# faire son intéressant



## carsaga

tu n'as pas besoin de faire ton intéressant.
comment vous traduiriez ça.... merci. 

there is 'to show off ' but what else?


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## myrrh

You don't need to be such a smart ass


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## carsaga

well, I cannot write that, it's an official comment for a student.


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## myrrh

hahaha yes sorry about that but you didn't provide any context, so i wrote the first thing that came to my mind 

"Show off" is very good, but you could also say "no need to make such a vain display of yourself!" or "to exhibit your knowledge" ...


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## joaopaolo

I have the same expression to translate and am struggling. It's the opening sentence of a novel, in a very colloquial voice (Québec French).

*C'est pas pour faire mon intéressant, mais je pense que Jude et moi on est malheureux.*

The best solution I've come up with so far is quite a departure from the text but fits with the broader context.

Not to get all “woe is me,” but I think Jude and I are unhappy. 

I'm wondering if there's not a better solution, slightly closer to the French. Suggestions? Thanks.


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## david314

I wonder if this might do the trick:  _Not to be *a drama queen*, but ..._


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## Santana2002

"_I'm not looking for attention, but ..."_


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## joaopaolo

david314 said:


> I wonder if this might do the trick:  _Not to be *a drama queen*, but ..._



Thanks, great suggestion!


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## Charlie Parker

Est-ce que ça se dit au pluriel. Si j'ai deux élèves qui font des bêtises, est-ce que jepeux leur dire : « Arrêtez de faire vos intéressants. » ?


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## Chimel

Non, mais éventuellement: Arrêtez de faire les intéressants (ou: les malins, les pitres...).


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## Charlie Parker

Merci Chimel. J'ai bien fait de poser la question.


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## JClaudeK

On trouve tout de même 70 résultats pour "faire vos intéressants".
https://www.google.fr/#q="faire+vos+intéressants"&start=90

Mais "Arrêtez de faire les intéressants." est mieux.


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## Charlie Parker

J'ai un vague souvenir d'avoir posé cette question avant, mais est-ce que le féminin s'emploie aussi. Aujourd'hui, j'ai à une fille dans ma classe «Arrête de faire ton intéressant*e.*» Si ça ne se dit pas, ce n'est grave. Demain, mon élève l'aura oublié.


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## Seeda

Charlie Parker said:


> Arrête de faire ton intéressant*e. *
> Ou : *l'*intéressante.


Oui, ce nom s'accorde en genre et en nombre, même dans une locution figée.


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## Charlie Parker

Merci pour la confirmation, Seeda.


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## CeNEstPasMonVraiNom

Don't always try to bring it?
(It might ring a bell:

Priscilla: Ok we're down a cheerleader for Friday night's state game against North Compton and that squad always tries to bring it!

Ashley: Bring what Priscilla?

Priscilla: Bring IT

Ashley: Right but, what it IT?

Priscilla: IT's just what they bring OK?,

)


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## Itisi

Re  #5, 2014:



Santana2002 said:


> "_I'm not looking for attention, but ..."_


I'm not _seeking _attention


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## Santana2002

In an oral exchange I doubt very much that I would say "I'm not seeking attention", however in a written exchange, no problem.

Google seems to corroborate this: "Looking for attention" = 1 130 000 000 results, "seeking attention" = 478 000 000 results.


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## Itisi

Apologies, then*, Santana.*  I personally never have anything to do with Google, one of the GAFAMs  (even if it makes things a bit more complicated sometimes), so I can't benefit from their wisdom!  

And yet,
*attention-seeking* _adj_
(purposely drawing others' attention) qui cherche à attirer l'attention _loc adj_
    to engage in attention-seeking behaviour : tout faire pour attirer l'attention _loc v_
    to engage in attention-seeking behaviour : tout faire pour se faire remarquer _loc v
_
(And 'attention-seeker'..._)_


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## JClaudeK

Santana2002 said:


> Google seems to corroborate this: "Looking for attention" = 1 130 000 000 results, "seeking attention" = 478 000 000 results.


The first page is never relevant (includes redundant results)

"Last page":
"Looking for attention" _Page 17 sur environ *166* résultats_
"seeking attention" _Page 38 sur environ *371* résultats_


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## Nicomon

But Itisi, you're giving an adjective and a noun. Those go with_ "seek". _
I doubt very much that one would say : _attention-looking behavior _or _"This narcissist is such an attention-looker". _ 

However, given this : 





> Phrases Synonymous with seek
> *look for*


 As a non native, I thought that_ looking for attention_ was just a different way to say _seeking attention.  _
That said, I also like "_not to look like a drama queen"_, which was suggested for joaopaolo's context.

Pour revenir au français et à la question de Charlie P.  (#9, 2015), je dirais sans problème : _« Arrêtez de faire vos intéressants/intéressantes ».   _
En fait, je préfère_ « vos » _à_ « les ». _Tout comme je préfère _« son/ton » _à_ « l' »._
On entend aussi :  _C'est pas pour faire *nos* intéressants. 
_
There are plenty of (French) expressions I use for which you'll hardly find any results on Google.
A difference of just over 200 results between _looking for_ _attention_ and _seeking attention_ doesn't impress me much.


