plain speaking in the Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary

Translations for plain speaking in the English»French Dictionary

plain speaking N U

plain speaking

franchise f

there was plenty of plain speaking

tout le monde a eu son franc-parler

Translations for plain speaking in the English»French Dictionary

can't you speak in plain English?

tu ne peux pas parler en termes simples?

Translations for plain speaking in the French»English Dictionary

être sans détours (personne)

to be plain-speaking

Translations for plain speaking in the English»French Dictionary

I.plain [Brit pleɪn, Am pleɪn] N

1. plain GEOG:

plain

plaine f

on the plain

dans la plaine

the (Great) Plains Am

les Grandes Plaines

2. plain (knitting stitch):

plain

maille f à l'endroit

a row of plain

un rang à l'endroit

II.plain [Brit pleɪn, Am pleɪn] ADJ

1. plain (simple):

plain dress, decor, food, living, language

simple

plain building, furniture

sobre

plain cooking

cuisine f simple

she's a good plain cook

elle fait une bonne cuisine simple

a plain man

un homme simple

2. plain (of one colour):

plain background, fabric

uni

plain envelope

sans inscription

a sheet of plain paper (unheaded)

une feuille de papier libre

a sheet of plain paper (unlined)

une feuille de papier non reglé

a plain blue dress

une robe toute bleue

under plain cover (of a letter)

sous pli discret

3. plain (unattractive) euph:

plain woman

quelconque

she's rather plain

elle a un visage quelconque, elle n'a rien d'une beauté

4. plain (clear):

plain line, marking

net/nette

in plain view of sb

sous les yeux de qn

5. plain (obvious):

plain

évident, clair

it was plain to everyone that he was lying

il était évident pour tout le monde qu'il mentait

it's a plain fact that …

il est bien clair que …

it is plain from this report that …

il est clair d'après ce rapport que …

she's jealous, it's plain to see

elle est jalouse, ça saute aux yeux

her suffering was plain to see

on ne pouvait pas ignorer sa souffrance

to make it plain to sb that …

faire comprendre clairement à qn que …

let me make myself quite plain, I'm not going

que ce soit bien clair, je n'y vais pas

do I make myself plain?

suis-je bien clair?

she made her irritation quite plain

elle n'a pas caché son irritation

6. plain (direct):

plain answer, language

franc/franche

can't you speak in plain English?

tu ne peux pas parler en termes simples?

in plain English, this means that …

en clair, ceci veut dire que …

the plain truth of the matter is that …

la vérité est que …

7. plain (downright):

plain tjrs attr common sense

simple

plain attr ignorance, laziness

pur et simple

8. plain (ordinary):

I knew him when he was plain Mr Spencer

je l'ai connu quand il s'appelait M. Spencer tout court

9. plain (unflavoured):

plain yoghurt, crisps, rice

nature

10. plain (in knitting):

plain

à l'endroit

III.plain [Brit pleɪn, Am pleɪn] ADV

1. plain (completely):

plain stupid, wrong

tout bonnement, tout simplement

plain lazy

tout bonnement paresseux

2. plain (directly):

I can't put it any plainer than that

je ne peux pas être plus clair

IV.plain [Brit pleɪn, Am pleɪn]

to be as plain as day

être clair comme l'eau de roche

to be plain sailing project, task etc:

marcher comme sur des roulettes

I.speaking [Brit ˈspiːkɪŋ, Am ˈspikɪŋ] N

speaking (elocution)

élocution f

speaking (pronunciation)

prononciation f

II.-speaking COMP

English-/French-speaking person

anglophone/francophone, parlant anglais/français

English-/French-speaking area, country

anglophone/francophone, de langue anglaise/française

I.-speak COMP

-speak

jargon m

computer-/management-speak

jargon informatique/de gestion

II.speak <pret spoke; pp spoken> [Brit spiːk, Am spik] VB trans

1. speak language:

speak

parler

can you speak English?

parlez-vous (l')anglais?

