# Plaques électriques



## pieanne

Hello, guys!  

How would you say "n'utilisez pas les plaques électriques en même temps que..."?

The WR dic proposes "electric stove/cooker", so would it be "don't use the electric cooker at the same time as..."?

Don't you natives have a more specific word for "*plaques* électriques"?

Merci d'avance!


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## wildan1

_electric stove/cooker_ is _une cuisinière électrique_

_plaque électrique - electric burner_


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## pieanne

Wonderful!
Thank you so much, Wildan!


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## Teafrog

I'd say "electric rings"


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## pieanne

Thank you, Teafrog!  
Would it be a UK/US English difference?


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## wildan1

Teafrog said:


> I'd say "electric rings"


 
That must indeed be BE

AE_ electric burners_ look like this (our burners are not usually solid)

An AE _electric hotplate_ looks like this


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## OLN

wildan1 said:


> AE_ electric burners_ look like this *(our burners are not usually solid)*
> 
> An AE _electric hotplate_ looks like this


Ici les plaques ressemblent à des plaques. 
We don't need to get extra burner plates to prevent a mess when milk boils over.


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## pieanne

OLN said:


> Ici les plaques ressemblent à des plaques.
> We don't need to get extra burner plates to prevent a mess when milk boils over.


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## pieanne

wildan1 said:


> That must indeed be BE
> 
> AE_ electric burners_ look like this (our burners are not usually solid)
> 
> An AE _electric hotplate_ looks like this


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## pieanne

So... Aargh
What is the correct translation for "plaques" (in this instance)?


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## johndot

If you’re addressing an English audience, I would say, definitely, ‘hotplate’. (In England the word ‘burner’ is, as far as I know, only used for gas cookers.)
 
If you’re addressing a universal audience, I would suggest ‘heating element’.


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## pieanne

johndot said:


> If you’re addressing an English audience, I would say, definitely, ‘hotplate’. (In England the word ‘burner’ is, as far as I know, only used for gas cookers.)
> 
> If you’re addressing a universal audience, I would suggest ‘heating element’.


 How about "electric rings"?


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## wildan1

pieanne said:


> How about "electric rings"?


 
That would not work in AE. It sounds like _une bague (au doigt) électrique_

John's _heating element_ is very general--it could describe anything that heats (in a toaster, an oven, an electric blanket, etc.), but in the context of a kitchen it could work.


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## pieanne

OUI,JE COMPRENDS BIEN...
This has to work in an AE/BE language context...
The solution is???


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## Teafrog

pieanne said:


> How about "electric rings"?


It looks like, in BE at least, "une plaque electrique" would be an "electric hotplate" or an "electric hob", see here, here and, here (down the bottom of the page).

An electric ring is this.


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## wildan1

Teafrog said:


> It looks like, in BE at least, "une plaque electrique" would be an "electric hotplate" or an "electric hob", see here, here and, here (down the bottom of the page).
> 
> An electric ring is this.


 
Your _"ring"_ is called _a hotplate_ in AE, Teaf.

_Hob_ is totally unknown and would not be understood in North America. The only word sounding slightly similar is _hob-nob_, which has nothing to do with the kitchen! We would call that a hob _a_ _cooktop_.

Why not use _hotplate_, then, Anne. Even if it might sound not quite right to some, it will certainly be understood by all. (I imagine that you are making a sign or instructions for a vacation rental.)


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## InnocentAbroad

pieanne said:


> Thank you, Teafrog!
> Would it be a UK/US English difference?



No one has yet suggested 'hob' which would be my english-english translation.  It would depend in the period (if translating literature).  Electric ring – or hotplate – up until the early seventies, 'hob' after that.


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## pieanne

wildan1 said:


> (I imagine that you are making a sign or instructions for a vacation rental.)


 
Right you are!


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## pieanne

All right, thank you all, I'll go for "hotplate", then... Some renters are from the UK, others from the US, so if you are sure all of them will understand what I mean...  ?


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## wildan1

pieanne said:


> All right, thank you all, I'll go for "hotplate", then... Some renters are from the UK, others from the US, so if you are sure all of them will understand what I mean... ?


 
Reading "hotplate," an American would normally understand this--so if your rental unit also has _un réchaud_ in addition to _a cuisinière électrique_, that could be confusing (i.e., don't use the _cuisinière_ and the _réchaud _at the same time). 

Otherwise, they will probably just think you were using the "wrong" word to describe the stove burner!


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## pieanne

LOL!

Ahem... If I used the terms "cuisinière électrique" or "plaques électriques", do you think your average US citizen would understand what I mean?


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## InnocentAbroad

I'm not American, but a Brit (and most Brits have some knowledge of French, which everyone pretty much learns at school) would not understand this.   They might think plaques électriques might be a electric toothbrush...  and cuisinière might be a cook who comes in to sort out the food situation!

Much simply to just say electric hot plate, or electric hob.


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## helen94

pieanne said:


> Thank you, Teafrog!
> Would it be a UK/US English difference?



there are  lots of difference between UK/US English 

here in UK we say electric rings.


helen


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## wildan1

InnocentAbroad said:


> I'm not American, but a Brit (and most Brits have some knowledge of French, which everyone pretty much learns at school) would not understand this. They might think plaques électriques might be a electric toothbrush... and cuisinière might be a cook who comes in to sort out the food situation!
> 
> Much simply to just say electric hot plate, or electric hob.


 
Yes, EN _"plaque"_ refers to food stuck in your teeth or an award on the wall--no connection with the word you want to convey. And nowadays most Americans learn Spanish, not French! 

