# Need help with French translation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945 "2019-01-17T20:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/1 "2019-01-17T20:54:21Z")
Air has a song called “Ce Matin La” Google Translate says that this translates to “This morning” Bing Translate says “This morning the” I’m curious about the “la”. Is this an idiom? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/2 "2019-01-17T20:58:29Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Air has a song called “Ce Matin La” > > Google Translate says that this translates to “This morning” > Bing Translate says “This morning the” > > I’m curious about the “la”. Is this an idiom? là, with a grave accent (not the same word as “la”) (ETA, OK, they are related, but the accents in French actually do serve a purpose) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/3 "2019-01-17T21:09:28Z")
Right, the translation. “Ce matin-là” would mean, “that morning”. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/4 "2019-01-17T21:16:01Z")
Interesting I went back to Bing Translate and pasted Ce matin là and this time it said “That morning” So, là and la must be pronounced differently ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/5 "2019-01-17T21:42:53Z")
> [@K364](#): > > So, là and la must be pronounced differently Take my word for this: _everything_ in French is pronounced differently. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/6 "2019-01-17T21:44:45Z")
> [@K364](#): > > So, là and la must be pronounced differently I am not sure this is the case. Were they, in the song? > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Take my word for this: _everything_ in French is pronounced differently. Some claim homophones do exist in French… ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/7 "2019-01-17T22:05:33Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I am not sure this is the case. Were they, in the song?.. It’s an instrumental. I committed the sin of calling a piece of music a “song” when it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/8 "2019-01-17T22:36:37Z")
> [@K364](#): > > So, là and la must be pronounced differently No. ---
**Author:** ![Themenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee59a6/32.png) [@Themenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themenin)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/9 "2019-01-17T23:17:21Z")
‘Là’ is a preposition - generally ‘there’ / ‘here’. ‘La’ is a feminine singular article. ‘Mets la là’ means ‘put it there’, for instance. As mentioned by Ramira - they’re pronounced the same, though with plenty of regional variations. Ce matin là - means ‘that morning’ or ‘on that particular morning’. Don’t know the song… ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/10 "2019-01-17T23:34:05Z")
> [@Themenin](#): > > ‘Là’ is a preposition - generally ‘there’ / ‘here’. > > ‘La’ is a feminine singular article. > > ‘Mets la là’ means ‘put it there’, for instance. > > As mentioned by Ramira - they’re pronounced the same, though with plenty of regional variations. > > Ce matin là - means ‘that morning’ or ‘on that particular morning’. > > Don’t know the song… Thanks everyone. This is a track off a very famous album (in Electronica circles) by the group “Air”. This was their debut album release in 1999. Air is two guys from France playing bass, drums, and keyboard and of course a whole bunch of electronic wizardry. [https://youtu.be/08oHlTwFpUQ](https://youtu.be/08oHlTwFpUQ) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/11 "2019-01-17T23:38:32Z")
I wonder if it be a reference to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0gGcNLQoIo) song? ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/12 "2019-01-18T00:33:38Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Interesting I went back to Bing Translate and pasted Ce matin là and this time it said “That morning” > > So, là and la must be pronounced differently No. But they have different meanings. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/13 "2019-01-18T05:13:55Z")
The pronunciation difference is simply to do with emphasis. “La”, being a noun’s article and preceding it, has no need of emphasis, which if anything goes to the noun itself; it’s almost part of the noun. “Là”, as an adverb, has emphasis because it’s used to point something out and distinguish it from something else. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/14 "2019-01-18T08:59:44Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > The pronunciation difference is simply to do with emphasis. “La”, being a noun’s article and preceding it, has no need of emphasis, which if anything goes to the noun itself; it’s almost part of the noun. “La” is not always an article, does not always precede a noun, and is not always unstressed. It can also be a pronoun, as in **Themenin** ’s example. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/15 "2019-01-18T14:31:51Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Google Translate says that this translates to “This morning” Google translate is good at getting the gist, but sometimes is weirdly off. For instance, according to Google Translate: _Ce matin-là_ = This morning _Ce matin-là, ce matin-ci_ = **That** morning, this morning _Ce matin-ci_ = This morning ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/16 "2019-01-18T14:37:58Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > … _Ce matin-là_ = This morning… No. _Ce matin-là_ = definitely that morning. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/17 "2019-01-18T18:33:53Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > No. > > _Ce matin-là_ = definitely that morning. It’s not just French- Google Translate produces this sort, and much worse sorts, of weirdness from other languages as well. Some deictic inaccuracy is practically fluent by the standards of Google Translate. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/18 "2019-01-19T06:48:34Z")
> [@Themenin](#): > > ‘Là’ is a preposition - generally ‘there’ / ‘here’. Nitpick: I don’t think it’s a _preposition_ — it isn’t _positioned pr_ior to anything. Larousse calls it an adverbe, just as Webster calls ‘there’ an adverb. (The _Adverb_ category seems to be rather a hodgepodge.) ---
**Author:** ![Themenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee59a6/32.png) [@Themenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themenin)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/19 "2019-01-20T10:41:05Z")
Good point (though this thread is probably defunct). And just to add to the general linguistic confusion, let me add : où vs ou à vs a ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945/20 "2019-01-20T18:30:01Z")
> [@Themenin](#): > > Good point (though this thread is probably defunct). > > And just to add to the general linguistic confusion, let me add : > > où vs ou > > à vs a Sure; don’t forget çà vs ça, dès vs des, maïs vs mais, cote vs côté, mûr vs mur, dû vs du, né vs ne, and hundreds of other pairs of words whose spelling only differs by an accent or two, and in some examples are pronounced the same. I wonder what proportion of words in a typical text require at least one accent-- maybe 1/3 ? - certainly enough that leaving them out would be annoying.