The Real Meaning of Quand Même for English Speakers
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- čas přidán 8. 03. 2021
- This common French expression is hard to translate into English. What does quand même mean? And how can YOU use it?
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Quand même is a very common expression in spoken French, but it’s very hard to translate. It’s literal English translation doesn’t make much sense, which often makes it difficult for native English speakers to learn.
How can you use the expression quand même in spoken French? How can you understand what it means in spoken French conversation - especially whether it’s being used positively or negatively? We’ll explore all of that and more in today’s lesson. Let’s dive in!
Take care and stay safe.
😘 from Grenoble, France.
Géraldine
Once a Frenchman said to me, "Mais vous parlez très bien le français, quand même, pour une anglophone", and I answered "Merci, quand même!". Basically he said that my French was ok despite me being an English-speaking person, and I sort of sarcastically thanked him for the backhanded compliment.
Nice one. Your French was perhaps better than he gave credit for.
I think that is indeed the case LOL.
Bravo!
"Nevertheless" is probably the closest expression in English that covers most of the examples you have given in French.
Yes, but néanmoins is closer to nevertheless.
In spanish *quand meme* in google translate is "sin embargo" and that spanish word goes "nevertheless" and when i think of the meaning of the sentence "sin embargo" matches in almost every example, not all but it's close
Even so works for me.
@@dickie_white That covers the contrasting sense, but overall it's really the idea of "when all is said and done/at the end of the day/taking everything into account
All the same
"All the same" seems the best translation for "quand même".
Or, more simply, "however".
I frequently translate it, "Even so".
@@talideon Yep "however" works well. I'd say the exception there is when you use it like, "Quand même!", as an exclamation on its own
Just the same...
I would translate it as 'still', in most cases.
In English, you can use 'all the same' in all the example sentences, very often at the end of the phrase. 'you'll eat them all the same', 'you did your best all the same' 'I'm French, but I still make mistakes all the same' 'All the same, you're not going to swim the Atlantic are you?' 'Arriving an hour late is not nice, all the same' etc etc etc. It has all the varieties of meaning that quand même has in French.
Best English translation for this is "Even So". or maybe "in any case", "just the same".
"still" works for all of these examples, and that's how i usually interpret the phrase.
In English, I would translate this as "just the same". "Merci quand meme= Thanks just the same."
It's quite funny, as a French person I would translate "merci quand même" as "thanks anyway"!
@@Ghimauve 'Thanks anyway', and 'thanks just the same' are interchangeable.
“Even still” is a good translation in many instances.
We'd say "all the same" in Ireland. These vids are great thanks.
thanks a million Audrey
It’s funny how in Chilean Spanish (maybe in other varieties too, but this is the one I speak) all instances of “quand même” can be translated into the word “igual” as in “igual no está bien llegar una hora tarde” or “igual no te comiste todo el Camembert, ¿o sí?” Or “igual no me esperaba eso” or “igual es raro eso” etc. The interesting part is that the direct translation of “même” in Spanish is “mismo” which is very close in meaning with “igual” (égal in French)... so basically we use sister words to express kind of the same thing.
Or you can also use "sin embargo" as well! :)
I understand it as 'despite everything'. For me, the trickiest to understand is when after someone has expressed an opinion the other one goes 'quand meme' with emphasis!
Quand même is the best friend of Du coup 🤣
"Comme meme" me fait dresser les cheveux sur la tête ! Thanks Geraldine, for the great content
“Even so”
I haven't finished the video but my first thought is that it translate into something like "at the same time" So her first example would be "He's very nice, but at the same time he talks a lot."
Geraldine, in English one would say “ Tell me you’re not going to swim across the Atlantic. Are you?” Not “Aren’t you?”
Exactly. Tag questions are in the negative if the original statement is affirmative, and vice versa. Examples: "She's French, isn't she?" or "She isn't French, is she?"
et alors ?
@@AnaPerez-pq5iq Et alors quoi ?
@@mydogdeli il a fait une faute. Et alors quoi ? Bah on s'en balec
@@AnaPerez-pq5iq Géraldine a fait une petite faute d’anglais, et Jay l’a aidée en corrigeant sa petite faute. Moi, j’ai confirmé sa correction et j’ai expliqué la règle de grammaire. Comme ceci est une chaîne pour mieux apprendre les langues, Sa correction était tout à fait valide. Ça alors. Tu as d’autres questions ?
The only way I can remember this is "all the same". Because that's the English equivalent that uses the French word "meme", meaning "same". I have always learned languages by finding the nearest connection I can find between the "foreign" word and English. So now I know how to use the phrase, and better how I will understand it when I hear or read it.
