# ne serait-ce que parce qu'il était né allemand



## clochette

je voudrais traduire en anglais l'expression :
"ne serait-ce que parce qu'il était né allemand".
Quelqu'un a-t-il une idée ? 
Merci.


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## benauge

quel est le contexte ? une ou phrase avant et après.


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## clochette

oui, pardon
ca pourrait être quelque chose comme "il ne pouvait vivre en France, ne serait-ce que parce qu'il était né allemand. Mais aussi parce qu'il ne pouvait se faire à la façon de vivre des français".


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## Aupick

clochette said:
			
		

> oui, pardon
> ca pourrait être quelque chose comme "il ne pouvait vivre en France, ne serait-ce que parce qu'il était né allemand. Mais aussi parce qu'il ne pouvait se faire à la façon de vivre des français".


Ma suggestion :

He couldn't live in France, for one thing because he was born a German, but also because could never deal with the French way of life.

Mais sans la suite ('mais aussi...') il faudrait dire quelque chose comme 'if only because...'.


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## LV4-26

Je sais qu'il existe une expression qui convient parfaitement en anglais. Je l'ai sur le bout de la langue et....ça m'énerve de ne pas la retrouver.
For our English speaking friends, this means
Because he was born German. [At least for that reason but probably also for others]. The [....] paraphrases "ne serait-ce que".
I know there's an excellent expression for that in English ( using "if" I think) but I can't remember it....how annoying.

EDIT : Merci Aupick, "if only" est, je crois, l'expression que je cherchais.


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## Mycall

""albeit""


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## LV4-26

En fait, "_if only" _m'était venu à l'esprit. Mais je me disais que ça ne pouvait pas être ça parce que ça ressemblait trop à ....._.if only _(comme dans_ If only I could..., _par ex._)
_Mais j'imagine que d'avoir "because" ou un autre mot semblable derrière lève tout risque d'ambiguité.

Quoi qu'il en soit, vu le contexte, Aupick a sûrement raison de choisir une tournure différente.(avec_ for one thing_)


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## Aupick

Effectivement, j'ai eu des doutes après le coup, mais je crois que ça va. (J'ai googlé pour être sûr.) Comme tu dis, c'est la présence de "because" qui permet d'utiliser "if only" dans ce sens.


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## timpeac

Mycall said:
			
		

> ""albeit""


 
Aurais-tu l'amabilité de formuler une traduction de la phrase de départ utilisant ce mot ? Je ne vois pas comment ça marcherait. Aussi pourrais-tu préciser exactement pourquoi ce mot mérite un point d'exclamation - il n'y a rien d'étrange à ce mot, autant que je sache . Merci.


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## suzi br

I am relying on what I know about English, rather than French, it might be a place to use *"**not only .. but also"*

(I'm not sure, though, because I'm not sure if I really understand the original French! )

so maybe -- 
he wont be able to live in France, *not only* because he was born in Germany *but also* because he couldn't adapt to the French lifestyle.

??

this seems odd, since we seem to have lost a verb from the original version, which we just do not need in English.


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## zam

I agree with Aupick's choice, albeit with a slight difference:

'He couldn't live in France, owing to the fact that he was German 
                              (or) on account of his being German

but also (rest unchanged)


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## LV4-26

suzi br said:
			
		

> he wont be able to live in France, *not only* because he was born in Germany *but also* because he couldn't adapt to the French lifestyle.
> 
> ??
> 
> this seems odd, since we seem to have lost a verb from the original version, which we just do not need in English.


We don't really lose a verb as "serait" (if this is the verb you're referring to) isn't a verb with a full value. It's just part of an expression wich is _ne serait-ce que.

_Using "_not only...but also_" could be a good simple solution indeed. However, you then loose the idea that the first reason (being born a German) would suffice to justify his not being able to live in France.
The second reason is merely an additionnal reason. Even though he could adapt to the French lifestyle he wouldn't be able to live in France anyway.


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## river

It would be only because he had been born German.


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## suzi br

LV4-26 said:
			
		

> We don't really lose a verb as "serait" (if this is the verb you're referring to) isn't a verb with a full value. It's just part of an expression wich is _ne serait-ce que._
> 
> Using "_not only...but also_" could be a good simple solution indeed. However, you then loose the idea that the first reason (being born a German) would suffice to justify his not being able to live in France.
> The second reason is merely an additionnal reason. Even though he could adapt to the French lifestyle he wouldn't be able to live in France anyway.


thanks - I didn't realise that about serait - 

I dont agree with your second point --- *not only but also* contructions are equal, and you can say them either way and there is no implication that one is more important than the other

e.g. "*not only* could he never adapt to the French lifestyle *but *he is* also* German..."

