# FR: He was an angel



## Jeremy Sharpe

Bonjour,

I know that in French you drop the 'un' or 'le' type thing when talking about being in some type of profession. For example you use "Je suis pilot" to mean "I am a pilot", but can you do the same thing when it's not a job you're talking about? For example, I wanted to say "He was an angel" (in the past), so I wrote "Il était ange", but I'm not sure if that's right.

Merci beaucoup!

EDIT: Oh, I just realized that "He was an angel" is an idiomatic expression. Any ideas of a similar expression in French?  

EDIT 2: Sorry, for context: he's not ACTUALLY an angel, he's just a really nice person.


----------



## Cath.S.

Hi Jeremy,
in fact, we won't use _il _here, we'll say
_"c'était un ange"_
You have to keep the indefinite article.
In French we also use that expression.


----------



## Jeremy Sharpe

Thanks!

On a completely unrelated note, are "greenhouse gas emissions" in French  "émissions au niveau"? I looked in the dictionary, but it wasn't completely clear.


----------



## Cath.S.

Jeremy Sharpe said:
			
		

> Thanks!
> 
> On a completely unrelated note, are "greenhouse gas emissions" in French "émissions au niveau"? I looked in the dictionary, but it wasn't completely clear.


Since you're new to the forum, I'll tell you something_ les habitués _know: you must start a new thread for each new question. Thanks!


----------



## le chat noir

egueule said:
			
		

> Hi Jeremy,
> in fact, we won't use _il _here, we'll say
> _"c'était un ange"_
> You have to keep the indefinite article.
> In French we also use that expression.


 
I guess the definite article is only used for actual human beings in French, contrary to English : "*il* était marin" for "he was a sailor", but "*c'*était un démon" for "he was a devil" .

If you don't put any article in French between two substantives it makes the second one sound like an adjective. It is only possible to express a comparison, something like "he was looking like/behaving like/reminding me of/ something".

for instance : "il était ange plus que démon" would mean "he looked more like an angel than a demon"


----------



## DDT

egueule said:
			
		

> Since you're new to the forum, I'll tell you something_ les habitués _know: you must start a new thread for each new question. Thanks!



Thanks egueule for pointing it out!

DDT


----------



## DDT

Jeremy Sharpe said:
			
		

> Thanks!
> 
> On a completely unrelated note, are "greenhouse gas emissions" in French  "émissions au niveau"? I looked in the dictionary, but it wasn't completely clear.



I'd suggest "émissions de gas provoquant l'effet de serre"

DDT


----------



## le chat noir

DDT said:
			
		

> I'd suggest "émissions de gas provoquant l'effet de serre"
> 
> DDT


 
That would be syntactically perfect but sound a bit heavy or unusual (like "emissions of gases causing greenhouse effect" instead of "greenhouse gas emuissions" ).
As far as I know, "émissions de gaz à effet de serre" is exactly the way to put it both in scientific speeches an in all-day language.


----------



## jacque

i cannot find the term "soileil" in the dictionary. can you please tell me the translation?
ta.


----------



## Gil

"Ange, Greenhouse, soileil", une chatte ne retrouverait pas ses petits dans ce fouillis...


----------



## Gil

jacque said:
			
		

> i cannot find the term "soileil" in the dictionary. can you please tell me the translation?
> ta.


Welcome Jacques, 
It's your first time, and the moderator probably will give you some hints on how we operate.
I suspect that the word you are looking for is "soleil" which means "sun", as in "Cirque du soleil".
If I am wrong, add some context and I am sure somebody will figure out an answer.


----------



## Cath.S.

Chassé loin de la terre par les émissions de gaz à effets de serre, l'ange se rapprochait dangereusement du soleil.
Quant à la chatte, elle observait ce phénomène avec intérêt, et disait à ses petits
"Je vous ai retrouvés, mes chatons, malgré les prédictions du prophète canadien, mais vous voilà bien amaigris! Vous devez être affamés! Prenez patience, la dépouille de l'ange va bientêt réintégrer l'atmosphère - et vous verrez, c'est délicieux, l'ange cuit ! Bien meilleur que les fast food, et bien plus sain !"


----------



## DDT

jacque said:
			
		

> i cannot find the term "soileil" in the dictionary. can you please tell me the translation?
> ta.



