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- Topic: French >
- "Un dauphin du zoo"
27 Comments
"a dolphin of the zoo" isn't really normal English, unless you are a computer. "I am a dolphin" IS English, but it's a weird statement. Who would ever say that? Maybe in a Disney movie?
In french that is the way they will show possession, so it is saying a zoo's dolphin.
A zoo dolphin has been added. That's what I said and it accepted it. What other answer did it want? "A dolphin of the zoo"?
I have been putting "A dolphin of the zoo" because I am too afraid to put down anything else in case it doesn't accept it. Glad to hear that "A zoo dolphin" also works.
I agree. People are getting too caught up in grammar and what one would say. Just because it sounds strange to say "a zoo's dolphin" or "a house's roof" doesn't meant that there isn't a context where it would be used without a problem. "A house's roof should match." "I wanted to see a wild dolphin, not a zoo's dolphin." Duolingo will probably accept "a zoo's dolphin" soon if someone submits it.
"A zoo's dolphin" did not work either. Perhaps "A dolphin of the zoo" refers to the location rather than the posession? :S
"A zoo's dolphin" doesn't sound like proper English. You also wouldn't say "the house's roof" but rather "the roof of the house".
478
It is correct English because the zoo possesses the dolphin. The house being inanimate can't possess anything.
I was told "A dolphin from the zoo" was a correct translation, but to me that would be "Un dauphin au zoo". Is this correct?
No because au is the contraction of "à + le" so that would mean "A dolphin at the zoo" or "A dolphin to the zoo".
- 430
Agreed with epops667..."A dolphin of the zoo" is something you might say only if English were not your native language. Is this a case where context would be helpful?
i think you are all looking at this in terms of what we'd say in english, rather than just simply translating the french. who cares if one would or would not say it, just translate the sentence. if youre wrong you will see why and if you are right move on. stop thinking what it would be in english. in fact forget the rules of english and just focus on learning some basic french words so you can learn more difficult things later on. i do have a question though - does zoo have an article? or is it just zoo?
I guess the problem is that some of these really prefer idiomatic translations while others are looking for direct/literal translations. Half the hearts I lose are because I've done a literal translation which isn't accepted.
eh... possiblement :) idk, i just type it out - it doesnt have to make sense yet... a two year old doesnt care if she makes sense, she just repeats, and thats what i do. i call it like i see it and learn from my mistakes.
Because in this case, they used the indefinite article 'un' which means 'a/an'. If it were 'the dolphin' the sentence in french would be 'le dauphin'. "A zoo's dolphin" is a correct translation.
- 1828
This might be a stretch, but honestly i feel like "A dolphin in the zoo" should be accepted. It's not a literal translation, obviously, but the meaning is the same, and it's closer to how we actually speak in English than "A dolphin of the zoo" which nobody ever said, ever.
