would-be in the Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary

Translations for would-be in the English»French Dictionary

would-be [Brit ˈwʊdbi, Am ˈwʊd ˌbi] ADJ

1. would-be (desirous of being):

would-be emigrants/investors

des émigrés/investisseurs en puissance

would-be intellectuals pej

des soi-disant or prétendus intellectuels pej

2. would-be (having intended to be):

the would-be thieves were arrested

les voleurs ont été arrêtés avant qu'ils aient pu passer à l'acte

Your search term in other parts of the dictionary

that would be self-defeating

cela irait à l'encontre du but recherché

that would be treason

ce serait une trahison

it would be more seemly to…

ça serait plus convenable de…

that would be suicidal! fig

ce serait un véritable suicide!

Translations for would-be in the French»English Dictionary

I.prétendu (prétendue) [pʀetɑ̃dy] ADJ

prétendu (prétendue) coupable, terroriste, voleur

alleged

prétendu (prétendue) démocratie, égalité, crise

alleged, so-called

prétendu (prétendue) médecin, policier, expert, artiste

would-be

la prétendue reprise de l'économie

the alleged ou so-called economic upturn

II.prétendu (prétendue) [pʀetɑ̃dy] N m (f) dated

prétendu (prétendue)

intended dated

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il serait prématuré de faire

it would be premature to do

il est/serait souhaitable de faire

it is/would be desirable to do

il serait illusoire de croire que…

it would be an illusion to believe that…

il serait présomptueux de dire

it would be presumptuous to say

would-be in the PONS Dictionary

Translations for would-be in the English»French Dictionary

would-be [ˈwʊd·bi] ADJ

would-be

soi-disant(e)

Your search term in other parts of the dictionary

it would be fatal to stop now

ça serait catastrophique de s'arrêter maintenant

it would be suicide to +infin

ce serait suicidaire de +infin

it would be a pleasure

ce serait avec plaisir

Translations for would-be in the French»English Dictionary

Your search term in other parts of the dictionary

accepter serait l'équivalent de céder

agreeing would be tantamount to giving in

il est/serait prématuré de +infin

it is/would be premature to +infin

l'idéal serait qu'elle revienne

the ideal thing would be for her to come back

ce serait la moindre des choses/des politesses

it would be the least you could do/be common courtesy

il vaut mieux qu'elle fasse qc (subj)

it would be better if she did sth

le mieux serait de ne rien dire

the best thing would be to say nothing

vous serez mieux dans le fauteuil

you would be more comfortable in the armchair

plutôt que de parler, il vaudrait mieux que vous écoutiez

rather than speaking, it would be better if you listened

Monolingual examples (not verified by PONS Editors)

English

They often inhabit great tombs or temple complexes, destroying would-be grave robbers.

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Good facilities and the general conducive features of the school contribute to the favorable response to the invitations for enrolment by the would-be-client families.

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Online identity stealth blurs the line on infringement of the rights of would-be victims to identify their perpetrators.

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He made an immediate impact with his arm, throwing out more than 50% percent of would-be basestealers (nine of 17).

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In an expansive world with breathtaking environments, the player will defy gravity and duel with great elegance, against demons and would-be kings.

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The show depicts would-be car thieves caught in the act of auto theft.

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The replacement was refitted 12 ft above the road so as to discourage would-be thieves.

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Trees and brush were cut down along the border to clear lines of sight for the guards and to eliminate cover for would-be crossers.

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Sculptors and poets would congregate each olympiad to display their works of art to would-be patrons.

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Complicating the matter, many would-be adult newcomers mistakenly think that having an erection is inevitable.

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