Like chris w I find this one difficult every time it comes round, due to the English translations given -
1. the English "certain" can carry either of the two meanings described here
2. "particular" also has several meanings, but it’s usually specific and not at all vague. Perhaps some more examples would help?
Bonjour Anne,
You're right that this lesson needs a bit more clarity. We decided to add this lesson to our to-do-list.
Merci de votre contribution et bonne journée !
Let me try to shed some light on this by examining the meaning of these two sentences:
À un moment certain, il a décidé de partir. -- At a specific moment, he decided to leave.
À un certain moment, il a décidé de partir. -- At some point, he decided to leave.
This shows that certain following the noun talks about something specific, something sure, whereas certain preceding the noun refers to something more vague and general. This is very similar to how we use the English word "certain" (despite some previous posters not agreeing with this).
(1) "Certain people prefer tea over coffee." -- Here, too, we are not talking about people who are sure of themselves but a particular but not well-defined, group of people.
(2) "He spoke with certain confidence." -- He spoke with surety.
In the first sentence, "certain" denotes a lack of specificity, and in the second sentence "certain" means almost the opposite: sure, definite. But in contrast to the French, it isn't he position of "certain" that decides its meaning, it's context mostly.
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