# EN: il l'a fait, lui



## Monsieur Leland

Bonjour,

Je me permets de lancer ce petit sujet afin de connaitre vos avis sur les questions suivantes:

Je souhaite créer une insistance sur une fin de phrase: "Contrairement à vous, XXX l'a fait, lui!" Ma version serait "Unlike you, XXX did it, he!" Mais je n'ai pas trouvé d'équivalence sur google.

...
Merci beaucoup!

Moderator note: Only one question is allowed in a thread (rule #2)


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## SwissPete

Welcome to the forum, Monsieur.

[…]

As to the first question: "Unlike you, XXX did do it". Orally, the emphasis is on 'did'.

Somebody will be along soon to tell you (and me) what the name of that grammar structure is.

*Moderator note:* No pseudo-moderation, please.


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## AmaryllisBunny

This is the emphatic "do." All this means is that it adds emphasis (similar to the tonic "moi"—e.g., "Moi, j'aime le fromage!").

E.g.:
A: I heard you don't like waffles.
B: No, I *do* like waffles.

A: Do you like me?
B: I *do* like you.


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## Reynald

Possible aussi (sous le contrôle des natifs) :

"Unlike you, _he_ did it!" (Italiques à l'écrit, insistance à l'oral).


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## Maître Capello

Voir aussi les discussions suivantes :
EN: do / did - emphatic auxiliary
EN: Paul et Jean, eux, (ils) sont allés - contrastive use of the complement pronouns
EN: emphasis of object - Il m'insulte moi


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## AmaryllisBunny

Reynald said:


> Possible aussi (sous le contrôle des natifs) :
> 
> "Unlike you, _he_ did it!" (Italiques à l'écrit, insistance à l'oral).



The emphasis is moved from the action "did" to the person "he."

My preference is the emphatic _do/did_ because the stress is more on the action [or lack thereof] than the other party.

Actually thinking about it again, "_he_ did it" would be used more so to place blame (e.g., _Who ate the last cookie? *He* did it!_). It sounds unnatural to me to have emphasis on the person rather than the action in this case.

In French you use the disjunctive or tonic "moi"—e.g., _moi, j'aime le chocolat_.


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## Maître Capello

In French the emphasis is on the *person*, not on the action. Reynald's suggestion is therefore closer in meaning to the French, but it doesn't sound as natural as the emphatic _do_.


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## AmaryllisBunny

Thank you for adding your precision.

My explanation with "disjunctive/tonic" didn't clearly state the difference.


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## Monsieur Leland

Thanks a lot for your time! I actually don't know at all whether I have to express myself in english or in french since both languages seem to be spoken on a same page^^. Anyways, I'll go with "Unlike you, HE has already published a book!" (or maybe "Unlike you, he DID already published a book!")? 

Sorry for putting all my questions in the same threads, I did so in order to avoid a proliferation of subjects. But I understand the need of clarity when one is looking for a specific answer. Have a nice day !


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## SwissPete

This being the French-English forum, tu peux utiliser l'une ou l'autre des langues, or even both in the same sentence!

If you want to go with "Unlike you, he DID already published a book!", then drop the 'ed' after 'publish'.


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## moustic

With your example, I would probably say:
Unlike you, _he_ has already published a book.

I would use "he _did_ publish a book" to contradict someone saying "he didn't publish a book".


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## AmaryllisBunny

I agree with SwissPete's use of the emphatic "DID." It seems the most appropriate given the prior context. However in terms of tense, I would say, "He *did* already publish a book!"


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## fdb

SwissPete said:


> Somebody will be along soon to tell you (and me) what the name of that grammar structure is.


I think it is called extrapositioning.


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## AmaryllisBunny

fdb said:


> I think it is called extrapositioning.



What are you talking about? The emphatic use for "*do*" is already explained. How is this a case of "extrapositioning?"


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## fdb

AmaryllisBunny said:


> What are you talking about? The emphatic use for "*do*" is already explained. How is this a case of "extrapositioning?"


 
I am talking about French of course. "Lui" is here an extrapositioned topic, as we say in linguistics.


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## Nicomon

moustic said:


> With your example, I would probably say:
> Unlike you, _he_ has already published a book.
> I would use "he _did_ publish a book" to contradict someone saying "he didn't publish a book".


 I agree with moustic on all counts.  As MC already said, in the French sentence the emphasis is on the person.

Selon le contexte, le "do" d'emphase se traduirait en français par :  _(Mais) si / bien sûr (que si) / vraiment / pour vrai, _etc.  ...
et non par un pronom personnel tonique ou disjonctif.

_Moi, j'aime le chocolat =  *I* (personally) love chocolate _et non pas _I *do* love chocolate. 
_
But I wonder how we can put the emphasis on the person, not on the action, if a first name is added  (as in the opening question).
E.g. :  _Contrairement à toi, Pete a déjà publié un livre, *lui.*_

Since we can't stick a_* him*_ at the end of the sentence (which would be a literal translation of _*lui*)_  would the emphasis then be on Pete, as in :
_ Unlike you, *Pete* has already published a book?    
_
Or could we say : _  Unlike you, Pete, as for him, has...    _(this sounds odd to my ears, and that would be « quant à lui » ).


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## Oddmania

Salut,

Je n'ai pas osé contredire les natifs en lisant ce fil, mais je suis tout à fait d'accord avec Nicomon et Moustic. Instinctivement, j'aurais dit _"Well, _*HE*_ did it!" _(= maybe _*YOU *_didn't do it, but _*HE*_ did).


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## AmaryllisBunny

The enunciated pronoun as you have in bold italics and underlined, is not normally possible if written, but it can be oral. In addition, it is rude. It is something that I could imagine children saying—e.g., '_*HE* did it! *HE* did it! I had nothing to do with it! I swear!'

In AmE, there is a strong preference for the emphatic 'do'.

Also, in certain cases although I do agree that: 





Nicomon said:



Moi, j'aime le chocolat =  *I* (personally) love chocolate et non pas I *do* love chocolate. 

But I wonder how we can put the emphasis on the person, not on the action, if a first name is added  (as in the opening question).
E.g. :  Contrairement à toi, Pete a déjà publié un livre, *lui.*

Since we can't stick a* him* at the end of the sentence (which would be a literal translation of *lui*)  would the emphasis then be on Pete, as in :
 Unlike you, *Pete* has already published a book?    

Or could we say :   Unlike you, Pete, as for him, has...    (this sounds odd to my ears, and that would be « quant à lui » ).
		
Click to expand...


For the chocolate example, yes you can say personally, but the "do" adds the same quality and maintains a more familiar register. The problem is it would be a shift in tone of the speaker. Instead of, "I DO like chocolate." - | - -- it would be more like "I do like chocolate" a softer do. - / / / \_

As you thought, the "... Pete, as for him" would never be said.


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## Nicomon

My point all along was that if I had to transfer  _I *do *like chocolate_  back to French, it would *not* be :  _Moi, j'aime le chocolat._

I thought I had made it clear with my examples of  French equivalents of the emphatic "DO".


Thanks for confirming my thoughts that :_ "Pete, as for him," _ is indeed awkward.


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