Why does "There is some risk" translate to "Il y a un certain risque"

Ann C.C1Kwiziq community member

Why does "There is some risk" translate to "Il y a un certain risque"

instead of "Il y a un risque" ? It seems like saying there is some risk implies more that the risk is certain/sure/definite more than what the particular risk is.

This question relates to:French lesson "Certain = specific / sure in French (adjectives that change meaning according to position)"

Asked 8 years ago

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AurélieKwiziq Head of French, Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour Ann !

"Il y a un risque" would simply mean "There is a risk", whereas "Il y a un certain risk" brings a vagueness to the statement: "There is *some* risk".
Here the difficulty lies in that in English you would vocally emphasise the *some* to insist on it. In French, you use "certain" :)

I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !

Like08 years ago

Ann C. asked:

Why does "There is some risk" translate to "Il y a un certain risque"

instead of "Il y a un risque" ? It seems like saying there is some risk implies more that the risk is certain/sure/definite more than what the particular risk is.

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