"On dit que les médecins ont une écriture horrible."
Translation:We say that doctors have horrible handwriting.
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1282
We say that doctors have horrible handwriting?? No, that's not what we say. They say doctors have terrible handwriting!
- 1324
One says.... We say.... They say.... People say... It is said that...
In my opinion, all of these are possible.
- 833
Is écriture only about handwriting, and not about, say, the way a discourse or sentences in it are structured?
- 931
While we say, "I have horrible handwriting" in English, in French, to say, "J'ai écriture horrible" sounds incomplete, just as would, "I have bad arm" in English. Generally, an indefinite article (un, une) a definite article (le, la, les) or a partitive (du, de la, des) or possessive adjective (mon, ma, mes, ton, ta, tes, etc.) is expected. In Duo's sentence, since 'écriture' is feminine, 'une écriture' is required. You can't use a definite article here, "...les médecins ont l'écriture horrible" because, to say 'the doctors have THE bad handwriting' sounds like there is only one bad handwriting in the world and doctors have it.
- 117
As Duo has, on occasion, said before, and certainly fits in this old, widespread adage, "On dit" can also mean "people say." But Duo apparently doesn't think so here. Why not? Clearly , in this case, "We" means people in general.
I perfectly acceptable translation would be to put "the" before "doctors" and an "a" before "horrible."
- 207
Why are articles omitted now and then. Sometimes its written and its confusing to follow