# EN: further / farther



## Malice

Could anyone tell me the difference between the two words, please ? I believe both mean "plus loin", but they're not exactly synonyms, are they ?
thanks !

*Moderator note:* Multiple threads have been merged to create this one.


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## Tu2Bene

*FARTHER* is for _physical distance_.  Example:  he went farther down the road. 

*FURTHER* means to _a greater degree _like further along in time.  Example: the class got further along in the lesson.


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## ponyboy

i've never thought about the difference between these two.
but i'd say, perhaps, that further is for more conceptual things, while farther refers to physical distance:

she took [an idea] further
she went farther down the road

maybe someone understands the rule better than i...


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## mightypinkdms

Also....further is used in a more figurative sense, in so much as "nothing could be further from the truth". Farther is more literal 

Hope that helps

mightypinkdms


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## wildan1

I doubt very many AE speakers keep any of this in mind. It is more an issue of ideolect than precise usage when using the word as an adjective. 

However, _further_ is an adverb (meaning _moreover_) and _farther_ is not.


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## mother2003

Hi,

Is there a diffence between farther than and further than


In french, both mean: loin de???

Thanks for helping me.


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## floise

mother2003,

*Farther *should be reserved for *physical distance *and *further *for *nonphysical, metaphorical advancement.* Thus 74 percent of the Usage Panel prefers *farther *in the sentence _If you are planning to *drive any farther than *Ukiah, you'd better carry chains_, and 64 percent prefers *further* in the sentence _We won't be able to answer these questions until we are *further along in our research*._ *In many cases, however, the distinction is not easy to draw.* If we speak of a statement that is far from the truth, for example, we should also allow the use of farther in a sentence such as Nothing could be farther from the truth. But _Nothing could be further from the truth_ is so well established as to seem a fixed expression.

see: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/farther

floise


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## mother2003

éclairer moi en *français s'il vous plaît* car c rendu du chinois pour moi tout ça

J'ai toujours penser que farther than... était plus loin que... et the farthest= le plus loin

further than est-ce plus près de... et the furthest est-ce le plus près de...


Concernant cette phrase "the class got further along in the lesson"
je comprends pas le sens en francais

la classe/ le cour à été plus près dans la lesson  ouf ça faire dure ça




merci de me répondre car ceci est vraiment important pour moi


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## Forero

_Près_ c'est _near_, pas _far_.

_près_, _plus __près_, _le plus p__rès_.
_near_, _nearer_, _nearest.

loin_, _plus loin_, _le plus loin_.
_far_, _farther_, _farthest_ ou _far_, _further_, _furthest_.

La diférence, quand il y en a, c'est que _farther_ c'est le plus litéral.  _Further_ peut s'employé dans plusieurs de sens figuratifs.


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## wildan1

mother2003 said:


> "the class got further along in the lesson"
> je comprends pas le sens en francais
> 
> la classe/ le cour à été plus près dans la lesson ouf ça faire dure ça


 
_La classe a avancé davantage dans la leçon._

En dépit de la différence légère de leur sens " officiels " respectifs, _farther_ et _further_ s'utilisent indifféremment sauf quand il s'agit d'entamer un argument -- là on ne dit que _Further,..._


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## mother2003

_loin_, _*plus loin*_, _le plus loin_.
_far_, _farther_, _farthest_ ou _far_, _*further*_, _furthest_

the class got *further* along in the lesson
_La classe a *avancé davantage* dans la leçon._


_further lui est il souvent  employé avec along???_

_Merci._


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## Forero

Qui, avec le sens d'une progression dans un chemin figuratif, "along the way".

On peut bien dire, un peu moins métaphoriquement:

_The class got further in(to) the lesson._

sans _along_.


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## wildan1

Forero said:


> Qui, avec le sens d'une progression dans un chemin figuratif, "along the way".
> 
> On peut bien dire, un peu moins métaphoriquement:
> 
> _The class got further in(to) the lesson._
> 
> sans _along_.


 
Mais _get further *into*_ peut décrire un aprofondissement dans l'étude de leçon sans avancement... (c'est ambigu)

_further along_ n'est pas ambigu


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## Forero

In the literal sense, _farther_ and _further_ can mean exactly the same thing, but sometimes _further_ is more "active":

_My house is farther down the road than your house.
I walk further down the road to get to my house.


_


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## Gutenberg

Forero said:


> In the literal sense, _farther_ and _further_ can mean exactly the same thing, but sometimes _further_ is more "active":
> 
> _My house is farther down the road than your house.
> I walk further down the road to get to my house.
> 
> 
> _



Are you sure?


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## George French

I suggest we all read from the same on-line dictionary.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/further &
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/farther

It's a close run thing!

GF.


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## Forero

Gutenberg said:


> Are you sure?


Yes, sometimes they are interchangeable, and sometimes we choose one or the other according to a distinction in meaning, _farther_ being used more for where something _is_, _further_ more for where someone or something is _going_ or for how far some process is taken.  _Further_ is more common as an adverb, _farther_ as an adjective.

The real test is to take a particular sentence (for example, in its own thread in the English only forum) and ask native English speakers to supply the more appropriate form of _far_.  I believe if you do that you will find most native speakers using them as I have just explained.

I would find any exceptions quite interesting.


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## Gutenberg

Quoted from_ Words Into Type:_

*"farther*, *further*:
*farther *refers to physical distance ("We can go no *farther *on this road"); 
*further *may be used in this sense but is most often used figuratively to refer to extent or degree ("We will proceed no *further *in this unpleasant business")."


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## Forero

"We can go no further down this road" I think sounds better than "... farther ...".  But with "on this road", we could be talking indirectly about a farther place on the road.  I think the choice of preposition makes a difference.  Alternatively, we could say _further_ and _farther_ are interchangeable when referring to distance traveled.


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