COMMENT - Translation from French into English | PONS

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French

French

English

English

comment¹ [kɔmɑ̃] ADV

1. comment (de quelle manière):

comment le sais-tu?: how do you know (that)?

comment ça s'écrit?: how do you spell it?

comment allez-vous?: how are you?

comment veux-tu que je me débrouille?: how do you expect me to manage?

comment faire?: how can it be done?

montre-moi comment: show me how

comment t'y prendras-tu?: how will you go about it?

il faut voir comment il nous a parlé/nous a traités!: you should have seen the way he spoke to us/treated us!

comment s'étonner qu'il ait échoué?: it's hardly surprising that he failed!

2. comment (pour faire répéter):

comment, peux-tu répéter?: sorry, could you say that again?

Paul comment?: Paul who?

3. comment (évaluation):

comment est leur maison/fils?: what's their house/son like?

comment trouvez-vous ma robe/son mari?: what do you think of my dress/her husband?, how do you like my dress/her husband?

4. comment (indignation, surprise):

comment cela?: what do you mean?

comment se fait-il qu'il soit parti?: how is it that he's gone?

comment se fait-il qu'il soit parti?: how come he's gone? inf

comment se peut-il que…?: how can it be that…?

comment ça se fait inf?: how come? inf

comment ça se fait inf?: how is that?

comment? tu voudrais des excuses?: what? you expect me to apologize?

comment donc!: but of course!

et comment! inf: most certainly!

et comment! inf: and how! inf

‘tu l'as éjecté inf?’—‘et comment!’: ‘you threw him out?’—‘I certainly did!’

‘tu l'as éjecté inf?’—‘et comment!’: ‘you threw him out?’—‘did I ever!’ inf

‘tu l'as éjecté inf?’—‘et comment!’: ‘you threw him out?’—‘I sure did!’ Am inf

‘c'était bon?’—‘et comment!’ inf: ‘was it nice?’—‘it certainly was!’

‘c'était bon?’—‘et comment!’ inf: ‘was it nice?’—‘was it ever!’ inf

‘c'était bon?’—‘et comment!’ inf: ‘was it nice?’—‘it sure was!’ Am inf

I. importer [ɛ̃pɔʀte] VB trans

importer marchandise, main-d'œuvre, mode: to import (de from)

importer espèce végétale: to introduce (de from)

II. importer [ɛ̃pɔʀte] VB impers

1. importer (être important):

cela importe peu: it doesn't much matter

ce qui importe c'est qu'elle comprenne: what matters is that she (should) understand

peu importe ou qu'importe qu'elle ne comprenne pas: it doesn't matter ou what does it matter if she doesn't understand

‘il pleut!’—‘peu importe!’: ‘it's raining!’—‘never mind!’

lequel?—n'importe: which one?—it doesn't matter

2. importer (dans locutions):

n'importe quel enfant: any child

à n'importe quel moment: at any time

n'importe qui: anybody, anyone

n'importe lequel: any

n'importe où: anywhere

viens n'importe quand: come anytime

prends n'importe quoi: take anything

n'importe quoi de tranchant: any sharp object

elle dit n'importe quoi: she talks nonsense

c'est (du) n'importe quoi: it's rubbish

c'est fait n'importe comment: it's done any old how inf

mon père, ce n'est pas n'importe qui: my father's not just anybody

comment² [kɔmɑ̃] N m

le comment: the how

comment améliorer le vivre-ensemble?: how we can improve community relations?

comment l'ont-ils surnommée?: what nickname did they give her?

English

English

French

French

haphazardly: n'importe comment

higgledy-piggledy: pêle-mêle, n'importe comment

sloppily: n'importe comment

to be puzzled as to why/how: se demander pourquoi/comment

to be perplexed as to why/how: se demander pourquoi/comment

you betcha! Am: et comment! inf

French

French

English

English

comment [kɔmɑ̃] ADV

1. comment (de quelle façon):

comment: how

comment ça va?: how are things?

et toi, comment tu t'appelles?: and what's your name?

comment est-ce que ça s'appelle en français?: what's the word for that in French?

2. comment (invitation à répéter):

comment?: what?

Phrases:

(mais) comment donc!: of course!

comment cela?: how come?

et comment!: and how!

comment ce mot est-il orthographié?: how is this word spelled?

English

English

French

French

anyhow: n'importe comment

how: comment

how is it that he is here?: comment se fait-il qu'il soit là? subj

how come [or so]?: comment ça?

how: comment

how are you?: comment vas-tu/allez-vous?

how was the film?: comment était le film?

how: comment m

to know the how(s) and why(s) of sth: savoir le pourquoi et le comment de qc

to discuss how ...: discuter comment ...

to investigate how/whether/why ...: rechercher comment/si/pourquoi ...

how are you getting along?: comment ça va?

how the deuce are we going to make it?: comment diable allons-nous y arriver?

she puts herself across well: elle sait comment se présenter

the whys and wherefores (of sth): le pourquoi et comment (de qc)

French

French

English

English

comment [kɔmɑ͂] ADV

1. comment (de quelle façon):

comment: how

comment ça va?: how are things?

et toi, comment tu t'appelles?: and what's your name?

comment est-ce que ça s'appelle en français?: what's the word for that in French?

2. comment (invitation à répéter):

comment?: what?

Phrases:

(mais) comment donc!: of course!

comment cela?: how come?

et comment!: and how!

comment ce mot est-il orthographié?: how is this word spelled?

English

English

French

French

anyhow: n'importe comment

how: comment

how is it that he is here?: comment se fait-il qu'il soit là? subj

how come? [or so]: comment ça?

how: comment

how are you?: comment vas-tu/allez-vous?

how was the film?: comment était le film?

how: comment m

to know the how(s) and why(s) of sth: savoir le pourquoi et le comment de qc

to discuss how ...: discuter comment ...

to investigate how/whether/why ...: rechercher comment/si/pourquoi ...

how are you getting along?: comment ça va?

she puts herself across well: elle sait comment se présenter

pardon?: comment?

how do you spell ...: comment écrit-on ...

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Examples from the PONS Dictionary (editorially verified)

comment les choses se sont-elles passées?: how did it happen?

comment est-ce que ça s'appelle en français?: what's the word for that in French?

rechercher où/quand/comment/si c'est arrivé: to try to determine where/when/how/if it happened

how are you? — I'm fine: comment vas-tu/allez-vous? — je vais bien

how are things at your end?: et pour toi, comment ça se passe?

Monolingual examples (not verified by PONS Editors)

Elle parle souvent de son oncle, celui-ci lui décrit souvent comment était le passé (les enfants ne s'entretuaient pas, par exemple).

fr.wikipedia.org

Il est le premier à montrer comment mesurer la pression sanguine, à l'aide d'un manomètre à mercure qu'il appelait hématodynamomètre.

fr.wikipedia.org

Pourtant, comment savoir si cela constitue la "situation normale" ou bien "l'effervescence d'une période de crise"?

fr.wikipedia.org

Elle est toujours de bonne humeur et sais comment égayer l'ambiance.

fr.wikipedia.org

Nous sommes donc face à un problème aigu de philosophie politique : comment le néolibéralisme et la science interagissent-ils ?

fr.wikipedia.org

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