"Tu flotteras mieux si tu t'allonges dans l'eau."

Translation: You will float better if you lie down in the water.

[paul450552]

"lie back in the water"?

[Poef9]

Wouldn't "t'allonges" be better translated like something like "stretching yourself out horizontally" or "making yourself long", as the sentence seems to suggest that the addressee is in the water already (out of the water they would not float at all.... unless floating in the air)?
(edited after DoubleLingot's remark.)

[doublelingot]

You'll float better if you stretch out in the water.

[Poef9]

Cheers!

[ChrisVerVoort]

Best translation

[xgW4SGKV]

Yes, another horribly bad translation.

[Mike716479]

The correct English used by swimming instructors is lie back in the water.

[fleursmortes]

"If you lie back in the water."

[JeanShrops]

THIS MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE! If you get in trouble in the water, your best chance of survival is to calm down, adopt a star shape and wait for help. If you can see help approaching, wave both arms. Hope that you never have to remember this!

[LeeEnderli]

This is very true. It is darn near impossible to float by lying down in the sand.

[renemost]

True, but you won't sink either

[Cindy316331]

"You will float better if you lay yourself down in the water." Isn't that correct also? I like to translate that way when it is reflexive, and I think my grammar is correct that if you add 'yourself' then it is the direct object so you don't use 'lie' but 'lay'. (Like I lay the blanket down.) Can someone confirm this? I am a native English speaker who doesn't always use 'lie' vs 'lay' correctly.

[Arron190]

One could also say "lie flat".

[CWKCA]

Agreed. Is this accepted? I wrote "lay flat", which is technically bad English, but most natives confuse those anyway.

[QD.White]

Duo accepted "...lay down in the water". A little disappointed in Duo...and myself once I realized my mistake. Although, I supposed "lay yourself down in the water" would be correct.

[mac7jb]

some of these voices have gotten impossible to understand

[LesAussi]

The word "will" seems superfluous in the translation.

[Jojo553168]

The french sentence is in the future tense, Duo wants the translation to be as well.

[Frederick_W_V]

When is it "dans l'eau" like this sentence and when is it "à l'eau" which I saw in "elle est tombée à l'eau"

[renemost]

I'm not a native speaker, but I assume that in this sentence you are already in the water, while if you fall into the water, there is an element of direction. Come to think of it, this is not unlike the distinction between "in" and "into".

[jsrambal]

Tu flotteras aussi, Tu flotteras aussi, Tu flotteras aussi!

[Jill497295]

Even though it may not sound as good, "you will float in the water better" should also be accepted, but it is not.

[JaneCarver2]

once again Duo - this person's diction is really difficult for me. listened several times with both slow and normal speed - all to no avail

[bebeyoung1]

i put 'stretch'. but marked wrong.

[drkenneth]

THe phrase 'lie down' should maybe be 'stretch out'.