# Hum a few bars



## Budd

The phrase "hum a few bars" in AE has a literal and a figurative meaning.  Literally, it is a requet by a musician for someone to hum (or whistle or sing) a little bit of music so he can get the idea and perhaps recognize it or figure out how to play it.  Figuratively, it means to give someone an idea of one's meaning or to offer a kind of reminder about a given idea or subject, e.g., if someone asked me if I know about computer software, I might say Hum a few bars and learn that the person was more narrowly interested in word processing.  Any thoughts about a French equivalent, especially one that would carry both meanings?


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## Mercure

Peut-être 

*J'ai déjà entendu cette chanson  *        (usual expression meaning I heard that somewhere) 
ou
*mettre sur la voie                      *  (literally: to put on the path)

could fit your needs


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## Budd

Thanks.  Wouldn't *J'ai déjà entendu cette chanson *imply that the person is repeating himself, being boring?


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## xtrasystole

In the literal sense, the French equivalent of _'hum a few bars'_ would be _'fredonner quelques mesures'_ : _- 'Tu connais l'air du Toréador de Carmen ?' _
_ - 'Je ne m'en souviens plus... Fredonne quelques mesures'_. ​However, it doesn't have the figurative sense you mentioned. 

In the figurative, I would say _'C'est-à-dire ?'_ or _'Précise ta pensée'_ : _- 'Tu t'y connais en logiciels informatiques ?'_
_- 'C'est-à-dire ?'_
_- 'En traitements de texte ?'_​


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## Mercure

Budd said:
			
		

> Wouldn't *J'ai déjà entendu cette chanson *imply that the person is repeating himself, being boring?



Not especially.  For me, it merely means that you already heard that [song or anything else] in the past and you think you can guess what's going to happen later on.


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## Budd

Mercure said:


> Not especially. For me, it merely means that you already heard that [song or anything else] in the past and you think you can guess what's going to happen later on.


 
Right, got it, but that's not the figurative meaning in AE, which also might be expressed as Give me a clue or a hint.  It implies uncertainty on the part of the speaker.


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## Nicomon

Happy New Year everyone !

I second xtra's solutions, for the figurative meaning. 
Another that comes to mind, which I think would work is : _Peux-tu élaborer ta question_?


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## Budd

Merci, Nico.  Je cherchais quelque plus idiomatique et--si possible--drôle.  Bonne année _et_ bonne santé.


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## KaRiNe_Fr

Salut,



Nicomon said:


> [...] Another that comes to mind, which I think would work is : _Peux-tu élaborer ta question_?


Dans le même genre il me venait : « tu peux (peux-tu) développer ? »
Mais ce n'est pas drôle et ne marche qu'au sens figuré...


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## timpeac

Just to note - that on the British English side we don't have this figurative meaning either.


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## Budd

Alors, mes amis.  Si je disais "fredonnez quelques mesures" (suggestion de Mercure), mais au sens figuratif, quelle serait la réaction de l'homme/femme moyen(ne) intelligent(e) et spirituel(le)?


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## KaRiNe_Fr

Budd said:


> Alors, mes amis.  Si je disais "fredonnez quelques mesures" (suggestion de Mercure), mais au sens figuratif, quelle serait la réaction de l'homme/femme moyen(ne) intelligent(e) et spirituel(le)?


Je suis peut-être en dessous de la moyenne, mais je crois bien que je ne comprendrais rien !


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## Budd

"Je suis peut-être en dessous de la moyenne, mais je crois bien que je ne comprendrais rien ! "

Une chasseuse de cloportes ne peut jamais être en dessous de la moyenne.


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## timpeac

Budd said:


> "Je suis peut-être en dessous de la moyenne, mais je crois bien que je ne comprendrais rien ! "
> 
> Une chasseuse de cloportes ne peut jamais être en dessous de la moyenne.


Either way, the original phrase has been unknown to anyone but you.


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## Budd

"Either way, the original phrase has been unknown to anyone but you."

So you say to my surprise.  The phrase is Yank, not Brit, and I have never heard anyone in the States stumped by its use--even the tone deaf.


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## Nicomon

KaRiNe_Fr said:


> Dans le même genre il me venait : « tu peux (peux-tu) développer ? »
> Mais ce n'est pas drôle et ne marche qu'au sens figuré...


 
Peut-être en ajoutant... « C'est un peu vague, comme question » / « ta question est un peu vague ». 


En passant... c'est xtrasystole (et non Mercure) qui a suggéré « _fredonner quelques mesures_ ». Je comprendrais dans le sens littéral, mais non figuré.


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## Budd

"En passant... c'est xtrasystole (et non Mercure) qui a suggéré « _fredonner quelques mesures_ »."

J'esperè qu'xytrasysole me pardonnera.  Merci, Nico.


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## Mercure

Oui, en effet, c'est bien la proposition de xtrasystole.


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## Punky Zoé

Hi

How about "Dis toujours (pour voir)" ?


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## Budd

Not so bad, merci.  Would you be confused if I said _fredonne plusieurs mesures_?  Most others said they would (see my earlier post).


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## Punky Zoé

Budd said:


> Not so bad, merci.  Would you be confused if I said _fredonne plusieurs mesures_?  Most others said they would (see my earlier post).


Count me in !


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## Sencha

On pourrait tenter :

"Mais encore ?"


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## KaRiNe_Fr

Je viens juste de penser à « donner le ton » qui peut être utilisé au sens propre comme  au figuré... Mais ça n'a pas le même sens, hélas !


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## Budd

KaRiNe_Fr said:


> Je viens juste de penser à « donner le ton » qui peut être utilisé au sens propre comme au figuré... Mais ça n'a pas le même sens, hélas !


 
Tu as droit--quelle pitié, quel chagrin.  Very nice try, though.


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## Budd

Je risque peut-être d'enfoncer une porte ouverte, mais encore une fois *hum a few bars*.  I asked a French woman, who has lived in the States and speaks idiomatic AE, about the literal and obvious _fredonne plusieurs mesures_.  She said that is precisely what she'd say and that she would expect her Francophone listeners to understand.  She and her American husband also pointed out that some of the suggestions--peux-tu élaborer, précise ta pensée, for example--are a little off target.  "Hum a few bars" does *not* mean "what are you asking?" but is a request for direction in the conversation.  Neither suggestion, and many others, could be called wrong, but they do not convey to me and my Franco-American friends the slight confusion implied when asking for a few bars.


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## xtrasystole

Hello Budd, 

I still think that I wouldn't understand the _figurative_ sense of _'hum a few bars / fredonne quelques mesures'_ in French. 

(Or maybe not so now that I've read your thread).


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## Budd

Thanks, extra. That tells me something... I think. Maybe you could help popularize the phrase? I'd like that. Merci.


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## yuechu

I just wanted to add that I have never heard this phrase used in Canada (the English "hum a few bars") outside of a musical context and would not necessarily understand what the meaning is either. (without explanation) 
Is this phrase widely used in the US?


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## Budd

baosheng said:


> Is this phrase widely used in the US?



Not often used these days, but still by and large recognizable. It had more currency twenty or thirty years ago.


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