‘French spoken’ (sign)

‘on parle français’

English as it is spoken

l'anglais tel qu'on le parle

people who speak the same language lit, fig

des gens qui parlent le même langage

2. speak (tell, utter):

speak truth, poetry

dire

speak word, name

prononcer

to speak one's mind

dire ce qu'on pense

III.speak <pret spoke, pp spoken> [Brit spiːk, Am spik] VB intr

1. speak (talk):

speak

parler (to à, about, of de)

to speak in a soft/deep voice

parler bas/d'une voix profonde

to speak in German/Russian

parler (en) allemand/russe

to speak in a whisper

parler tout bas, chuchoter

to speak ill/well of sb

dire du mal/du bien de qn

to speak through medium, interpreter

parler par l'intermédiaire de

to speak with one's mouth full

parler la bouche pleine

speak when you're spoken to!

réponds quand on te parle!

I've spoken to them severely and they've apologized

je leur ai parlé sévèrement et ils se sont excusés

who's speaking please? (on phone)

qui est à l'appareil s'il vous plaît?

(this is) Camilla speaking

c'est Camilla, Camilla à l'appareil

‘is that Miss Durham?’—‘speaking!’

‘Mademoiselle Durham?’—‘c'est moi!’

I'm speaking from a phone box

j'appelle d'une cabine téléphonique

this is your captain speaking AVIAT

ici le commandant de bord

speaking of which, have you booked a table?

tiens, ça m'a fait penser, as-tu réservé une table?

speaking of lunch, Nancy…

à propos du déjeuner, Nancy…

she is well spoken of in academic circles

elle est bien considérée dans le milieu universitaire

he spoke very highly of her/her talents

il a parlé d'elle/de ses talents en termes très élogieux

he spoke of selling the house/leaving the country

il a parlé de vendre la maison/de quitter le pays

to speak as sth

(parler) en tant que qc

speaking as a layman…

en tant que non-spécialiste…

speaking personally, I hate him

personnellement, je le déteste

speaking personally and not for the company

parlant en mon nom et pas en celui de l'entreprise

generally speaking

en règle générale

roughly speaking

en gros

strictly speaking

à proprement parler

relatively speaking

relativement parlant

ecologically/politically speaking

écologiquement/politiquement parlant, sur le plan écologique/politique

metaphorically speaking

pour employer une métaphore

we've had no trouble to speak of

nous n'avons pas eu de problème spécial

they've got no money to speak of

ils n'ont pour ainsi dire pas d'argent

‘what did you see?’—‘nothing to speak of’

‘qu'est-ce que vous avez vu?’—‘rien de spécial’

not to speak of his poor mother/the expense

sans parler de sa pauvre mère/du coût

so to speak

pour ainsi dire

2. speak (converse):

speak

parler (about, of de, to, with à)

they're not speaking (to each other)

ils ne se parlent pas

I can't remember when we last spoke

je ne me rappelle plus quand nous nous sommes parlé pour la dernière fois

I know her by sight but not to speak to

je la connais de vue mais je ne lui ai jamais parlé

3. speak:

speak (make a speech)

parler

speak (more formal)

prendre la parole

to speak from the floor POL

parler or prendre la parole de sa place

to speak about or on topic

parler de

to speak for view, opinion, party

parler en faveur de

4. speak (express) liter:

to speak of suffering, effort, emotion

témoigner de

all creation spoke to me of love

toute la création me parlait d'amour

that look spoke louder than words

ce regard était plus expressif que des mots

the poem/music speaks to me in a special way

le poème/la musique me touche profondément

5. speak (make noise) fig:

speak gun:

parler

this clarinet speaks/does not speak easily

il est facile/difficile de faire sortir un son de cette clarinette

plain speaking in the PONS Dictionary

Translations for plain speaking in the English»French Dictionary

I.speaking N no pl

speaking

parler m

public speaking

art m oratoire

II.speaking ADJ a. fig

speaking

parlant(e)

