The French language is full of tasty expressions.
But the spelling of some makes us run amok.
Let's take
“Au temps pour moi”
, which gives rise to some debate: some claim that one writes
“au temps pour moi”
, others maintain that
“as much for me”
is in order.
What a puzzle!
The editorial staff offers you a little reminder of these rules so that you no longer (never) make mistakes, thanks to
the Voltaire Certificate for Dummies
(First, 2021).
To discover
Find all the results of the legislative elections
● At will
Beware of confusion with
"envy"
!
The two words have nothing to do with each other, which explains the difference in spelling.
"At will"
comes from the Latin
invitare
,
"to invite, to provoke"
.
It is used to say:
“by competing, by seeking to do better than the others, who better than the best”
.
Example:
“children scream at will when they are hungry”
.
On the contrary, we write:
"children cry when they want to eat"
, since
"desire"
, from the Latin
invitare
, has the meaning:
"to invite, to provoke"
.
● Time for me
Reference dictionaries, including the French Academy, recommend writing the expression in three words:
“au temps pour moi”
.
It is said to come from a military command borrowed from the Italian
al tempo
, which said,
“Time for the butts!”
.
This meant that the soldiers had to resume the maneuver at the
initial
time .
Today, it is said when we recognize an error, or when we want to repeat an act or a word from the beginning.
However, some linguists defend the spelling:
"as much for me"
.
● To be in a mound
Red fire.
In this phrase, synonymous with:
“to be exposed to, to be the subject of”
, let us be careful not to confuse the
goal
,
“target point, objective”
, with the
mound
.
The latter designates a mound where you lean against a target to shoot.
We therefore write:
“she is in the throes of big money problems”
.
On the other hand, the word
“goal”
is appropriate when one writes:
“de but en blanc”
, to say:
“suddenly, without preparation”
.
● For the sake of conscience
It is the verb
"acquit"
that is used here, and not
"acquire"
.
We write thus:
“She confessed everything to him for the sake of conscience”
.
A
"receipt"
is the written acknowledgment of a payment.
The expression means:
“to protect against any risk of having something to reproach oneself with”
.
Here is a tip given by the Voltaire Certificate to avoid making mistakes.
It is enough to repeat to yourself:
"for the sake of conscience, I am quit with my conscience."
● Inside me
The word
"strong"
should not be used in place of
"for"
.
The word, from the Latin
forum
,
“public square, market”
, once referred to the court of justice, the tribunal, informs the CNRTL.
When we say
"I felt in my heart of hearts that I had to go"
, it means "
in my conscience, deep inside myself
".
Nothing to do with strength.
Note that there is a third homonym:
"fors"
, which means:
"except, except"
.
He is known to have been employed by Francis I in 1525, during his defeat at the Battle of Pavia:
“All is lost fors honor”
.
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