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French Expression
| Meaning | for and against, yes and no, aye and nay, pros and cons | |
| Literally | for and against | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[poo ray ko(n)tr(eu)] |
| IPA | [pu ʁe kɔ̃tʁə] | |
Usage notes: The French expression pour et contre can be used like an adjective or noun, but either way it is always invariable.
Adjective
| les voix pour et contre | the votes for and against, the ayes and nays | |
| des arguments pour et contre le programme | arguments for and against the program |
Noun
| 2 pour et 3 contre | 2 ayes and 3 nays | |
| les pour et les contre | pros and antis, supporters and detractors, those who agree and those who don’t | |
| le pour et le contre* du programme | the program’s pros and cons |
* Synonym: les avantages et les inconvénients
Fais gaffe ! Do not translate “pros and cons” as pour et con – in addition to being incorrect, the final word is offensive.
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Is your French as rusty as an old can? Did you live in France years ago or study it in high school—and promptly forget everything upon leaving? The fact is that language ability fades with lack of practice. If you used to know French but haven’t spoken it in years or decades, the bad news is that it probably won’t come rushing back all at once. But the good news is that you can relearn it much more quickly than if you were starting out without that previous knowledge.
N’importe literally means “no matter” or “(it) doesn’t matter.” This indefinite expression can precede an interrogative adjective, adverb, or pronoun when talking about something indefinite or non-specific.