"Tu peux décrocher, je suis en train de conduire."
Translation:You can pick up; I'm driving.
35 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
The phone, I suppose: "décrocher le téléphone" = 'to pick up the phone'; "raccrocher le téléphone" = 'to hang up the phone' ("crochet" = 'hook').
I wouldn't be the first time someone had to point out that they're busy despite it being quite obvious.
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In any case, it's only a translation exercise. There's no need to overthink it.
"You can answer, I'm driving." accepted for me 2021-02-28.
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Depends on the relationship between driver and passenger. It would be presumptuous for the passenger to answer the phone if they are not well acquainted or the driver is the passenger's superior.
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Well, maybe it is a request, but it isn't done as a question in French, so you shouldn't translate to a question...
It might also be the answer to a question: "Your phone is ringing. Should I hand it to you?" That also makes clear why the obvious "I'm driving" is included.
I got it right not because I thought it was the right translation but because Duo gave the hint of You being capitalized.
I belueve that the correct translation shpuld be:
Can you pick up (the phone)? I am driving
- 1007
Yes, that's what I thought, but it is not accepted. I am very happy to learn French from Duo, but it is annoying what twisted English it sometimes requires. Actually, I think it is quite rude in English to say 'you can pick up', rather than 'can you pick up' (please).
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If you have an audio exercise then the voice would rise at the end, indicating a question. It doesn't. If written, then it is obvious. So, your translation may be what you would say, but it is not the correct translation.
It confused me too. I don't think 'pick up' is used in the UK on its own, although 'pick up the phone' would have made sense
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Good. I'll try that next time. "Pick it up" was not accepted, but I've never, ever heard anyone just say "pick up" in such a context.
I'd have assumed it was UK English, except for the posting by dhandley. It's certainly not normal here in the US midwest.
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It was informal, and generally used for answering machines or in reference to them and not people. This was back in the days when you answered a phone by picking it up from its stand rather than hitting a button, touching the screen, . . .
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I agree with most comments here. If you are learning English to visit or live in the UK it would be "Can you answer the phone; I'm driving".
Otherwise "You can pick up; I'm driving" sound as if you were collecting drugs or kerb crawling (picking up someone for a casual relationship).
The better translation would be "answer" instead of "pick up." Pick up seems to have gone the way of home phones where you picked up the receiver to speak.
why ask someone to pick up a phone while you are driving? How can you say that to someone you're calling or is it to someone sitting in a car next to you? Both cases are strange to me
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I agree that both scenarios are strange. If speaking to a passenger, I would say 'Can you answer the phone please' or similar. The passenger already knows who is driving.
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Another truly poor translation. This whole exercise wants looking at by a native English speaker.
I'm an English speaker from the U.S.A. This sentence makes no sense.
This sentence also can be a demand: can you pick up? I answered as above and wasn'accepted.
you can pick it up or you can pick up the phone would sound way better here in english
- 1071
I am always tempted to translate that into you can pick IT up. BUT I fear the rejection by DUO.
If you speak British English, you will struggle to get Duo's acceptable answer.
Dou is obviously desparately short of english speakers. How do I apply?