I agree that "even so" or "nevertheless" works for your 1st category, to do with contradictions, but after that the usage varies too much for a single translation, as you say. Another very helpful lesson, at least to know that it's OK to find it confusing!
When expressing a contradiction, ‘quand meme’ can also be translated into English as “all the same”:
“Merci quand meme !” = Thanks all the same!
In the Camembert example, the meaning in English could be "surely", as an incredulity, to imply "it's not possible!" or "you couldn't have" or "please tell me you didn't..." or "please reassure me that you did not..."
"You have not eaten ALL the Camembert, surely!"
"Surely you have not eaten ALL of it!"
Ah ouais!! You, Madame, are a fantastic french teacher. I wish you would've been my french teacher at the University of McGill, in Québec, Canada. Merci!!
Thanks for breaking things down in this terrific video! I had no idea "quand meme" had so many uses!
Je pense que cette video est genial. Il y a beacoup a apprendre. Merci pour m'aider.
Love this expression! Well explained! Thank you!
Thank you for explaining the concept so simple
"At the same time" is probably the closest for preserving form and meaning
No, because it doesn't confer the difference between an objective observation and a judgement.
Thank you for explaining, Geraldine. It makes perfect sense to me. 😊
Really excellent lesson/sharing. Many thanks.
Merci beaucoup pour les bonnes explications. T'es super compréhensive!
Also, “nevertheless”.
This is a huge help, I've struggled with quand meme for years!
Me, too! That was really difficult for me. I just assumed it meant "whatever" or "anyway."
Now I understand that it's used to demonstrate contradiction somehow.. Thanks for your explanation
Thank you for always including an example and repeating it twice. Your videos are very helpful and i always learn something from them.
First time seeing you. You're so good. You're such a good teacher. I'm so glad you repeat with expression in the way I might hear it in normal life.
C'est quand meme bien.
Quand meme, c'est bien.
(One of these, i think says it.)
Wow...very thorough explanation, Geraldine. I never realized how versatile those two words could be. In my experience, it’s only by total immersion in the language that you can truly get a handle on it.
À force de l’entendre dans le langage courant, on s’y habitue et on apprend l’usage car ce n’est pas évident, quand même !
Thanks a lot Géraldine
Merci Geraldine, vous m'avez beaucoup aidé avec cette vidéo.
THANKYOU so much. this is the best explanation I have heard
Great session! Thanks so much.
Thank you so much for this!
As James Hopkins says, 'nevertheless' also works well as a translation.
So I have to tell you this is a really been on my mind for so long and I love all your explanations thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you
Oh we have a phrase in my language that is contextually used the same way! This made it easier for me to grasp the usage! Merci!
Thank you for explaining this particular phrase. It's one I've thought about for a long time. Seems like it could be used in almost any sentence! lol
Thank you! Now I know why no one was willing to explain it to me!
Wow! "Quand meme" means (can be used) so much! A lot to learn.
Very helpful lesson!
This video was quand meme very helpful! ;)
J’adore les pièces mexicains que vous avez sur les étagères !
i always use "all the same" as the translation colloquially as we dont usually say nevertheless all the time
I think the best English equivalent of quand meme is to use it to mean "all the same" in the same way as we would in English. It seems to fit pretty well into all the examples Geraldine gives. btw thanks Geraldine for your delightful approach to helping us to speak and to understand your lovely language. (Apologies for the missing accented e in meme!)
Yes, this works quite well, as does - "But Hey......"
For the indignation, it is equivalent to when we say “seriously?” In English. As on you can’t believe it.
I don't think that the '?' is appropriate. I think it should be 'seriously!'. Quand même is not second degré or sarcastic but on the opposite means don't exagerate or something like that.
Finally, someone said it!
@@veraciteabsolue1221 In English saying "Seriously?!", is a very much a strong question like, "Are you kidding me?!" It's purely rhetorical to express disbelief and outrage at the same time.
Merci beaucoup! I hear it all the time here in France but no one has been able to translate it fully as you have here. Now, how to remember or use all this...
Merci beaucoup pour le vidéo .
I love French language and I try to learn it but yeah thank for made the good videos for us,I'll follow and like for your channel.
This is so complex but this was so good!
Très utile. Merci.
My understanding of the expression was taught to me by my Mother, who didn't learn English until she was 10 years old.
That the closest meaning was in the way that we add the word "Anyway" into a sentence, replacing the word "But",
This can have a positive or negative meaning depending on the inflection in the voice, for example, surprise or anger.
