Translation
air, look, appearance, tune
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Word origin
From Latin aer ('air, atmosphere'), itself a borrowing from Greek aer. The sense of 'tune, melody' and 'appearance, look' developed later, partly under Italian influence.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- aer
- English cognates
- air, aerial
Grammar
Examples
, .
She looks tired, she may not have slept well last night.
.
Let's get some fresh air for a few minutes before resuming the meeting.
.
He looks like he understands but I'm not sure he's following.
.
The air in the mountains is so pure and fresh.
.
She played an old tune on the piano last night.
, .
Open the window, I need fresh air.
.
She sang a beautiful French tune at the party.
Air est polysémique : l'air qu'on respire, l'allure ou l'apparence (avoir l'air = to look, to seem), et une mélodie (un air de musique). La construction avoir l'air + adjectif est très courante. L'accord de l'adjectif après avoir l'air hésite : elle a l'air fatiguée (accord avec le sujet) ou elle a l'air fatigué (accord avec air, masculin) - les deux sont acceptés.
En plein air (in the open air, outdoors) et au grand air (in the fresh air) sont des locutions fréquentes. Prendre l'air (to get some fresh air) est très naturel. Un air de famille (a family resemblance) et avoir un faux air de (to vaguely resemble) jouent sur le sens de l'apparence. Sans avoir l'air de rien (casually, without letting on) est très idiomatique.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(10)Très lumineux
2 min read · Core 1000
Une heure par jour
3 min read · Core 1000
Le café du quartier
4 min read · Core 1000
Mathieu revient en ville
4 min read · Core 5000
Le détective
5 min read · Core 5000
Pas devant les clients
5 min read · Core 1000
Pas encore
5 min read · Core 5000
Pas un mot avant dimanche
5 min read · Core 5000
Quand tu auras fini
5 min read · Core 5000
Vingt minutes dans le noir
5 min read · Core 5000
Grammar articles
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French · Free printables
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Free printable study downloads for the French word "air" (air, look, appearance, tune): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free week (no card)This word is taught in chapter 5, lesson 1: air, entre, papa and 7 more words.