"Ajoute-le sur Facebook, ça lui fera plaisir."
Translation:Friend him on Facebook; that will please him.
56 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
2604
What strikes me is the "friend him" is very modern and slangy (not incorrect, just not something anyone would have said 10 years ago), while "that will please him" sounds old and stuffy like a 1960s British movie (again, not incorrect, but a very unlikely thing for a contemporary American to say spontaneously).
Reading the two parts combined is really jolting!
"that'll make him happy", would be a more likely phrase.
But I don't think that the French should be compromised to accommodate Facebook. (opinion). However, I might be partial to French, and have always refused to participate in Facebook.
For me the correct translation would be ''Add him as a friend on Facebook, that will please him''. But I guess the creators has their reasons...
- 2999
"Friend him on Facebook"? What sort of English is that?!! If I didn't have to choose from the given words, I would never have got that answer!!
- 829
Since 2005, the noun 'friend' has been used as a verb on Facebook. I explored Facebook for the first time a month or so ago, but I already heard the word 'friend' used in the Facebook sense many years ago. Of course, English is my native language. If someone is learning French through English without being very fluent in English, I suppose it's possible that in the past 15 years the person hasn't heard anyone using the words 'friend' and 'unfriend' either in the Facebook context explicitly or in social life in general.
What I don't get is why we can't translate 'ajoute' as 'add': add a new contact to my Facebook page. Why not?
- 829
'Friend him on facebook, he will like that.' Not accepted. Reported. Maybe next time I'll translate 'ça lui fera plaisir' as 'that will give him pleasure' and see what happens.
- 1871
befriend, add him as a friend etc, none of those works. "to friend" is the only option. This surely is Americanism.
No, it is because the French "Ajoute-le" actually means "Add him" and has nothing to do with friendship. For some reason Duo is translating "Ajoute-le" as "Friend him", a term which is used only on Facebook (and only in English?) to mean to add someone to your list, but other, similar terms like "befriend" are even further from the original French. "Friend him" should not be accepted nor given as the correct translation, but Duo seems to respond slowly to fix these sort of obvious errors.
- 1871
I know "ajouter" only means "add" on its own but I'm just trying to be reasonable and answer in correct grammar. After all, when you perform "ajouter" on Facebook, you add them as a friend. btw, I'm not a native english speaker, and I have the feeling that learning on Duolingo will have a negative impact on my english.
- 2307
"Friend" is international, in the context of Facebook. We use it in Britain too.
- 1686
I'm British and I've never heard anyone use it. It's always "add" - which is the correct translation of the French anyway.
- 2307
I use "add" more myself, but i've heard "friend" plenty of times.
In any case, even if it was an American English term, Duolingo should accept it, since it's supposed to always accept American English.
- 829
Can anyone explain what would be the difference in the FRENCH in these two English sentences:
- Friend him on Facebook. (French, ajoute-le)
- Add him to your contacts list.
I assume it would also be 'ajoute-le' for 'add him,' but how would you know when to translate it as 'add him' and when to translate it as 'friend him' if we're given French sentences that literally say, 'add him as a contact'?
- 2304
Only in French Facebook jargon, "ajouter" takes the meaning of "Friending." (Not even in other "high tech" or "virtual' parlance). That's what is Duo probably trying to teach us. So, one can safely translate ajouter par add in all other cases until the day another social medium decides to have a "Friend"option ! (I am speculating on the last point of course! ) :=)
Even more accurately, you can always translate ajoute-le as "add him" and never as "Friend him", even on Facebook.
- 769
Agreed, but without any context "le" could also refer to posting something on FB, eg a photo. :-D
- 546
perhaps we could learn some interesting new vocabulary instead of the rather obvious jargon of one of the world's richest countries ?
- 1686
As a native English speaker I've never heard of the verb "to friend". Surely "add" is the more accurate translate here?
This is wrong. No question at all. Ajouter is add in French AND English. It does not translate to 'Friend'. Just like in English it is implying the expression "add as a friend" by using only the word 'add'. This translation is wrong!
I don't use social media so I have no idea what friending someone is. But given add is one of the options, why is this not accepted?
i would say the correct translation is "add him as a friend on facebook"
The word "friend" is not present in the French, so just "Add him on Facebook" is the best translation.
- 905
"Add him to Facebook, that will please him." not accepted. I have never been on Facebook, but I understand that "friend" means to add someone. Why is this wrong? I had it wrong before, but then I understood "le" as "it", not as "him".
- 905
"Add it to Facebook, that will please him." was not accepted. I think that is a literal translation. What have I done wrong? Perhaps I don't understand Facebook, never having had anything to do with it.
- 487
I avoid social media (apart from on Duolingo) and therefore find some of the questions incomprehensible. I had similar trouble with the questions involving Spiderman and Batman as I know nothing about them.
that will please him; he will like that that will please him, and he will like that both have been accepted by DUO previously; also, I agree that add him is acceptable, although I have often heard "friend him" used by many Facebook users
This exercise sucks. I've been counted wrong for so many technicalities. "that will make him pleased" should be accepted.
- 1520
Why can't I say Add it on Facebook, it will make him happy.?
Friend him makes no sense to me, what does that mean?
- 1761
"that'll" is rejected as a contraction for "that will". GTFO DL. Quit your scumbag marking.
Why is "he will like that" wrong? Has tge person writing these translations spoken English on the last century?
He will be pleased is much betyer english. Plesae do not expect word for word transition without regard for meaning at thus level !!!!
- 769
Reverso came back with: Add it on Facebook, it will make him happy. That seems fine too. There is no context for knowing what "le" stands for.
- 731
I never say 'to friend somebody' ajoute means add and when talking of friends I always use the word add.
- 690
It would be considered the accusative, rather than dative, case. Think of it as "you add him", with the you being understood.
- 769
It might also be easier to think of this being about adding a post or a photo - then the pronoun "le" seems to be more natural anyway. Then substitute a person for the thing and the pronoun is the same.
How does one say "Add him to facebook; it will make him happy." ???