Maybe just show a picture of the damned thing and put a big X on it!
(Two people separated by a common language!)


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## Angle O'Phial

wildan1 said:
			
		

> And nowadays most Americans learn neither Spanish, nor French! (sad but true)



Why not call the darn thing a stove. Does that work in BE? Technically I'd call this (both electric burners together) a cooktop, but in AE I would have no objections to calling it an electric stove, and certainly no worry about its being misunderstood.


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## InnocentAbroad

"Stove" would apply to the oven part as well as the top part.  Is this what you mean?.  You have also used "electric burners" here. That would certainly work in BE.  This wouldn't be confused with the oven element of the "stove".


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## Angle O'Phial

If _electric burners_ works in BE, then that's what I'd use as it's the most natural in AE. *johndot* objected to this above in #11, though.


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## wildan1

InnocentAbroad said:


> "Stove" would apply to the oven part as well as the top part. Is this what you mean?. You have also used "electric burners" here. That would certainly work in BE. This wouldn't be confused with the oven element of the "stove".


 
If it is _a hob/cooktop_, it can't be called _a stove_--stoves always have ovens. Plus I think BE uses _cooker _for this

_Electric burners_ -- that's clear and specific, I think


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## Budgie

I would definitely use hob, but rings would be understood.   I would think of a burner as having flames, so a gas hob and cooktop would not be used in BE.  Cooker or stove would include the oven.


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## InnocentAbroad

Budgie said:


> I would definitely use hob, but rings would be understood.   I would think of a burner as having flames, so a gas hob and cooktop would not be used in BE.  Cooker or stove would include the oven.



Nothing electric has a flame as such,  so electric burner would work.


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## pieanne

This http://www.e-distri.com/boutique/images_produits/TC31FA_1.jpg is the kind of thing I have in mind, except that there are 2 gas burners and 2 electric hotplates.

So far I've used the term "electric hotplates" (do not use the at the same time as the electric kettle, the dishwasher and the washing machine, LOL!)

Would you, dear UK an dear US natives, get the meaning of that note?


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## wildan1

pieanne said:


> This http://www.e-distri.com/boutique/images_produits/TC31FA_1.jpg is the kind of thing I have in mind, except that there are 2 gas burners and 2 electric hotplates.
> 
> So far I've used the term "electric hotplates" (do not use the at the same time as the electric kettle, the dishwasher and the washing machine, LOL!)
> 
> Would you, dear UK an dear US natives, get the meaning of that note?


 
OK, how about turning it around:

_To avoid an electric overload, while using any other electrical device (electric kettle, dishwasher or washing machine) please use only the gas burners for cooking. _

PS Do you really mean "use only one electrical device at a time"? What if they use the dishwasher and washing machine together?


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## Teafrog

pieanne said:


> This http://www.e-distri.com/boutique/images_produits/TC31FA_1.jpg is the kind of thing I have in mind, except that there are 2 gas burners and 2 electric hotplates.
> 
> So far I've used the term "electric hotplates" (do not use the at the same time as the electric kettle, the dishwasher and the washing machine, LOL!)
> 
> Would you, dear UK an dear US natives, get the meaning of that note?


I’d get the meaning of that note, but to be on the safe side I’d say:
*Electric hotplates: please do not use at the same time as the kettle, dishwasher or washing machine (otherwise fuses will blow!)*.
Don't forget to have a similar note for the other electric appliances .


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## InnocentAbroad

I would suggest as Treefrog, except rather then "fuses will blow" (because they won't) "trip switch will go" unless this concept is alien to Americans!


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## wildan1

InnocentAbroad said:


> I would suggest as Treefrog, except rather then "fuses will blow" (because they won't) "trip switch will go" unless this concept is alien to Americans!


 
Well, we Americans call _un disjoncteur a circuit breaker_, but I think _"trip switch"_ is a term they could figure out given the context.

We do also still have some old houses with _fuses - fusibles. _


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## Transit76

What about "electric stoves"?


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## InnocentAbroad

No, electric stove means the whole thing, including an oven -- cuisinière or poêle

Plaques electriques refers to the top, and the translation depends on the form of electric heating used

Induction -- induction "hob"
Electric coil -- electric ring (s)
Solid plate -- hotplate

For gas, -- the full four is called a gas hob
if one or two, then gas ring(s)

Hope this helps


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## Transit76

Very precise, thanks a lot!


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## InnocentAbroad

Il n'y a pas de quoi!


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## wildan1

InnocentAbroad said:


> Plaques electriques refers to the top, and the translation depends on the form of electric heating used
> 
> Induction -- induction "hob"
> Electric coil -- electric ring (s)
> Solid plate -- hotplate
> 
> For gas, -- the full four is called a gas hob
> if one or two, then gas ring(s)


Just to recap this now-old and very lengthy thread, all of the terms above are strictly British-- the term _hob_ is unknown in North America, and would not be understood over here.

_Cooktop_ or_ stovetop_ are the words commonly used to describe the whole top part of a cooking device.

_burners_ is the term we use for the actual round " _plaques "_ on which you cook. It makes no difference whether they are gas or electric.

_a hotplate_ is a small individual burner usually found in a student room or other place with no kitchen -- _un réchaud_


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## pieanne

Thank you for all your explanations!


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## wistou

My suggestion would be to try and describe the thing and what it is used for at the same time so as to avoid misunderstanding:  "Electric cooking plate" seems to be clear and understandable by everybody, regardless of them being UK, US or other "English" speaking countries. 

Regards,


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