I am having the same difficulty as others here--my definitions of the English words don't match the definitions used in the lessons, so it's hard for me to wrap my brain around the translations.
One particular translation I am confused by is "plusieurs". I learned that to mean 'many', and that is how Google Translate defines it, but in my writing exercise "plusieurs défauts" for 'many faults' was marked wrong, and the lesson says it means 'several'. Is that right? It's so confusing!
Hi Stephanie, (see my answer to your other question regarding my opinion on Google Translate).
Plusieurs is more than quelques. Is either of them "many"? In many circumstances plusieurs=several and quelques=a few. But sometimes, plusieurs can also be "many", which quelques can never be. I tried to give you an example to show the gradation between the three:
J'ai lu quelques livres sur ce sujet. -- I read a couple of books on this subject.
J'ai lu plusieurs livres sur ce sujet. -- I read quite a few books on this subject.
J'ai lu beaucoup de livres sur ce sujet. -- I read many books on this subject.
Here is a link to an online dictionary which gives you the meaning of plusieurs and, further down, examples of its usage: https://www.linguee.com/french-english/translation/plusieurs.html
P.S.: Ditch Google Translate.
I am having the same difficulty as others here--my definitions of the English words don't match the definitions used in the lessons, so it's hard for me to wrap my brain around the translations.
One particular translation I am confused by is "plusieurs". I learned that to mean 'many', and that is how Google Translate defines it, but in my writing exercise "plusieurs défauts" for 'many faults' was marked wrong, and the lesson says it means 'several'. Is that right? It's so confusing!
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