French Number Expressions
There are several confusing pairs and difficult expressions related to French numbers.
| I. | The numbering system of the floors in a building may be difficult for American English speakers. | ||
| American English | British English | ||
| Rez-de-chaussée Premier étage Deuxième étage |
First floor Second floor Third floor |
Ground floor First floor Second floor |
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| II. | The meaning of premier changes depending on the preposition that precedes it. | ||
| Au premier Au premier étage |
At/On the first On the second floor |
On the first floor |
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| En premier En premier lieu |
The first in a sequence In the first place, Firstly |
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| De premier/première (prix, qualité) | The top (prize) or best (quality) | ||
| III. | There are two French words for the English ordinal number "second" (2nd): second and deuxième. They are essentially interchangeable, but there is a general, not always followed guideline: | ||
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Second is often used when something is the second in a
series of only two things. Deuxième tends to be used when there's a third, fourth, etc. Following this guideline allows you to add some interesting nuances to your words. |
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| La seconde guerre mondiale | World War II (the second and last) | ||
| La deuxième guerre mondiale | World War II (the second of how many?) | ||
| IV. | There are two words for "third" and "fourth" - one for the ordinal number and another for the fraction. | ||
| troisième un tiers |
third (in a series) one third |
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| quatrième un quart |
fourth (in a series) one fourth |
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| For 5 and up, the same word is used for both fractions and ordinal numbers. | |||
| V. | In economics, un trimestre means three months. Its English equivalent is "quarter." | ||
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Test on confusing numbers
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