20 Comments
After a couple of days pondering this one I've now decided to put on my mukluks and parka before answering it again. Pretty certain the Inuit think it's a perfectly valid question, as posed, and would have a very exact answer for it.
770
Unfortunately we wouldn't be able to accurately translate their answers because there are no counterparts in the English language for most of any possible answers.
"The more it snows, tiddely-pom, the more it goes, tiddely-pom, the more it GOES, tiddely-pom, on SNOWING!" (Piglet, in Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne)
I don't think an English person would ever say this. If you knew it was snowing you might ask "Is it still snowing?" or "Is it snowing much?"
I think the context is like, "Is it snowing hard?" "Is it a wet heavy snow, or big goose-feather flakes?" etc.
Exactly! "il neige fort ?" - "est-ce une neige épaisse ou de gros flocons comme des plumes d'oie ?"
good point well made, Sitesurf.
True, dear pedantic people, some sentences sound odd in English, but I have a feeling they in a roundabout way bring us closer to French, to another nation's way of expressing things. on the whole, tres amusent! I have just done Rosetta Stone French - fat too serious. This is fun :)
I interrupted my Rosette Stone French... I would get really peeved when it wouldn't recognise my speech, no matter which way I would pronounce things. Oh yes, dead serious too 0_o
Just to add my two cents - I agree that it is not really a question we would ask in English. I don't think I've ever been asked "How is it snowing." It's not a good example.
not in the Sahara, apparently, but you know how much people like to talk about the weather at length. so you may imagine a phone conversation like: - quel temps fait-il dans les Alpes ? - il neige ! - il neige comment? - il neige fort avec de gros flocons... - alors tu vas pouvoir skier demain !
''how much is it snowing'' is more accurate imho When I am asked ''comment qu'il neige?'' (because that's how we speak here.) I don't start to wonder How is it snowing (except for that time a couple of weeks ago in May, which was just freakish).... but rather how MUCH is it snowing.
As said above:the context is like, "Is it snowing hard?" "Is it a wet heavy snow, or big goose-feather flakes?" etc.
How much is it snowing would use "combien" instead of "comment".
no, you can't, expressions about the weather are impersonal with "il): il pleut, il neige, il vente, il grêle...