In the orignal French, I do not know if the two are supposed to be equal or not, so there maybe some other subtlety that I am unaware of which needs to be taken into account.


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## Mycall

timpeac said:
			
		

> Aurais-tu l'amabilité de formuler une traduction de la phrase de départ utilisant ce mot ? Je ne vois pas comment ça marcherait. Aussi pourrais-tu préciser exactement pourquoi ce mot mérite un point d'exclamation - il n'y a rien d'étrange à ce mot, autant que je sache .


 
Simple as pie: the use of that word implies a complete reshuffling of the sentence, whence the "" . I'll leave you to it since you've done half the job already...


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## timpeac

Mycall said:
			
		

> Simple as pie: the use of that word implies a complete reshuffling of the sentence, whence the "" . I'll leave you to it since you've done half the job already...


 
No can't work it out - and, cards on the table, I don't think there is one since "albeit" is used to introduce a mitigating factor, of which there is none in the original sentence of which the sense is "moreover". Please humour me and give the answer. Thanks.


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## Mycall

timpeac said:
			
		

> No can't work it out - and, cards on the table, I don't think there is one since "albeit" is used to introduce a mitigating factor, of which there is none in the original sentence of which the sense is "moreover". Please humour me and give the answer. Thanks.


 

  Let me humour you by advising you to read again the initial surrounding discourse, then you might realise that the man's background is actually a "mitigating factor", to say the least...


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## LV4-26

suzi br said:
			
		

> In the orignal French, I do not know if the two are supposed to be equal or not, so there maybe some other subtlety that I am unaware of which needs to be taken into account.


 They aren't equal.
I'll try to paraphrase.
He couldn't live in France because he was born a German. 
When you've said that, you've said everything. You don't need to add anything. This reason is sufficient. But then, almost as an afterthought, you add another reason : moreover, he couldn't adapt to the French lifestyle.
The first reason is then far more important than the second one.

Having said that, I agree with your disagreement.  I've considered the issue since your previous post and come to the conclusion that the difference is slighter than I'd thought. It's more a difference of emphasis than a real difference of meaning. The "ne serait-ce que" construction only *stresses* the fact that the first reason would be sufficient in itself.


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## timpeac

Mycall said:
			
		

> Let me humour you by advising you to read again the initial surrounding discourse, then you might realise that the man's background is actually a "mitigating factor", to say the least...


 
Mycall - I think that if you have something to say you should just say it.

With that in mind I shall do the same. Since you refuse to give any sentence showing the contrary I would like to warn potential users away from your suggestion which seems to me wrong to the extent of saying the opposite of what was intended.

I have no interest in playing silly guessing games with you - if you have something that will help clochette translate her sentence please say it.


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## aditii

hi clochette  

j'espere que cela t'aide

1.He could't live in France not just because of him being a native of Germany. But also since he couldn't adjust himself to the french way of living.

I ll go slightly overboard to suggest u :
2.He could't imagine living in france.............
je ne sais pas si tu veux traduire la phrase mot a mot en gardant les ponctuations. Si tu veux etre fidele au message source je te conselles la premiere traduction! c'est bizarre comment je me sens plus a l'aise avec une traduction de francais en anglais! 

can anyone translate l'expression anglaise que je vient d'ecrire au dessus. je la repete" i ll go slightly overboard and suggest that.."


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## Agnès E.

Mycall,
Je crois qu'il faudrait que vous fassiez davantage attention aux informations que vous donnez, et à la manière dont vous les donnez. Lorsque vous n'êtes pas certain(e), dites-le, car vos interlocuteurs sont, dans le cas contraire, enclins à vous croire sur parole et cela pourrait même leur porter préjudice dans certains cas.


> Any information, translations and definitions posted in these forums must be accompanied by a reasonable attempt to verify accuracy. Give sources for extensive quotations. If you are unsure of the accuracy of your information or translation, please say so.


Par ailleurs, je vous rappelle l'usage du smilie  : il est expliqué ici.
N'hésitez pas à me contacter par message privé si vous désirez davantage de détails.


