# I could not live with myself if



## mrbadexample

*Mod note: Several Threads merged to create this one.*

Hello,

I'm trying to translate:

"I could not live with myself if something happened to you."

I'm guessing there's an equivalent phrase in French which is not a literal translation, so I haven't tried yet. Any thoughts?

Cheers, MBE


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## Floor

Hi!
A French person would say:
*S'il t'arrivait quelquechose, je ne pourrais jamais me le pardonner*. ( = I could never forgive myself)


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## mrbadexample

Thanks Floor.


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## xtrasystole

Floor said:


> *je ne pourrais jamais me le pardonner*


Je suis d'accord. 

Variante : _'*je ne me le pardonnerais jamais*'_.


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## lexiconnaissance

Could one say:

Je ne me supporterais plus jamais?


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## Floor

lexiconnaissance said:


> Could one say:
> 
> Je ne me supporterais plus jamais?


 
A French person would understand but wouldn't say that naturally.


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## persona67

"S'il t'arrivait quelque chose, je n'y survivrais pas"


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## KaRiNe_Fr

Or: je ne m'en remettrais pas ? (maybe the sense is slightly changed here...)
It reminds me of a joke where a woman is saying to her husband: si l'un d'entre nous venait à mourir, je ne m'en remettrais pas.
=> If one of us would die, I could not live with myself?


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## Punky Zoé

lexiconnaissance said:


> Could one say:
> 
> Je ne me supporterais plus jamais?


Rather (in the same vein) "je ne pourrais le supporter / je ne le supporterais pas".


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## Nicomon

I'm puzzled.  imo, - unless I'm totally misinterpreting the English - expressions like _je n'y survivrais pas/m'en remettrais pas/ne pourrais le supporter_ would normally be translated as "I could (or would) not get over it/put up with it/bear it/ live anymore"

I don't think those mean "I could not live with myself". In this expression, "myself" usually refers to one's conscience: it has something to do with guilt. I interpret it as Floor and xtrasystole did. _Je_ _ne me le pardonnerais jamais/pourrais pas me pardonner._ 

Or something like _Je n'aurais pas la conscience en paix/je ne serais pas en paix avec moi-même_ might work, in certain contexts.


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## KaRiNe_Fr

You're right Nico. « Je ne me le pardonnerais jamais » is what does come to mind first. I guess if you could not live with yourself there is also a chance you can't get over it, but... in a second step.


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## mrbadexample

Thanks for all your input.


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## xtrasystole

Nicomon said:


> "I could not live with myself". In this expression, "myself" usually refers to one's conscience: it has something to do with guilt. I interpret it as Floor and xtrasystole did. _Je_ _ne me le pardonnerais jamais/pourrais pas me pardonner._
> Or something like _Je n'aurais pas la conscience en paix/je ne serais pas en paix avec moi-même_ might work, in certain contexts.


Yes, I agree.


lexiconnaissance said:


> Could one say:
> Je ne me supporterais plus jamais?


Not exactly. But in the same spirit of guilt or (rather) shame, I would suggest: _'*Je ne pourrais plus me regarder dans une glace*'_ (a most common expression in French).


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## mrbadexample

xtrasystole said:


> _'*Je ne pourrais plus me regarder dans une glace*'_



I think this is _exactly_ what I was after.


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## Nicomon

xtrasystole said:


> Yes, I agree.
> Not exactly. But in the same spirit of guilt or (rather) shame, I would suggest: _'*Je ne pourrais plus me regarder dans une glace*'_ (a most common expression in French).


 
  The Quebec version would be « _Je ne pourrais plus me regarder dans *le/un miroir*_ »


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## KaRiNe_Fr

Nicomon said:


> The Quebec version would be « _Je ne pourrais plus me regarder dans *le/un miroir*_ »


You can use _miroir _in France too! 
« Je n'oserais plus me regarder dans la glace / dans mon miroir. »


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## xtrasystole

KaRiNe_Fr said:


> You can use _miroir _in France too


In France, in the idiomatic expression we are talking about, _'miroir'_ is much less common than _'glace'_.


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## jujuly

xtrasystole said:


> Yes, I agree.
> Not exactly. But in the same spirit of guilt or (rather) shame, I would suggest: _'*Je ne pourrais plus me regarder dans une glace*'_ (a most common expression in French).



J'interviens un peu tard, mais on dirait même peut-être plutôt : "Je ne pourrais plus me regarder en face".


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## Quantz

I could *not live with myself* until I talk to him

Je ne pourrai pas *me regarder en face *tant que… ??


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## joEmon

ok pour moi. Dans un autre registre "j'aurai la honte sur moi tant que ...


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## Quantz

La honte, je ne peux pas… trop colloquial


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## archijacq

je ne serai pas en paix avec moi-même...


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## Quantz

Pas mal, la paix, en effet.


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## Quantz

Exactement, l'Irlandais, merci.


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## Leflipper

je ne pourrais pas me résoudre... I don't know if this is enlightening or not. I need someone French to tell me that


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## xiancee

"Me resoudre" est transitif et doit être accompagné d'un complément d'objet direct. On doit dire "je ne pourrais pas me résoudre à .... quelque chose, son départ, sa disparition son déces, etc...


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## Leflipper

Yes but does it convey, for example, 'you could not live with yourself knowing that I was dead'? - Au fond, vous ne pouviez pas vous résoudre à me savoir mort... Or is it too strong? Funny thing is (this is taken from a play by the way) the characters go on to talk about looking at themselves in forty years time (like the mirror previously suggested).


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## hirondelled'hiver

xtrasystole said:


> _'*Je ne pourrais plus me regarder dans une glace*'_



Oui, comme Quantz plus haut, j'avais trouvé:_ je ne pourrais plus jamais me regarder en face. _


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## petit1

je ne pourrais pas me regarder en face.


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## Quantz

Je ne suis pas sûr de pouvoir me supporter/supporter de vivre avec cette idée.


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