regarder vs. observer et le moyen age

N. Hilary (Shamrockhill) W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

regarder vs. observer et le moyen age

Two simple questions:i

I retook the exercise and used 'observer' instead of 'regarder' as I think it would work just fine in this case, but it was marked wrong. From the dictionary entry it seems that observer would apply equally well in this case.

I also used 'le Moyen Age' instead of 'l'epoque medievale'. I realise that the latter is a more direct translation, but I am much more familiar with 'le Moyen Age'. Is there a general preference for one experession over the other?

Merci a tous !


Asked 1 year ago
CélineNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Bonjour N. Hilary,

- In this context, "observer" would sound as if you were "scrutinising" the jugglers for a purpose (such as you are learning yourself/taking notes). The same would go if you were watching a film for example.

Je regarde un film I am watching a film

J'observe un film = I am "looking intently" at a film -> you would not use "observer" in this context

"Le Moyen Âge" (= The Middle Ages) would not be used here as the English expression is "the medieval era", which direct translation is "l'époque médiévale".

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

N. Hilary (Shamrockhill) W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Merci Celine.

Collins Dictionary gives the following definition for observer. (Which is why I thought it might work here.)

1.  (= regarder) to watch

Il observait les canards sur le lac.
Thank you for the clarification.
Bonne Journee !

regarder vs. observer et le moyen age

Two simple questions:i

I retook the exercise and used 'observer' instead of 'regarder' as I think it would work just fine in this case, but it was marked wrong. From the dictionary entry it seems that observer would apply equally well in this case.

I also used 'le Moyen Age' instead of 'l'epoque medievale'. I realise that the latter is a more direct translation, but I am much more familiar with 'le Moyen Age'. Is there a general preference for one experession over the other?

Merci a tous !


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