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## Gil

aditii said:
			
		

> can anyone translate l'expression anglaise que je vient d'ecrire au dessus. je la repete" i ll go slightly overboard and suggest that.."


to go overboard = s'emballer


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## clochette

whoo !!!
Quel déchaînement.
en passant, je dois dire que je suis plutôt d'accord avec timepeac au sujet des devinettes de MyCall.
Cela dit, merci à tous pour votre aide. J'ai appris des trucs intéressants.
En fait, je pensais qu'il pouvait y avoir une expression consacrée pour le "ne serait-ce que" français qui me paraîssait être une expression à usage assez limité quant à la forme, en français. C'est pourquoi j'avais essayé de prendre un exemple rapide, ayant des difficultés à exprimer l'idée qui m'avait conduite à buter sur le "ne serait-ce que" au départ.
Essayons autre chose :
"je connais un peu d'allemand, ne serait-ce que par le vocabulaire que j'ai appris en chantant des cantates de Bach" !!!
bonne chance
désolée de vous avoir soumis ce si rude problème


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## zam

Non, il n'existe pas d'expression toute faite pour traduire 'ne serait-ce que', ça dépend de la phrase, etc. Il doit y avoir au moins une bonne quinzaine de manières de rendre cette expression française plus ou moins fidèment en anglais . Si tu faisais une liste des possibilités les plus usitées, tu trouverais probablement des phrases construites avec 'for one thing', 'owing to', 'due to', 'mainly because', 'largely through', 'thanks to', etc.

*"je connais un peu d'allemand, ne serait-ce que par le vocabulaire que j'ai appris en chantant des cantates de Bach" !!!
*
I know a smattering of German, largely through the vocabulary that I have learnt...'.

J'espère que cela t'aidera.


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## JazzByChas

I must admit, I'm not sure that I agree with the sentiment below I think the idea is that “He couldn’t adapt the the French lifestyle” further clarifies the “because he had been born German”. Just being born German doesn’t necessarily explain why he couldn’t live in France. I’m sure there are many expatriates living in France from all over the world who have adapted very well. So, I think the “real reason” he couldn’t live in France is explained in the second phrase.

So I’m sort of going with, “He couldn’t live in France: first, he was born German; but more importantly, he couldn’t adapt to the French lifestyle”

I realize this may not translate grammatically correct, but hey, I’ll live dangerously. 



			
				LV4-26 said:
			
		

> We don't really lose a verb as "serait" (if this is the verb you're referring to) isn't a verb with a full value. It's just part of an expression which is _ne serait-ce que._
> 
> Using "_not only...but also_" could be a good simple solution indeed. However, you then loose the idea that the first reason (being born a German) would suffice to justify his not being able to live in France.
> The second reason is merely an additional reason. Even though he could adapt to the French lifestyle he wouldn't be able to live in France anyway.


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## LV4-26

JazzByChass said:
			
		

> I must admit, I'm not sure that I agree with the sentiment below


 Nor am I,   as I pointed out in my post #18 (second paragraph) which slightly amended the post you're quoting. 



> Just being born German doesn’t necessarily explain why he couldn’t live in France



In this sentence, *it does*. Because of "_ne serait-que_" precisely. "_Ne_ _serait-ce que_" means that this reason in itself would be sufficient to explain why he couldn't live in France.
But I've already said that, haven't ? So all I can do now is say
<kneeling down> "Please, believe me, I'm sure this is what the expression means" 

For the rest, I stand corrected : saying that one reason is sufficient in itself doesn't necessarily make it more important. It depends on how you understand "important". 
Now if you want to make the *second one* more important, ("more importantly,....."),.....let it be. I wouldn't but I can't explicitly prove you wrong.


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## Agnès E.

our favorite alien said:
			
		

> In this sentence, *it does*. Because of "_ne serait-que_" precisely. "_Ne_ _serait-ce que_" means that this reason in itself would be sufficient to explain why he couldn't live in France.
> But I've already said that, haven't ? So all I can do now is say
> <kneeling down> "Please, believe me, I'm sure this is what the expression means"


I am supporting you on this, Jean-Mi! (just in case it would matter)


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## xav

LV4-26 said:
			
		

> So all I can do now is say
> <kneeling down> "Please, believe me, I'm sure this is what the expression means"
> 
> For the rest, I stand corrected : saying that one reason is sufficient in itself doesn't necessarily make it more important. It depends on how you understand "important".
> Now if you want to make the *second one* more important, ("more importantly,....."),.....let it be. I wouldn't but I can't explicitly prove you wrong.