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## Itisi

Nicomon said:


> But Itisi, you're giving an adjective and a noun. Those go with_ "seek". _
> I doubt very much that one would say : _attention-looking behavior _or _"This narcissist is such an attention-looker"._
> There are plenty of (French) expressions I use for which you'll hardly find any results on Google.
> A difference of just over 200 results between _looking for_ _attention_ and _seeking attention_ doesn't impress me much.


But that is precisely my point! I am saying that 'seeking attention' is idiomatic, and 'looking for attention' isn't - but perhaps that's in BE...Personally, I have never heard 'looking for attention'. ( Also, I didn't find 'looking for/seeking attention' (verbal form) in the WR Dictionary!)

I'm not interested in Google results.


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## Santana2002

Oh well, it seems that I, my family and schoolmates, work colleagues and miscellaneous acquaintances have been talking through our hats this last fifty years or so, as we have never sought attention, but merely looked for it, perfectly idiomatically but apparantly misguidedly.  One lives and learns.


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## Nicomon

Itisi said:


> Also, I didn't find 'looking/*seeking for* attention' (verbal form)


I quoted (#21) from this dictionary that  _look for_ was synonymous with _seek_ (by itself).   Of course I wouldn't say _seeking *for* attention._

What follows is copied from this page :What is the logical difference between "to seek" and "to look for"?


> - I have seen a non-native English speaker write "Still seeking for a job". That got me thinking, what is the difference between _to seek_ and _look for_?
> - "To seek" and "to look for" are exact synonyms. No difference. But I think you realise that you shouldn't use "for" after "seek".
> - I regard them as synonyms. However, there is a lexical difference. 'Seek' is a pure verb and 'look for' is a phrasal verb - a pure verb plus, in this case, a preposition.
> Phrasal verbs carry an idiomatic meaning and are more typical in spoken or informal usage.


 OK, so here the example is "a job".  It may be different with "attention". I don't know. 

In my non native mind, "to seek" is stronger.  If I'm _looking for attention_, I may not be craving (for?) attention as much as if I was _seeking attention_.
I make the same difference as I do between  _chercher_ and _*re*chercher._


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## Itisi

Nico, I didn't mean to write that, I wasn't paying enough attention.  I wouldn't say 'seeking_ for_ attention' either!  I have corrected it.

Santana, I can only talk about my experience, just as you talk about yours!  But I try to avoid sarcasm.


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## Nicomon

Itisi said:


> I have corrected it.


 Il me semblait bien, aussi.  Désolée... j'aurais dû penser que c'était une petite faute d'inattention.


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## joelooc

As a non native I have always felt a shade of a difference between _seek_ and _look for_ (especially among British speakers); _look for_ being used for objects: _I'm looking for my keys_ and _seek_ being more used for attempts or abstractions: he seeked to escape/ she seeks the Truth


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## Charlie Parker

You have good instincts, joelooc. I agree with the distinction you make. It can be argued that, in a sense, there are no synonyms because every word conjures up in the mind of the native speaker a range of images and feelings.


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## Nicomon

Charlie, t'aurais peut-être pas dû réanimer ce vieux fil, mercredi. 


Charlie Parker said:


> It can be argued that, in a sense, there are no synonyms


 Or did you mean : there are no *perfect *synonyms?  Il n'y a pas de parfaits synonymes en français non plus.

So I guess my argument (as I thought) that someone _looking for attention_ isn't craving attention as much as someone _seeking it_ doesn't hold water.


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## Charlie Parker

Yes, good point Nico. I should have said "no perfect synonyms."


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## Santana2002

joelooc said:


> As a non native I have always felt a shade of a difference between _seek_ and _look for_ (especially among British speakers); _look for_ being used for objects: _I'm looking for my keys_ and _seek_ being more used for attempts or abstractions: he seeked to escape/ she seeks the Truth



However, "look for" is also used for abstractions: "I'm going to look for a raise during my annual appraisal" (ask), "If you look for trouble, it may just find you" (seek).  "People look for respect to come from the outside, but respect is earned not sought" (seek).

The way I see it, "to seek" is on a higher register, or formal, and to "look for" is casual and informal.  However, there are obviously cases where one form is used exclusively, as in several examples already cited.

I apologise for the sarcastic tone, itisi, it's an unfortunate cultural habit.
I still maintain my position that "to look for attention" is perfectly idiomatic, at least throughout Ireland.  I think we may have to agree to differ and leave it at that.


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## Charlie Parker

I agree totally with the comments of Santana2002. Canadians would sense the same nuances. In many cases, "to seek" would simply belong to a higher register.


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## tartopom

Charlie, about " Arrête de faire ton intéressante", here's my 2 cents. Her schoolmates - but not you !!  - could tell her " Arrête de faire ta belle / arrête de te la péter".


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## Charlie Parker

Merci, tartopom. Je ne savais pas que c’était quelque chose d’inapproprié dans la bouche d’un prof.


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## tartopom

It's not correct to say to a student of yours " Arrête de faire ta belle or de te la péter". Not " Arrête de faire ton intéressante". See ?


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