# Ces abrutis allaient être servis



## hampton.mc

Could it be literally translated as:
The stupid buggers would be well served

Context: A girl is reading on a beach and wants to be left alone, four men are trying to hit on her pretending to be interested by the book she is reading.

... She felt immediately thankful for her choice of the day, a French translation of a Vietnamese author. *The stupid buggers would be well served*, she thought. She waved the cover at them...


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## Quaeitur

It does sound a bit odd to me... I would expect something like:

*It would serve the idiots right!*


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## Jack-the-hat

My suggestion: _It serves the daft sods right._


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## hampton.mc

Thank you both.
Jack would "daft sods" work in AE ?


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## Quaeitur

hampton.mc said:


> Thank you both.
> Jack would "daft sods" work in AE ?



I've never heard it there in 7 years  It is typically British for me.


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## mgarizona

"This'll show them, the halfwits, " she thought.


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## pirlouette

"Morons" me paraît coller


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## LART01

que penses tu de = thick-headed ?


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## Nicklondon

thickos peut-être?


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## Ellery

I prefer 'morons'; that's what I'd call them...  

'Fat-heads' or 'idiots'  are also options, though.


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## Nicomon

Salut mc,

Pour moi un abruti « mal dégrossi », comme tu le décris, est un « crétin (fini) » ou à la québécoise... un « gros épais ».

Il me semble aussi que _moron _- que le dico de WR suggère pour traduire _crétin _- convient bien. 
Il y aurait peut-être aussi _jackass_, qui est l'équivalent de _connard_... mais c'est évidemment plus vulgaire.


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## hampton.mc

"Morons" would definitely work in AE and BE. Does it work in the sentence?

... She felt immediately thankful for her choice of the day, a French translation of a Vietnamese author. *This would serve the morons right*, she thought. She waved the cover at them...


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## LART01

those xxx would get what they deserved


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## hampton.mc

LART01 said:


> those xxx would get what they deserved



Tu ne penses pas que c'est un peu fort par rapport à "allaient être servis" ?
"Lui qui n'aime pas l'art moderne, il a été servi au MOMA !"


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## LART01

No honestly, I don't
aren't they pictured as ''stupid buggers''?


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## Nicomon

Eh bien moi, je pense comme hampton que "_get what they deserved_" est un peu fort, et "_serve them right_" ne me semble pas convenir non plus. 
À mon avis, ces expressions signifient plutôt « _ça leur apprendra_ ». 

Or, dans le contexte de ce fil, je comprend « _allaient être servis_ » un peu comme *"(those morons) would be in for a treat".* 

Je ne sais pas ce qu'en pensent les anglophones?


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## hampton.mc

Nicomon said:


> Eh bien moi, je pense comme hampton que "_get what they deserved_" est un peu fort, et "_serve them right_" ne me semble pas convenir non plus.
> 
> À mon avis, ces expressions signifient plutôt « _ça leur apprendra_ ». Or, dans le contexte de ce fil, je comprend « _allaient être servis_ »
> un peu comme *"(those morons) would be in for a treat".*
> 
> Je ne sais pas ce qu'en pensent les anglophones?



Yes Nico it's exactly what I felt that even "serve them right" was a bit strong but I didn't know how to explain it. Thank you
Maybe "that will teach them" as you suggested


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## hampton.mc

Or mgarizona's suggestion:
"This'll show them, the halfwits"


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## LART01

hampton.mc said:


> Yes Nico it's exactly what I felt that even "serve them right" was a bit strong but I didn't know how to explain it. Thank you
> Maybe "that will teach them" as you suggested


 
yes
that will teach them a lesson


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## Nicomon

Again, I don't read any idea of "lesson" in « _allaient être servis_ ». 

I never suggested "_that will teach them_"... this is what the other expressions (_get what they deserve/serve them right_) make me think of.

_That will serve you / them right = ça t'apprendra / leur apprendra._
_They will get what they deserve = ils auront/obtiendront ce qu'ils méritent_

Unless I completely misunderstood the French - which I don't think means any of those above - I stick with "_in for a treat/surprise_", or a similar idiomatic expression. As in the Moma example.


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## hampton.mc

Nicomon said:


> Again, I don't read any idea of "lesson" in « _allaient être servis_ ».
> 
> I never suggested "_that will teach them_"... this is what the other expressions (_get what they deserve/serve them right_) make me think of.
> 
> Right, I read your post too quickly
> 
> _That will serve you / them right = ça t'apprendra / leur apprendra._
> _They will get what they deserve = ils auront/obtiendront ce qu'ils méritent_
> 
> Unless I completely misunderstood the French - which I don't think means any of those above - I stick with "_in for a treat/surprise_", or a similar idiomatic expression. As in the Moma example.