Sometimes, if my Mother was upset that something hadn't gone to plan, she would simply say "Quand meme", but we knew by the inflection that she wasn't happy, and probably a good idea to steer clear for a bit.
Merci.... Bonjour de Grèce.. 🙏❤️❤️❤️
merci pour ces examples :)
yes here she abled to wide up on this verb quand meme thanks my sister.
Sans pareille! C'est comme je décris votre vidéo! Que Dieu vous bénisse! Je vous en remercie de tout mon coeur!
Salut
En français, "sans pareille" n' est pas utilisé.
Concernant votre deuxième phrase, en tant que français je ne comprends pas le sens.
Si c'est pour signifier que vous souhaitez dire que vous decrivez cette vidéo "sans pareille", en français "Sans équivalent", on dira :
"Sans équivalent ! C'est de cette façon que je décrirais votre vidéo!"
Merci
One of those very difficult idioms to master. Thank you for the excellent explanation and examples. FYI An English speaker would say "you're not going to swim across the Atlantic are you" or "You're going to swim across the Atlantic aren't you " (which have opposite meanings! )Thus avoiding a double negative which is confusing. Keep up the excellent work.
Fabuleuse comme d'habitude. Pourtant, a 3:20 - est-ce que c'est possible que ça va mieux, "Quand même, arriver une heure de retard, c'est pas sympa"... comme "Come on, arriving an hour late isn't nice"?
Et Le train s'est arrêté, qu'est-que je peux faire ? I am certainly not going to hitchhike".
I go for “at the same time” for english and “a la vez” en español.
I think in Spanish it’s much more similar to “de todas maneras”
Merci beacoup!!!
Ah ouais, quand même !
Sushant, from India.
It usually means "even though" or "even then" or "anyway" or "can't believe you actually" - in negative sense" or "however."
There IS a very clear English translation of quand même: “still” or “but, still”. You can literally use the word “still” in almost all those examples in english and it would be perfectly correct and understandable.
Nope. 'Still' would NOT work in the context of "Swimming across the Atlantic" or "Eating ALL the different kinds of chese in one short evening", eytc... That's why there are so many 'nuances' in each (world) language! ;=)
@@chipham1281 but "still" is the closest direct translation.
@@nicholassmith7048 Nope! Then the "Merci, quand même!" would certainly NOT work with your "still".
'Thanks, anyway' would reflect the reality and light additional -- if ever-- sarcasm. While "Thanks, still" would be a 'no goal' in...FIFA World Cup, or Euro 2020 ! NOPE!
And/while the Irish way will/would work locally, thus, not applicable in... Australia, for example. Or even Canada.
In the U.S., for example, this "Aznavour's 'Quand même!' must be equivalent/translated to a "Frank Sinatra's 'Truly?' or 'No no, not me!' or even 'Can't believe it!'
So, that 'still' is so... Google, so 'Marché aux Puces' for tourists.... ;=)
Could you make a video about how and when to use “si”? Thanks - love your videos .
Quand même... could also use ‘even so’ or ‘even though’, or ‘all the same’.
Love your lessons!💕😘🇬🇧➡️🇫🇷
Bonjour.
J'apprends l'anglais du coup en vous écoutant ! ^^ c'est intéressant vous nous faites nous rendre compte a nous, francophones, des bizarreries du Français que les étranger subissent, sans que nous nous en rendions compte. Je suis plutôt très au fait des difficultés que rencontrent les espagnols avec le français (surtout pour la prononciation, par exemple, ils n'arrivent pas a prononcer différemment "dessus" et "dessous") mais je n'avais que peu d'idées précises sur les difficultés que rencontrent les anglophones.
Sometimes it serves as ' however', sometimes it serves as ' anyway'
'Even so' seems to be an appropriate translation.
Excellent lesson as always Geraldine. Can you explain the placement of "quand même in a sentence and when it can fit in multiple places?
'de todos modos' also works for most examples in spanish
My in laws say quand même all the time and finally I understand now. Can you also do one for “dit donc”? That’s another one they say all day long and I never understand
Merci pour un autre vidéo très très très utile et bien expliqué. "Quand même " me rappele le verbe "to get" en anglais américain. On peut l'utiliser souvent et il a plusieurs sens. Salut du Vermont 😀🍁
Je me permets quelques corrections :
"Merci pour une* autre vidéo très très utile et bien expliquée*.
Salut de Paris 😉
I would say 'even so', 'all the same' and 'nevertheless' would probably cover all of the uses of 'quand même'. It 's a surprisingly useful expression.
