours' shut-eye to function prop-erly and some need eight.
www.mirror.co.uk
The constitution provides that henceforth the president will be elected by popular vote from at least two candidates selected by the legislature.
en.wikipedia.org
Its scaffolding collapsed, and at least 169 workers fell and were buried under quick-drying wet cement.
en.wikipedia.org
He was the only college football player that seasonall divisionsto catch at least 10 passes in every game.
en.wikipedia.org
There are at least 15 brands of oilfield esps used throughout the world.
en.wikipedia.org
In rural estates, bailiffs seem to have been responsible for at least some of the household shrines (lararia) and their deities.
en.wikipedia.org
The city was home to at least six deadly houses filled with trials for visitors.
en.wikipedia.org
That they would have conceded defeat months earlier, before such calamities struck, is far-fetched to say the least.
en.wikipedia.org
Therefore, there always exists at least one crossing, which forms the center of a rhombus inscribed in the given curve.
en.wikipedia.org

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