Jul 3, 2019 15:37
4 yrs ago
4 viewers *
French term
je ne suis pas forcément que dans l’esprit de compétition
Non-PRO
French to English
Other
Sports / Fitness / Recreation
Bureaucratic forms
Hi. Could anyone explain the nuance of this phrase please? Is it something like 'I don't necessarily have a competitive spirit'? I'm a bit confused by the construction of ne, pas, que.
The preceding phrase is: moi j’aime beaucoup pratiquer le sport...
Thank you.
The preceding phrase is: moi j’aime beaucoup pratiquer le sport...
Thank you.
Proposed translations
(English)
4 +7 | but I'm not just about the competition. | Verity Roat |
4 | I am not necessarily only in a competitive spirit | Nicolas Gambardella |
Proposed translations
+7
29 mins
Selected
but I'm not just about the competition.
Depending on how formal the text is - it's quite common in French to use a double negative e.g. 'pas que' for emphasis. I think keeping 'esprit' as 'spirit' is a little clunky, so you'd be better off with something like the above or:
I don't just enjoy it for the competition.
I'm not just a competitive person.
etc.
I don't just enjoy it for the competition.
I'm not just a competitive person.
etc.
Note from asker:
Thank you, very helpful! |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
B D Finch
23 mins
|
agree |
Charles Davis
45 mins
|
agree |
Michele Fauble
1 hr
|
agree |
Ph_B (X)
: I would also include Nicolas's "not necessarily" (= pas forcément)
2 hrs
|
agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
: no need to repeat "I" ...and it's not just/only about the competitive aspect
16 hrs
|
agree |
Verginia Ophof
1 day 5 hrs
|
agree |
Robert Brown
1 day 17 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
16 mins
I am not necessarily only in a competitive spirit
The French sentence is a fairly common one. This is a generally a defensive statement. "While I like to win, I am not necessarily only in a competitive spirit"
Discussion
<p> Pas seulement est la forme du bon usage ; pas que est d’usage courant. Non seulement je suis favorable à l’usage, que j’entends souvent avec plaisir et que j’utilise avec gourmandise, mais j’aurais aussi de la joie à entendre ce pas que adopté par mes amis de l’Académie."<p>http://www.academie-francaise.fr/pas-que<p>"avec plaisir et... avec gourmandise"? I like that...
"Promis juré, les frites McDo sont faites avec des pommes de terre (mais pas que)"
https://www.terraeco.net/Promis-jure-les-frites-McDo-sont,58...
The French wiktionary, from which I took this, says it's "Années 2010" and is a "raccourci elliptique pour mais il n’y a pas que cela, mais ce n’est pas que cela, etc." It adds: "Cette locution est un néologisme très récent. Selon l’Académie française, il s’agit d’une grave incorrection qu’il convient de proscrire. La forme correcte est « mais pas seulement »."
https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/mais_pas_que
Which would seem to bear out the idea that "pas que" is a normal form of words, used here colloquially in preference to "pas seulement".