english vs american english

Question

in america, there is no such thing as "i will lay the table" that literally means you are making or forcing the table to lay down. but you would not do that to an object, nor would you phrase it that way because a table cannot lay down, it stands and does nothing else. i am finding a lot of phrases that are difficult to translate because of this. i have also sought help with french speaking friends who have helped me and when i provide the answer, the platform says i am wrong and reverses the answer. such as the case with adjectives position before or after.

Jim Jones · Answer

Salut Janet

Laying the table is a regional expression in England.

It means to set out the knives and forks and all the other items used when preparing / setting-out the table before sitting down to eat .

Bonne journée

Jim

Maarten Kamp · Answer

Janet,

it won't have every expression, but wordreference is a good place to check unknown expressions. "Lay the table" is a bit dated in my part of the English-speaking world, but a well understood expression nonetheless.

https://www.wordreference.com/enfr/lay%20the%20table

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/lay

This particular usage of ' lay ' is however also listed and defined in Merriam-Webster:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lay

If you find specific examples where you think the French adjective placement or other grammar is wrong, it is best to report directly from the quiz etc when that is possible. When that cannot be done, including the full example if posting here helps. Of course, there are adjectives that can sometimes go before or after the noun, often with change in sense or meaning. Lessons on this site cover a number of such adjectives, and the link below is a good general discussion :

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/movable-adjectives/