Grammar: Dessus and Dessous
Thursday December 11, 2008
The French adverbs dessus and dessous are used alone as well as in a number of adverbial phrases, such as au-dessus/dessous, là-dessus/dessous, par-dessus/dessous, and more. Despite their similar spelling and - to untrained ears - pronunciation, dessus and dessous are exact opposites.
More: French pronunciation | French adverbs
More: French pronunciation | French adverbs
Comments
Dear Laura,
I can’t believe you’ve posted this lesson. I sing in a French choir (in Melbourne, Aust.) and just this week the word “dessous” came up. As a French learner, I realised I always get it confused with “dessus” in pronunciation particularly. Your lesson as helped a lot - thank you.
Bonjour Laura,
Je voudrais te remercier pour suggerer qu’on peut se souvenir que dessous et “plus lourd” alors veut dire “under”. Je suis toujours confondue par la distinction entre les deux.
Merci pour les magnifiques leçons que tu nous donnes tous les jours en français. Grâce à tes efforts, mon français a amelioré cette année.
Joyeux noël et une bonne nouvelle année, Laura.