Ok Nico, so would you say: 
"Those morons would be/will be/are in for a treat"? 

and I like as well "this'll show them, the halfwits" because if they want to go this way, probably thinking that the girl was reading airport litterature and that they would have the upper hand, this (the book) will show them that things are not what they appeared to be. I am less sure about "halfwits" because I have never heard it before) althought the idea is pretty clear we have the same "il n'a qu'une moitié de cerveau" and would B/E familiar with the word?


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## Jack-the-hat

_Halfwit_ certainly works in BE, although _nitwit _is perhaps more common.

I think that Nicomon is correct in her suggestion of in for a treat idea, but only if it is used in an ironic sense, unless I've misunderstood the context. The other suggestions avoid the potential ambiguity. I_n for a treat/surprise_ really does make me think that their advances are going to be successful!


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## hampton.mc

It is used with "morons" so it is ironic moreover the guys don't speak French...


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## Cath.S.

Mon essai :
_The morons were in for a shock._


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## SwissPete

Ces abrutis allaient être servis.

Those idiots / morons / whatever were going to get their comeuppance.


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## jscottseptembre

Yea, vous n'entendriez jamais un américain dire "bugger" ni "daft sod" 

Ma proposition: "those morons were gonna get taught a lesson"


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## Nicomon

Cath.S. said:


> Mon essai :
> _The morons were in for a shock._


 Je vote pour cette solution.  Pas _treat/surprise_... mais _shock_.  
Et à mon avis,  _were in_ convient mieux que _would be in_. Mon erreur. 

I did mean _treat_ in an ironic way, though.  Just as I think this example which hampton gave is ironic :





> "Lui qui n'aime pas l'art moderne, il a été servi au MOMA !"


 
If I wanted to say _thaught a lesson / this'll show them_... I wouldn't say _être servis_ in French.


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## hampton.mc

SwissPete said:


> Ces abrutis allaient être servis.
> 
> Those idiots / morons / whatever were going to get their comeuppance.



I have learnt a new word today, thank you. WRD says: "avoir ce qu'on mérite" 



Cath.S. said:


> Mon essai :
> _The morons were in for a shock._



Great find. "Shock" should be understood as "surprise" though and not as "choc".
Imagine que tu lises tranquillement sur une plage californienne, tu entends quatre types qui arrivent en rigolant, ils ne savent pas que tu es Française, tu vois tout de suite qu'ils ne font pas partie de l'élite intellectuelle (to say the least). Tu ne sais pas ce qu'ils veulent : te draguer, se foutre de toi ? Ils essaient d'engager la conversation, comme tu les ignores et que tu continues à lire, ils t'interrogent sur ton livre. Tu espères que le livre en français les découragera tout de suite de continuer.
En voyant le livre, ils vont être surpris mais pas choqués.


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## Nicomon

hampton.mc said:


> Great find. "Shock" should be understood as "surprise" though and not as "choc".


 That's exactly how I understood it. But I prefer _shock_ to (previously suggested - #20) _surprise_. 

Et au risque de me répéter... je ne fais pas le lien entre « _être (bien) servis_ » au sens ironique et « _avoir ce qu'on mérite_ »... 
pour lequel plusieurs ont suggéré des variantes en anglais. 

C'est la raison pour laquelle je vote pour la solution de Cath.


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## hampton.mc

Nicomon said:


> That's exactly how I understood it. But I prefer _shock_ to (previously suggested - #20) _surprise_.
> 
> Et au risque de me répéter... je ne fais pas lien entre « _être (bien) servis_ » au sens ironique et « _avoir ce qu'on mérite_ »...
> pour lequel plusieurs ont suggéré des variantes en anglais.
> 
> C'est la raison pour laquelle je vote pour la solution de Cath.



okay then, the sentence has been corrected 

Thank you all and well done Cath!

One more question, because they haven't seen the book yet, can I write:
The morons *would be* in for a shock?


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## Nicomon

hampton.mc said:


> One more question, because they haven't seen the book yet, can I write:
> The morons *would be* in for a shock?


 As this was my first suggestion - I think you could. 
But then when I saw Cath's suggestion... I had second thoughts. 
So now, I'm not sure which of the two is best between _were in_ and _would be in._  

Both sound right to me. We'd need a native's opinion.


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## mgarizona

Definitely "were in for a shock." As with most grammar rulings, please don't ask me why. To me "would be in for a shock" needs an "if" clause after it.

"Comeuppance" is a great word, synonym for 'one's deserts' ... but it suggests due retaliation.


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## Oddmania

What about_ They will have it coming_ ?

Would this work ? I guess it rather means Ils l'auront bien mérité, but why not...