Brava💖
merci,merci,merci,merci
I usually think of it as the English “even so”.
i love your print in the background! where is it from??
Actually "quand meme" translates into English fairly easily as "at the same time" as a current argument. Example: I like to be warm but "at the same time" I don't want to burn wood. Or... I like to watch football but "at the same time" it's too expensive to go to the match.
Here in the US we use a phrase 'just the same' which sounds similar.
It can also be pretty close to "however" most of the times , in English.
I would agree with the other comments. "Even so" can be used in most of these examples - even if it sounds a bit strange or out of place - and is the nearest English equivalent.
I think this is the phrase I’ve tended to translate to in my head for “quand meme”. But some of the examples of disapproval don’t quite fit “even so”.
@@AriD2385 There are a few that don't fit, yes, or they work but a bit strangely (forced and unnatural to the setting, but still technically correct).
love your shirt, where did you get it and what brand? Is it St James?
Bonjour, hello,
It seems to me important to precise that "Quand même" is the abbreviation of "quand bien même" (which could be translated by "Despite the fact" or "Even though") which is usually the start of a sentence to significate that a contradiction will be announced. For exemple in a conversation, someone you wait says you:
- "Désolé si j'arrive en retard, mais je n'habite pas à côté !". ("Sorry if I'm late, but I don't live next door !")
Normally you should answer:
- "Quand bien même, tu avais un long trajet pour venir jusqu'ici, il t'appartenait de te lever plus tôt pour être à l'heure." ("Even though you have a long drive to get here, it was up to you to get up earlier to be on time.").
"Quand même" is so a good term to abreviate this same sentence. Cause it will replace "you have a long drive to get here" Which suddenly is implied. So you just have to answer:
- "Quand même, tu aurais pu te lever plus tôt pour être à l'heure". (Still, you'd have woken up earlier to be on time.)
Merci beaucoup "Comme une française" d'aider ainsi tous ces gens qui désirent apprendre notre langue. :)
Geraldine, est-ce que tu peux nous donner un video de Quand vs Lorsque. Je suis Francophone Americain mais je ne suis jamais certain quand/lorsque je dois utiliser l'un ou l'autre. Merci. J'adore tes videos.
interesting lesson, i was not aware how versitile the expression was, however, surly you can not drop the ne when using ne (plus verb) que
Thanks all the same. 😉😎
OMG! French is so META! It's almost as if spoken French developed AFTER written French 🤣
Salut Géraldine- Toujours un plaisir !
Je voudrais vous donner une traduction pour "quand même" pour la plupart des situations. Et c'est "Even (so)" - Voila 🤗
Dans le cas d'un situation un peu négatif, on disait peut-être "just".
Par exemple: "You're not going to just swim across the Atlantic (ocean) are you?"
Also, "I'm not just going to start hitchhiking!"
Also: "You didn't just eat all the Camembert did you ?"
And: "Even so, arriving an hour late is not nice."
On utilise "just" pour souligner qqch. (if that's the right word) 😅
Also, bravo pour la traduction "At least/Anyway" avec les autres phrases (quand tu veux rassurer qqn ou bien se plaindre) 😂
Je sais pas qui est ton traducteur ou quand-même si c'est bien vous, mais vous traduisez parfaitement, comme toujours 💐
Hi Geraldine, I think “Quand Même” could also be thought of in English, as “really” or “seriously”. As in “you don’t seriously expect me to walk there” or “How long will you be staying? Two more weeks, “ Ah, quand même” [ this being with a negative connotation] or “ Oh really?”. Just a thought.
Another excellent video, thanks! Very very small point - at 3.04, we'd say "You're not going to swim across the Atlantic Ocean, are you?" Rather than "aren't you"? Apologies if this has already been picked up, I haven't read all the comments
This video reminds me of linguist John McWhorter’s discussion of the use of “even” in English, as in “I invited him to my party and he didn’t *even* come.” Or, “I’ve studied French for 5 years and didn’t *even* know that word.” It’s something you insert for emphasis, to express that something didn’t happen as you’d expect it to, and that you’re disappointed or surprised by it. Used in this way “even” isn’t really translatable in itself, but its presence in the sentence adds nuance to the speaker’s emotion. Quand meme is different, but it seems like it’s a similar type of thing.
Non non non, the best translation for quand même is "remark"
I always think of it as ‘even so’.
I think of quand meme as a way of emphasizing whatever is being said. Emphasizing the surprising aspect of something. Like, "My car might be ugly, but quand meme is it ever fast!