longtemps
See also: long-temps
French
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From long + temps, from Old French lonc tans. Ultimately inherited from Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos, which is also where the English long time came from. The French term is a partial cognate, not a calque, of the English one.
Pronunciation
[edit]- IPA(key): /lɔ̃.tɑ̃/
Audio: (file) Audio (France (Paris)): (file) Audio (France (Vosges)): (file) Audio (France (Lyon)): (file) Audio (France (Massy)): (file) Audio (France (Vosges)): (file)
Adverb
[edit]longtemps
- for a long time; over a long period
- Ça fait longtemps que ton frère habite chez toi ?
- Has your brother been living at your place for a long time?
- C'était comme ça il y a longtemps, mais plus maintenant.
- It was like that a long time ago, but not anymore.
- 2006, “Écoute Moi Camarade”, in Diwan 2, performed by Rachid Taha:
- Oh, écoute-moi camarade / Laisse tomber cette fille, tu m'entends / Elle va te rendre malade / Et tu vas souffrir longtemps / Je sais bien que tu l'aimes / Tu lui as donné ton âme
- Oh, listen to me, mate / Forget about this girl, you get me? / She’ll make you sick / And you'll suffer for a long time / I know you love her / You’ve given her your soul
Derived terms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “longtemps”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012