Hi jaque,
Welcome to WR forums!

Let me please invite you to post different requests in new threads 

Anyway, as Gil already guessed, I think the word you're after is "soleil" ("sun")

DDT


----------



## Gil

egueule said:
			
		

> Chassé loin de la terre par les émissions de gaz à effets de serre, l'ange se rapprochait dangereusement du soleil.
> Quant à la chatte, elle observait ce phénomène avec intérêt, et disait à ses petits
> "Je vous ai retrouvés, mes chatons, malgré les prédictions du prophète canadien, mais vous voilà bien amaigris! Vous devez être affamés! Prenez patience, la dépouille de l'ange va bientêt réintégrer l'atmosphère - et vous verrez, c'est délicieux, l'ange cuit ! Bien meilleur que les fast food, et bien plus sain !"


Merci.  J'ai vu la lumière et ne m'inquiéterai plus pour les chatons.


----------



## le chat noir

jacque said:
			
		

> i cannot find the term "soileil" in the dictionary. can you please tell me the translation?
> ta.


 
Before this question gets moved to an independent thread or whatever, "soileil" is most likely a misspelling of "soleil" (sun).


----------



## sophievm

"émissions de gas provoquant l'effet de serre" => "émissions de ga*z* *à effet* de serre"


----------



## jacque

Thanks.
and yes, i think it is the mispellling of 'sun'.


----------



## charlie2

egueule said:
			
		

> Chassé loin de la terre par les émissions de gaz à effets de serre, l'ange se rapprochait dangereusement du soleil.
> Quant à la chatte, elle observait ce phénomène avec intérêt, et disait à ses petits
> "Je vous ai retrouvés, mes chatons, malgré les prédictions du prophète canadien, mais vous voilà bien amaigris! Vous devez être affamés! Prenez patience, la dépouille de l'ange va bientêt réintégrer l'atmosphère - et vous verrez, c'est délicieux, l'ange cuit ! Bien meilleur que les fast food, et bien plus sain !"


Nobody ever wonders what that is or everybody understands it except me? I mean I understand what it says but what is it? I'd better check how many lives I still have! As one of my former French teachers said, "Explain me, please!"


----------



## le chat noir

_Driven far away from Earth by greenhouse gas emissions, the angel was dangerously nearing the Sun.
As for the cat, she watched this event keenly, and was saying to her cubs: "I found you back, my kittens, despite the forecasts of the Canadian prophet, but see how skinny you became! You must be starving! Be patient, the angel's corpse will soon reenter the atmosphere - and mark my words, cooked angel is a delight ! Much better than fast food, and much healthier!"_​


----------



## charlie2

le chat noir said:
			
		

> _Driven far away from Earth by greenhouse gas emissions, the angel was dangerously nearing the Sun.
> As for the cat, she watched this event keenly, and was saying to her cubs: "I found you back, my kittens, despite the forecasts of the Canadian prophet, but see how skinny you became! You must be starving! Be patient, the angel's corpse will soon reenter the atmosphere - and mark my words, cooked angel is a delight ! Much better than fast food, and much healthier!"_​


How can I thank you, having done this for me (je suppose), le chat noir !? Tu est gentil. Trop.
Mais non, malheureusement, ce n'est pas ce que je voudrais! Le contexte, je voudrais savoir le contexte, comme on dit toujours sur ce forum.


----------



## Cath.S.

charlie2 said:
			
		

> How can I thank you, having done this for me (je suppose), le chat noir !? Tu est gentil. Trop.
> Mais non, malheureusement, ce n'est pas ce que je voudrais! Le contexte, je voudrais savoir le contexte, comme on dit toujours sur ce forum.


Le contexte, tu l'as sous les yeux, Charlie  : ce petit délire m'a été inspiré par la réflexion de Gil concernant le désordre qui régnait/règne sur ce fil.


----------



## charlie2

egueule said:
			
		

> Le contexte, tu l'as sous les yeux, Charlie  : ce petit délire m'a été inspiré par la réflexion de Gil concernant le désordre qui régnait/règne sur ce fil.


I seem to have provided more of ce petit délire.   My apologies, especially to le chat noir. (Boy, have I been confused when reading that thread!)
But _that_ was some story, believe it or not.


----------

