Moi Aussi !

Question

I agree with Carl. This was a challenging exercise. (I find the written exercises more difficult then the Dictees in general.)

My question: Why "Mes essuie-glaces arriere" and not "arrieres" ? Shouldn't arriere be plural?

Also: I wrote: "la pile de mon portable etait aussi vide", which I believe is an acceptable alternate translation. I am familiar with the use of "pile" for flashlight batteries or electric appliances, and the use of "etre vide" for a battery being dead.

I have never heard the expression, "le bas-cote". I wrote, "la cote de la route".

Thoughts anyone?

P.S. According to my husband, (who is a car buff) "a beater" is very common expression here in the U.S. As in, "my car is a real beater", ie. "my car is really beat up".

Accepted Answer

Hi N. Hilary. In answer to your first question "arrière" is apparently invariable, as I just learned. Interestingly if you look further down in the questions for this exercise it was originally written as "mes essuie-glaces arriéres" before one of us eagle-eyed self-testers pointed it out and Cécile corrected the typo! Sorry, I don't know the answer to your phone battery question. (And yes, this was a very challenging exercise and my car vocabulary in particular was found wanting)

Answer

La pile and la batterie are both translated as "battery" but they are used for different kinds of batteries. Look here for more information: La pile vs la batterie

Answer

F.Y.I. I can't speak for Britain, but "beater" is indeed an expression in the U.S. My husband was in the auto industry and informs me that it is a very common expression amongst car aficiondos. B.T.W. We are in the Midwest, (surviving serious flooding today), but he is originally from the East Coast.

It is a self-explanatory expression. Although, "wreck" works, too.

Answer

Bonjour N. Hilary,
Both Jim and Chris are correct!
"Arrière" (and "avant") never agree when they are used as adjectives. Originally, we would have said "les essuies-glaces de l'arrière" where "de l' " has been taken away. See here for the explanation on "arrière": "les roues arrière"

Les feux (de l') avant = The front lights [US: the tailights]
Les pneus (de l') arrière = The back tyres

As for "le bas côté", it is a term used commonly when talking about the roadside. See link here for more vocabulary on this topic: Vocabulary of the Highway Code / Driver's Manual
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Answer

Merci a tous !You are right Paul - somehow I didn't scroll down far enough to see the question and answer about "arriere" being an invariable adjective.And, thank you for the links Celine. This was my first experience with "Le projet Voltaire" and  taking the quiz on "arriere/avant" was very helpful. Also, the Highway Vocabulary site is good to know about, although "le bas-cote" is not listed there. I found it in Collins where the definition is: "shoulder" (of the road); or "verge" in Britain.Chris - the explanation for the difference between "pile" and "batterie" - also helpful. If I understand it correctly "pile" is used for smaller batteries, which usually are replaced rather than recharged and come in packs with various sizes and voltages. (AA, 6V, etc.) "Batterie" is used for cars, but also cell phones, (where the battery can be recharged.)I plan to redo this exercise in a few days to refresh and review the new vocabulary I learned. Bonne journee !