Wednesday, January 8, 2020
The French Expression Comme il Faut
Expression: Comme il faut Pronunciation: [kuh meel fo] Meaning: properly, correctly, respectably Literal translation: as it must Register: normal Notes The French expression comme il faut comes from the impersonal verb falloir. Il faut means it is necessary, so comme il faut means as (it) is necessary or, more idiomatically, properly, respectably. Comme il faut can be used in reference to any sort of situation in which etiquette demands a certain type of behavior. Examples    Habille-toi comme il faut.    Dress properly.    Qui peut faire ce travail comme il faut ?    Who can do this work correctly?    Des clients vont dà ®ner avec nous ce soir, alors conduisez-vous comme il faut.    Clients are going to eat with us tonight, so behave/be on your best behavior.    Je ne sais pas rà ©pondre comme il faut.    I dont know how to respond properly, I dont know the right way to respond. It can even be used as an adjectival phrase:    des enfants trà ¨s comme il faut    well-behaved children Comme il faut can also be used in reference to things with a meaning more along the lines of as it should or like its supposed to:    Mon ordinateur ne marche pas comme il faut.    My computer doesnt work/run like it should. When comme il faut is used in English, it tends to have a somewhat snobbish nuance that is not necessarily present in the original French expression.
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