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## hampton.mc

In fact I can use the present tense because of the "she thought"
En français le sens reste le même. On pourrait tout aussi bien dire "ces abrutis vont être servis, pensa-t-elle"
Donc : "The morons are in for a shock"

THANK YOU


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## Cath.S.

hampton.mc said:


> In fact I can use the present tense because of the "she thought"
> En français le sens reste le même. On pourrait tout aussi bien dire "ces abrutis vont être servis, pensa-t-elle"
> Donc : "The morons are in for a shock"
> 
> THANK YOU


Ça marche bien au présent, en effet, si tu cites directement sa pensée.


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## Nicomon

mgarizona said:


> Definitely "were in for a shock." As with most grammar rulings, please don't ask me why. To me "would be in for a shock" needs an "if" clause after it.


 Thank you mgaz. It now makes perfect sense to me. 



Cath.S. said:


> Ça marche bien au présent, en effet, si tu cites directement sa pensée.


 Bien d'accord.  Mais je préfère "_those_ morons" à "_the _morons", si en français tu écris *c*es. 

Mais bon, c'est peut-être bonnet blanc/blanc bonnet.


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## Cath.S.

Nicomon said:


> Thank you mgaz. It now makes perfect sense to me.
> 
> Bien d'accord.  Mais je préfère "_those_ morons" à "_the _morons", si en français tu écris *c*es.
> 
> Mais bon, c'est peut-être bonnet blanc/blanc bonnet.


Salut Nico 
On traduit souvent _the_ par un démonstratif en français, non ?


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## hampton.mc

Thank you for keeping me right Nico yes "those"


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## Nicomon

Cath.S. said:


> Salut Nico
> On traduit souvent _the_ par un démonstratif en français, non ?


 Souvent? À vrai dire, je ne sais pas. Il me semble que je suis plus portée à le traduire par un article. 

Pour moi, _les abrutis = the morons_ et _ces abrutis = those morons..._ 
Il me semble que _the _est trop général et que dans le contexte de ce fil,  _those_ est plus précis (ces deux là, en particulier). 
Je me trompe?


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## Cath.S.

Je ne dirais pas que tu te trompes mais plutôt que tu as une vision trop restrictive de _the _(qui était d'ailleurs en anglais un démonstratif à part entière).

Par exemple, je traduirais_ kill the bastards_! par _tuez(-moi)* ces* salopards !_

Ce sujet mériterait certainement un fil à lui seul.


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## Nicomon

Cath.S. said:


> Je ne dirais pas que tu te trompes mais plutôt que tu as une vision trop restrictive de _the _(qui était d'ailleurs en anglais un démonstratif à part entière).
> 
> Par exemple, je traduirais_ kill the bastards_! par _tuez(-moi)* ces* salopards !_


Salut Cath,
Tu as sûrement raison, et oui... ce sujet mériterait un fil à lui seul. 

Je comprends fort bien ton exemple, et je préfère le démonstratif, mais si j'avais eu à le traduire à l'inverse, là encore j'aurais sans doute écrit 
(peut-être à tort) _*those* bastards._ 

Heureusement, la plupart des textes que je traduis sont de l'anglais au français.


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## Cath.S.

Nicomon said:


> Salut Cath,
> Tu as sûrement raison, et oui... ce sujet mériterait un fil à lui seul.
> 
> Je comprends ton exemple, et je préfère le démonstratif, mais si j'avais eu à le traduire à l'inverse, là aussi j'aurais sans doute écrit (peut-être à tort) _*those* bastards._
> 
> Heureusement, la plupart des textes que je traduis sont de l'anglais au français.


_Those_ n'aurait pas été faux, mais je trouve _the _plus idiomatique.


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## mgarizona

Yes, "*the *morons/schmucks/numbskulls were in for a shock."

You'd really only need a 'those' in situations where there were two groups you needed to distinguish between.


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## hampton.mc

Thank you MG for keeping us right.
Last change (I hope) :
We c


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## hampton.mc

Thank you MG for keeping us right.
The last change is made (I hope) at last and that calls for one bottle of Quantz finest sipping whisky  that I would love to share with you all.


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## Nicomon

Cath.S. said:


> _Those_ n'aurait pas été faux, mais je trouve _the _plus idiomatique.


 Merci, tu me l'apprends. 



mgarizona said:


> Yes, "*the *morons/schmucks/numbskulls were in for a shock."
> 
> You'd really only need a 'those' in situations where there were two groups you needed to distinguish between.


 Thanks again, mgaz. 

Talk about a lesson in humility. Good thing that I was at least right on the "morons + to be in for a... something" part.


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## Cath.S.

Nicomon said:


> Good thing that I was at least right on the "morons + to be in for a... something" part.


Merci de nous avoir inspirés, Nico.


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## hampton.mc

Nicomon said:


> Talk about a lesson in humility. Good thing that I was at least right on the "morons + to be in for a... something" part.



Merci pour ton aide précieuse qui m'a évité un faux-sens


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