"C'est un acteur américain qui vend des cafetières."
Translation:He is an American actor who sells coffee makers.
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why cant it be "It's an american actor who sells the coffee makers?" - this is also a valid thing to say in english.
1447
It can't be "the coffee makers" because the French is "des cafetieres" = "(some) coffee makers".
- 1447
In my mind a coffee maker is a percolator, a small machine that makes that stuff americans call coffee, but sometimes isn't even drinkable.
A coffee machine makes espresso.
(True story: early one morning in Minneapolis, I couldn't understand why everyone was at the bar drinking until I tried the "coffee".)
You're right that much of what is sold as "coffee" in the U.S. is awful.
A coffee machine is no longer a percolator; those 1960s machines are hardly ever seen anymore. It's usually a drip machine, either a good one (where pre-heated water falls on the ground coffee) or a cheap one like "Mr. Coffee" (where super-heated water is splashed up on grounds).
I've rarely heard an espresso machine called a coffee machine in the U.S. I have seen little steam-driven abominations sold as "espresso machines," though. Real ones have a pump (or an old-fashioned lever) and good ones are quite expensive, as much as $3,000 for a top-end consumer machine. A professional machine with multiple brew heads suitable for a coffee shop would be far more than that, of course.
In the U.S. those terms are used interchangably, perhaps with "coffee machine" more common for more costly or professional appliances.
"this is an actor" --- d'ailleurs, ça colle autant que "he is an actor"
- 1028
In the UK a 'cafetiere' is what Americans call a 'French press', whereas here in France it's usually 'un piston'. Funny old world....
The English word "American" is alway capitalized. The French adjectives américain(e)(s) are not capitalized.
