Dessus and Dessous
French Adverbs
Dessus and dessous were originally prepositions, but today are more commonly used as adverbs. They are found in a number of adverbial phrases, such as au-dessus/dessous, là-dessus/dessous, and par-dessus/dessous, as well as in various idiomatic expressions.
| *Pronunciation OU U |
Despite their similar spelling and subtle (to untrained ears) difference in pronunciation,* dessus and dessous are exact opposites. If you have trouble remembering which means above and which means below, try this: dessous has an extra letter, which makes it heavier, so it sinks below. Dessus is lighter, and thus floats on top. ;-]
| Dessus and Dessous | |||
| Dessus means on or on top of and is similar in meaning to the preposition sur. However, as you can see in the following examples, sur must be followed by a noun, while dessus can only be used when the noun has already been mentioned. | |||
| La valise est sur la table. | Voici la table - mettez la valise dessus. | ||
| Son nom est marqué sur le papier. | Prenez le papier, son nom est marqué dessus. | ||
| Assieds-toi sur le siège. | Tu vois le siège ? Assieds-toi dessus. | ||
| Dessous means under, beneath, or below and is similar in meaning to sous, with the same distinction as between dessus and sur, above. | |||
| La valise est sous la table. | Voici la table - mettez la valise dessous. | ||
| Le prix est marqué sous le verre. | Prenez le verre, le prix est marqué dessous. | ||
| Jean s'est caché sous le siège. | Tu vois le siège ? Jean s'est caché dessous. | ||
| Au-dessus and Au-dessous | |||
| The construction au-dessus/dessous (de) is used to indicate a fixed object's position: on top of, above vs below, underneath. It can replace sur/sous or dessus/dessous; i.e., it may or may not be followed by a noun. When au-dessus/dessous is followed by a noun, the preposition de must be placed in between. | |||
| Personne ne vit au-dessus de mon appartement. | J'aime mon apparte - personne ne vit au-dessus. | ||
| La valise est au-dessous de la table. | Tu vois cette table ? La valise est au-dessous. | ||
| Ci-dessus and Ci-dessous | |||
| Ci-dessus/dessous is used in writing, to indicate that something can be found above or below that point. | |||
| Regardez les exemples ci-dessus. | See the above examples. | ||
| Veuillez trouver mon adresse ci-dessous. | Please see my address below. | ||
| De dessus and De dessous | |||
| De + dessus/dessous is fairly rare. It means from on top of / from underneath. | |||
| Prenez vos livres de dessus la table. | Take your books from/off the table. | ||
| Il a tiré de dessous sa chemise un livre. | He took a book from underneath his shirt. | ||
| En dessous | |||
| When indicating a position, en dessous is interchangeable with au-dessous. However, it can also mean underhandedly or shiftily. The construction "en dessus" does not exist. | |||
| Le papier est en dessous du livre. | The paper is under the book. | ||
| Il m'a jeté un coup d'oeil en dessous. | He glanced at me shiftily. | ||
| Là-dessus and Là-dessous | |||
| Là-dessus/dessous designates something that is on top of / underneath something "over there." | |||
| Les livres sont là-dessus. | The books are (on that thing) over there. | ||
| Tu vois l'escalier ? Mets le sac là-dessous. | Do you see the staircase? Put the bag under it. | ||
| Par-dessus and Par-dessous | |||
| Par-dessus/dessous indicate a sense of movement and may or may not be followed by a noun. | |||
| Il a sauté par-dessus. | He jumped over it. | ||
| Je suis passé par-dessous la barrière | I went under the barrier. | ||
| Expressions | |||
| le dessous | bottom, underside, sole, hidden side | ||
| les dessous | underwear | ||
| avoir le dessous | to get the worst of, be at a disadvantage | ||
| connaître le dessous des cartes | to have inside information | ||
| être au-dessous de | to be incapable of | ||
| le dessous de caisse | underbody (of a car) | ||
| un dessous-de-plat | hot pad (for putting under hot dishes) | ||
| un dessous de robe | slip | ||
| le dessous-de-table | under the table payment | ||
| un dessous de verre | coaster, drip mat | ||
| par-dessous la jambe (informal) | carelessly, offhandedly | ||
| le dessus | top | ||
| avoir le dessus | to have the upper hand | ||
| avoir par-dessus la tête de | to be fed up with, to have had enough of | ||
| bras dessus, bras dessous | arm in arm | ||
| dessus dessous | upside down | ||
| un dessus-de-lit | bedspread | ||
| le dessus du panier | the best of the bunch, the upper crust | ||
| un dessus de table | table runner | ||
| un pardessus | overcoat | ||
| par-dessus bord | overboard | ||
| par-dessus la jambe (informal) | carelessly, offhandedly | ||
| par-dessus le marché | into the bargain, on top of that | ||
| par-dessus tout | especially, mainly | ||
| prendre le dessus | to get the upper hand | ||
| reprendre le dessus | to get over it | ||
| French Grammar |
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