# EN: indeed - at the beginning of a sentence



## hyka

Salut à tous,

J'ai bien vu que le sujet a été abordé plusieurs fois déjà.
Ma question est : est-ce "correct" (par exemple dans un courrier formel) d'utiliser "Indeed" pour introduire une explication de cause à effet.


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## david314

I believe so, but we will need further context.


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## hyka

What I mean is : Can we start a phrase with "Indeed" to bring an explanation in a formal letter (=business type).

For exemple : " You can not do ..... Indeed, the law does not allow you to ..."


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## cropje_jnr

Indeed, you certainly can! 

At the start of a sentence and in this context, "indeed" appears to me to be an exact equivalent of "_en effet_".


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## titi82

Indeed, I believe you can...


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## hyka

Well, the reason I ask is that I have been told it was not proper in a letter..

So are you sure this is correct in a formal letter ?


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## pyan

This question puzzled me.  If "indeed" is the right word to use, it is OK at the start of the sentence, just as the other members have been trying to reassure you.  The Cambridge Advanced Learner's dictionary has "indeed" at the start of its first example sentence here.

"Indeed" at the start of a sentence is quite emphatic, so is best used sparingly, but that does not mean it is wrong.


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## limace31

Hier encore un professeur d'iufm disait que mettre _indeed_ en début de phrase pour signifier "en effet", relevait de la faute grave...hum!!!


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## LaurelWreath

While perhaps technically correct, beginning a sentence with 'indeed' as a French person would begin with 'en effet' seems awkward and often doesn't sound "right" to a native speaker. 

Ex: Indeed, many people will lose their jobs.
Technically right, but no native speaker would ever say that, just like native speakers rarely start a sentence with "so" like French speakers start with "ainsi".

I would suggest using "In fact" instead, or trying to work in 'indeed' or 'in fact' elsewhere in the sentence (at the end, for example).

Correction: Many people will indeed lose their jobs. Many people will lose their jobs in fact.

Starting a sentence with 'indeed' followed by a comma also leads to a choppy rhythm and makes the sentence hard to follow. Beginning with 'indeed' correctly is difficult to master for foreign speakers, and I would suggest avoiding it and using a work around.


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## maybe4ever

hyka said:


> What I mean is : Can we start a phrase with "Indeed" to bring an explanation in a formal letter (=business type).
> 
> For exemple : " You can not do ..... Indeed, the law does not allow you to ..."




I wouldn't use indeed in a formal or informal letter in this context because using indeed in this way you're writing two sentences when it's better to just use one sentence. I think if a french person wants to find a english translation of "en effet" when they would use it at the beginning of a sentence, some good translations are, "in reality", or "in fact". Indeed at the beginning sounds of a sentence more unnatural.

With the context you've given, i think it's best to keep everything as one sentence, instead of making it two different ones. I would write the sentence as thus,
You can not do..............for in reality (because, since, for, as), the law doesn't allow you too.



LaurelWreath said:


> Ex: Indeed, many people will lose their jobs.
> Correction: Many people will indeed lose their jobs. Many people will lose their jobs in fact.



All these sentences though maybe techinically correct aren't very well written because they don't answer the question "why?", when?", or etc..."

Indeed, many people will lose their jobs _because (since, etc.)_ +...the reason why they will lose their jobs.

Many people will lose their jobs in fact _because (since, etc.)_ + the reason why they will lose them.


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## lrosa

LaurelWreath said:


> Correction: Many people will indeed lose their jobs.  (But different in meaning from "Indeed, many people will lose their jobs")
> Many people will lose their jobs in fact.



I think the sentence "Many people will lose their jobs in fact" sounds the most unnatural of all.

"Many people will indeed lose their jobs" means "_Yes_, it _is _true that many people will lose their jobs."
"Indeed, many people will lose their jobs" is different and only makes sense if the previous sentence contains a statement along the same lines, e.g. "The current recession has had a significant financial impact on employees. *Indeed*, many people have lost their jobs as a result of it."

I disagree that beginning a sentence with "indeed" sounds awkward. *Indeed*, I find that it is used very frequently in formal contexts such as the one that Hyka suggested.


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## YorkshireLass

I think this may be an American English/ UK English debate! I think it sounds perfectly natural, and grammatically correct in formal situations. In fact I would probably _only_ use it in a formal way.

It must be used in the right context however, as Irosa explained above.  In my opinion, it must be used as the beginning of a sentence to confirm or expand on the previous sentence - it cannot be used to introduce a topic for the first time.

I hope that makes sense!


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## maybe4ever

lrosa said:


> I disagree that beginning a sentence with "indeed" sounds awkward. *Indeed*, I find that it is used very frequently in formal contexts such as the one that Hyka suggested.



Hyka, you should model your sentences after this one if you want to use "indeed" at the beginning of your sentences in formal writing.  Irosa has given a wonderful example of how to use indeed at the beginning of a sentence.

Personally I'd use "In fact" in place of "Indeed", but that's just a matter of personal style and doesn't change the sentence a great deal, if at all.


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## Mister Traduissant

Hi,

I'm a translator in Montreal, and I frequently face this particular translation as well.

It is true that depending on the context, you can substitute "in fact," "indeed," "actually," and so on. However, remember that it is often acceptable to omit it altogether.

"Indeed" should not be used in professional letters if possible. "In fact" is generally better, but you can omit it if you are uncertain. I've noticed that "en effet" is used very liberally in French, far more than "indeed" or "in fact" are used in English.


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## Keith Bradford

I don't know where these "grammar rules" come from.  In this part of the world (my head and points north), it's perfectly correct to begin a sentence with "indeed". Indeed, it's rather formal and I've never before heard anything against it.  Partridge (_Usage and abusage_, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth 1973) doesn't disapprove of it and I see no need for anyone else to.


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## JossBell

I'd say absolutely not. I can't think of a grammatical reason but it sounds very clunky. I personally would never use it to start a sentence.


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## Le Gallois bilingue

So long as “_Indeed” is referring back to a previous sentence I see no issue. *However*_, the use of _“Indeed” _as the _first word _of a paragraph would seem odd.


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## Hildy1

Mister Traduissant said:


> It is true that depending on the context, you can substitute "in fact," "indeed," "actually," and so on. However, remember that it is often acceptable to omit it altogether. [...] I've noticed that "en effet" is used very liberally in French, far more than "indeed" or "in fact" are used in English.


I agree completely. Very often, the best translation for "en effect" is nothing at all.


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## Locape

Welcome to WR, *JossBell*! 
It's true 'en effet' is frequently used in French, I've learned not to use 'indeed' to translate it (it means rather 'certes', quite formal), and to avoid it when I can in English (and turn the sentence differently).


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## wildan1

I do a lot of formal writing and editing, and starting a sentence with _indeed_ is quite normal to me if it fits the context, which means that it is referring back to a previous statement in order to reinforce or further explain it. Its use is of a fairly formal register.

When starting a sentence with_ indeed,_ it is always followed by a comma: _Indeed, the rate of infection has grown steadily._


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