to be no longer on speaking terms with sb

ne plus adresser la parole à qn

english-speaking

de langue anglaise

I.speak <spoke, spoken> [spi:k] VB intr

1. speak (articulate):

speak

parler

to speak to each other

se parler

to speak to sb about sth

parler à qn à propos de qc

to speak in jargon/dialect

parler en jargon/dialecte

to speak for/against sth

être en faveur/opposé à qc

to speak into sth

parler dans qc

to speak for oneself

parler pour soi

speaking for oneself

pour sa part

facts speak for themselves

les faits parlent d'eux-mêmes

to speak over a loudspeaker

parler dans un haut-parleur

to speak through a megaphone

parler dans un porte-voix

to speak in a whisper

chuchoter

speak when you're spoken to

tu réponds quand on te parle

2. speak (from a specified point of view):

sth speaking

d'un point de vue de qc

geographically speaking

d'un point de vue géographique

speaking of sth

à propos de qc

so to speak

pour ainsi dire

3. speak (make a formal speech):

speak

faire un discours

to speak in public

parler en public

4. speak (communicate on the phone):

speak

être à l'appareil

Phrases:

actions speak louder than words prov

les actes sont plus éloquents que les paroles

to speak the lingo inf

baragouiner

II.speak <spoke, spoken> [spi:k] VB trans

1. speak (say):

speak

dire

speak language

parler

to speak the truth

dire la vérité

to speak one's mind

donner son opinion

to not speak a word

ne pas dire un mot

2. speak (reveal):

speak

révéler

I.plain [pleɪn] ADJ

1. plain (one colour):

plain

uni(e)

2. plain (unflavoured):

plain yoghurt

nature

plain chocolate

chocolat m noir

3. plain (uncomplicated):

plain clothes, cookery

très simple

a plain wooden table

une table en bois toute simple

plain and simple

pur(e) et simple

4. plain (clear, obvious):

plain

clair(e)

in plain language

en langage clair

it's plain that ...

il est clair que ...

to be plain enough

être assez clair

to make sth plain

ne pas faire mystère de qc

to make oneself plain to sb

se rendre clair à qn

to be plain with sb

être clair avec qn

5. plain (mere, pure):

plain truth, torture

pur(e)

it's plain selfishness

c'est de l'égoïsme pur

6. plain (unattractive):

plain

sans attraits

Phrases:

to be as plain as the nose on your face

se voir comme le nez au milieu de la figure

II.plain [pleɪn] ADV

1. plain (done in unadorned style):

plain

clairement

2. plain inf (downright):

plain

vraiment

III.plain [pleɪn] N

1. plain GEO:

plain

plaine f

the plains

la prairie

2. plain (knitting stitch):

plain

maille f

Monolingual examples (not verified by PONS Editors)

English

He is known to be loud and boisterous and believes in plain speaking and taking direct action rather than sneaking around.

en.wikipedia.org

Although known for his blasphemous plain speaking and a dislike of overly intellectual ideas, friends have declared that what he most values is clarity and robustness of thought.

en.wikipedia.org

The attraction of plain speaking, a metaphor here for vilification and persecution, marginalises balanced and rational input from informed "experts".

www.stuff.co.nz

She's known for her plain speaking, down-to-earth ways.

www.stuff.co.nz

Attraction is instant and understanding is mutual, largely because they share a fondness for plain speaking.

www.smh.com.au

He appeared to confuse the other guests with his direct, plain speaking dialogue.

en.wikipedia.org

He seems to have given offence by his plain speaking, even in consecration sermons.

en.wikipedia.org

Plain speaking of this order is not usually a way to win friends and influence people.

en.wikipedia.org

He was always plain speaking, thoughtful and loyal.

www.newsletter.co.uk

The party's manifesto emphasizes efficiency and disinterestedness in governance, plain speaking, and individual autonomy.

en.wikipedia.org