On the linguistic (battle)field, LV is completely right. The translation "not only...but..." isn't very adequate here. And I cannot imagine to give, after "ne serait-ce que + reason 1", any reason 2 which would be stronger, more important for the person we speak of, than reason 1. Except if you want to amuse : 
Il ne participait jamais aux tournois de foot organisés dans sa commune, ne serait-ce que parce que le souffle lui manquait. Il faut dire qu'il avait largement dépassé les 80 ans.
Il ne dépasse jamais la vitesse limite sur autoroute, ne serait-ce qu'à cause des radars. D'ailleurs, il roule en 2 CV !


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## JazzByChas

In this case, I will defer to the native speakers of French. Although, I think what Zam said in post #24 was quite interesting…

… « ‘nuff said ! »



			
				our favorite alien said:
			
		

> In this sentence, *it does*. Because of "ne serait-que" precisely. "Ne serait-ce que" means that this reason in itself would be sufficient to explain why he couldn't live in France.
> But I've already said that, haven't ? So all I can do now is say
> <kneeling down> "Please, believe me, I'm sure this is what the expression means"





			
				Agnès E. said:
			
		

> I am supporting you on this, Jean-Mi! (just in case it would matter)


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## xav

Perhaps there's no exact translation and "mainly because...""largely through..." would be the best equivalents to keep in mind. Do people agree ?

Dear Jazz, what do you mean by





> … « ‘nuff said ! »


 ?


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## JazzByChas

I was wondering if I might get that reaction!  

In English, when there is no more to say, we say, "Enough said." And colloquially, we say, "'nuff said" (= Enough Said)

And yes, I would agree....


			
				xav said:
			
		

> Perhaps there's no exact translation and "mainly because...""largely through..." would be the best equivalents to keep in mind. Do people agree ?
> 
> Dear Jazz, what do you mean by " 'nuff said" ?


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## geve

Thanks for asking, Xav ! And thank you Chas for teaching us some nice colloquial English  

I am not a native but I would instinctively agree with the fact that there is not one correct translation of the expression, and that it all depends on the context... as Zam said in post #24, giving various good possible translations


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## salut!

Hi Clochette, I hope U've got the answer you needed. 

Forum members, I just wondered if it'd be right to say:

 "Not least because he was born German but also because....."


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## LV4-26

I liked Aupick's "_if only_ (_because_) " (and I'm still liking it ) for a context-free translation of the French expression. Though in this specific sentence (s)he rightly chose a different solution.

Many other good equivalents have been given so far but that one remains my favorite.


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## zam

Yes LV, 'if only (because)' is probably the best 'one size fits all' phrase for 'ne serait-ce que', I think we'll all agree to agree on this one ! 

Looking back at the whole thread, and in particular Mycall's 'albeit', I think I know why (s)he wanted to use this term. It dawned on me that (s)he thought of *'albeit'* (= although/quoique) probably as the latter can sometimes be translated as *'si ce n'est (que)'*, hence the confusion with the not too dissimilar 'ne serait-ce'. After all, phonetically it's almost six and two threes, and one could easily be forgiven for mistaking one for the other.


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## Mycall

Agnès E. said:
			
		

> Mycall,
> Je crois qu'il faudrait que vous fassiez davantage attention aux informations que vous donnez, et à la manière dont vous les donnez. Lorsque vous n'êtes pas certain(e), dites-le, car vos interlocuteurs sont, dans le cas contraire, enclins à vous croire sur parole et cela pourrait même leur porter préjudice dans certains cas.
> 
> Par ailleurs, je vous rappelle l'usage du smilie  : il est expliqué ici.
> N'hésitez pas à me contacter par message privé si vous désirez davantage de détails.


 
  Gloups ! Oui vous avez raison. J'ai cru bien faire en utilisant le  car je croyais que cela pouvait indiquer quelque chose comme "à prendre ou à laisser" mais je n'avais pas vérifié au préalable. J'essaierai d'inclure un contexte à l'avenir afin d'éviter tout malentendu...


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## Mycall

zam said:
			
		

> Yes LV, 'if only (because)' is probably the best 'one size fits all' phrase for 'ne serait-ce que', I think we'll all agree to agree on this one !
> 
> Looking back at the whole thread, and in particular Mycall's 'albeit', I think I know why (s)he wanted to use this term. It dawned on me that (s)he thought of *'albeit'* (= although/quoique) probably as the latter can sometimes be translated as *'si ce n'est (que)'*, hence the confusion with the not too dissimilar 'ne serait-ce'. After all, phonetically it's almost six and two threes, and one could easily be forgiven for mistaking one for the other.


 
  Thank you so ever so much for providing me with a clever ready-made excuse.  "Albeit" being rather literary I thought it would establish a subtle link with the two postulates that had been brought to everyone's attention, namely that A] the geezer was German B] he couldn't adjust to the French lifestyle.
  So here goes the long-awaited Mycall offering:
  "He couldn't live in France, albeit his being German-born, trying to come to grip with (the thickets of complexities of) the French way of life.  

  Now, that's what I'd call "going slightly overboard" to please someone...


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## timpeac

Mycall said:
			
		

> So here goes the long-awaited Mycall offering:
> "He couldn't live in France, albeit his being German-born, trying to come to grip with (the thickets of complexities of) the French way of life.


 
And my equally long-awaited criticism thereof -

Your sentence is just not English. I'd need to reflect longer on the grammatical reason why, although that question may be more appropriate for the English only forum where we'd probably get more replies.


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## JazzByChas

Well, as much as hate to play the devil's advocate, I will anyway! 

From Merriam Websters dictionary: _albeit = "Etymology: Middle English, literally, all though it be. Conceding the fact that *:* even though_ "

So we almost go back to where we started: It makes no sense to say, "He couldn't live in France; even though/although he is German-born, [and] trying to come to grips with the (complex) French way of life.

This would lead us back to relating his German heritage with the complexities of French life, and therein lies the (myriads of) complexities of this excercise.

[EDIT: yes, Tim...that is what I was basically (in my covert way) trying to say...] 



			
				Mycall said:
			
		

> Thank you so ever so much for providing me with a clever ready-made excuse. "Albeit" being rather literary I thought it would establish a subtle link with the two postulates that had been brought to everyone's attention, namely that A] the geezer was German B] he couldn't adjust to the French lifestyle.
> So here goes the long-awaited Mycall offering:
> "He couldn't live in France, albeit his being German-born, trying to come to grip with (the thickets of complexities of) the French way of life.
> 
> Now, that's what I'd call "going slightly overboard" to please someone...


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## timpeac

JazzByChas said:
			
		

> Well, as much as hate to play the devil's advocate, I will anyway!
> 
> From Merriam Websters dictionary: _albeit = "Etymology: Middle English, literally, all though it be. Conceding the fact that *:* even though_ "
> 
> So we almost go back to where we started: It makes no sense to say, "He couldn't live in France; even though/although he is German-born, [and] trying to come to grips with the (complex) French way of life.
> 
> This would lead us back to relating his German heritage with the complexities of French life, and therein lies the (myriads of) complexities of this excercise.
> 
> [EDIT: yes, Tim...that is what I was basically (in my covert way) trying to say...]


 
Yes - it doesn't make logical sense which is reason enough to reject it, but it is just not grammatically possible either - for the same reason you couldn't have "although his being German born" without following it by a verb. Replacing "abeit his being German-born" by "although his being German-born" in Mycall's sentence wouldn't make it make sense either.


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## GenJen54

I tried parsing this numerous ways. My top three are listed as follows (in no particular order):

_He was not able to live in France, not just because he was born German, but because he was unable to adapt to the French lifestyle. _


_His inability to live in France was not solely dependent upon his being born German, but also on his inability to adapt to the French lifestyle._


_He was not able to live in France, for not only was he born German, but he could not adapt to the French lifestyle._

I don't know if any are better than what has already been offered.


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## zam

Mycall, re 'albeit' = si ce n'est que (ONLY in some cases), I provided an explanation, not an excuse. 'Albeit his being German born', well, you really are clutching at straws now !


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## elroy

"Albeit his being born" is incorrect because "albeit" is a conjunction and not a preposition.  The correct preposition to use here would be "despite" (_malgré_).  "Albeit" means "although" (_bien que_) and requires a whole clause after it.  You could say "albeit he was born" or "albeit born" (in which the subject and the verb are elided), but with "his being born" you would have to say "despite" or "in spite of."


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## river

"'Albeit' comes from the Middle English _al be it_ meaning, "although it be." In English it means "even though; although; notwithstanding." It doesn't mean 'however.' It's a conjunction (like "and, but, so ...") and its purpose in life is to join words, phrases or sentence parts. 
The dust storm was unpleasant, albeit not unexpected given the drought."​


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## E-J

My suggestions for "ne serait-ce que" in this particular context would be "*for the simple reason that / on the grounds alone that *he was born a German". It's certainly a puzzling statement, though.


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## Mycall

timpeac said:
			
		

> Yes - it doesn't make logical sense which is reason enough to reject it, but it is just not grammatically possible either - for the same reason you couldn't have "although his being German born" without following it by a verb. Replacing "abeit his being German-born" by "although his being German-born" in Mycall's sentence wouldn't make it make sense either.


 
   So be it ! ...


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## wendysarah

Hi, I was wondering if ne serait que could mean the same thing?

thanks,
Wendy


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## LV4-26

wendysarah said:
			
		

> Hi, I was wondering if ne serait que could mean the same thing?


 As you've resurrected that already very long thread.....
No, _ne serait que_ and _ne serait-ce que_ do not mean the same thing.

_La croissance* ne serait que* de 1% en 2003, selon le CPE
_Here, you've got the verb "être" conjugated in the conditionnel (because the writer is only reporting a statement and doesn't want to hold responsibility for its accuracy). It's got a clear subject, _la croissance. _Source of the example

_Les gens qui recherchent une doctrine stricte et bien établie ont une certaine visibilité, *ne serait-ce que* parce que leurs positions sont facilement identifiables. _(here)
Here (and everywhere else), _ne serait-ce que_ is a set expression with no clear subject (except a very vague, impersonal and weak one : _ce_). Indeed, you can hardly parse it into its different elements : it's a whole. It can be translated in various ways according to the context. The closest in English would be...._.if only_ , especially with the _because_ that follows.

Note that, in that sentence, like in most sentences with _ne serait-ce que,_ there is no other reason or element to follow. There is only one reason given, the one introduced by _ne serait-ce que_. That's what made the original sample sentence peculiar and tricky to translate.

Now_, ne serait-ce que _isn't necessarily followed by _parce que._
Another common usage is in this kind of sentence (here)
_Méditez, *ne serait-ce que* cinq minutes par jour._
The author of that article is saying that everyone should try to meditate, even if it's only 5 minutes a day. I don't know exactly what could be the equivalent in English so I'll try to explain the value of _ne serait-ce que_, here by comparing this sentence to others.

_Méditez cinq minutes par jour_
means I'm asking you to meditate five minutes a day. That's all. I'm not telling you to meditate more or less : it's five minutes, full stop.

_Méditez au moins cinq minutes par jour_
Meditate at least five minutes a day

_Méditez ne serait-ce que cinq minutes par jour._
It's good to meditate in general. It's better to meditate more than five minutes. But even if you've only got five minutes to spend for it, do it. Even with five minutes, it'll do you good, it'll be useful. Yes, there's all that in _"ne serait-ce que".
_Here again, no other elements follows.


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## Gerard Samuel

I find that it often works to translate "ne serait-ce que" as "for one reason because," which I feel conveys the impression that there are other reasons in addition to the one given.


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## ampurdan

I wonder if you could translate it the following way:

-He was unable to live in France, at least because he was born German, but also because etc.

And I wonder if I could phrase it the following way, if I didn't have to add the last part of the sentence:

-He was unable to live in France, were it only because he was born German.


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## timpeac

ampurdan said:


> I wonder if you could translate it the following way:
> 
> -He was unable to live in France, at least because he was born German, but also because etc.
> 
> And I wonder if I could phrase it the following way, if I didn't have to add the last part of the sentence:
> 
> -He was unable to live in France, were it only because he was born German.


 The first one definitely not (I'd say) - although you could say "not least" instead of "at least". The second one also sounds strange to me. I'm hesitating to say it's wrong so let's see what others think, but to me it certainly sounds an unusual way of saying it.


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## ampurdan

Thank you, Tim.

I've found some samples googling, for instance:

"Her memory, were it only because of this remarkable and almost unique union of qualities, deserves to be kept green". Here.

I must say that many of the occurrances seemed to be translations of other languages and old religious texts and all were quite bookish.


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## Dusty19

albeit

can _sometimes_ be used, but always requires the rest of the sentence to be re-worked, and certainly wouldn't fit in asker's example here.

'be it only' is another of the many options that work in some instances but not all; however, most of the solutions in EN using the subjunctive tend to have a rather formal / literary feel about them which won't fit the register in lots of places where « ne serait-ce que... » is used.

'if only...' is often a good solution, and is unlikely to really cause any confusion with the idea of « si seulement... » because of the way the sentence after it will have to be worded.

« Il viendra au foot, ne serait-ce que pour le troisième mi-temps ! »

"He'll come along to football, if only for the after-match drinks!"


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