matter
(=question) question f
a matter of une question de
It's a matter of habit. C'est une question d'habitude.
it's a matter of life and death c'est une question de vie ou de mort
it is only a matter of time ce n'est qu'une question de temps
It would be only a matter of time before he left. Ce ne serait qu'une question de temps avant qu'il ne parte.
to be a matter of opinion être une question d'opinion
→ whether glass teapots make better tea is a matter of opinion
(=affair) affaire f
→ Will you report the matter to the authorities?
that's another matter, that's a different matter c'est une autre histoire, c'est une autre affaire
that's quite a different matter c'est une toute autre histoire, c'est une toute autre affaire
→ Being responsible for one's own health is one thing, but being responsible for another person's health is quite a different matter.
it's no easy matter ce n'est pas chose facile
it's no laughing matter il n'y a pas de quoi rire
that's the end of the matter point final
He's moving in, and that's the end of the matter. Il emménage, point final.
the fact of the matter is (that) ... le fait est que ...
the truth of the matter is (that) ...
(=the truth is) la vérité c'est que ...
(=material) matières fpl
waste matter matières résiduelles
vegetable matter matières végétales, matière végétale
The termites feed almost entirely on vegetable matter. Les termites se nourrissent presque exclusivement de matières végétales.
→
organic matter
→
reading matter
(in adverbial phrases)
as a matter of urgency (adv)
d'urgence
I need to talk to him as a matter of urgency. J'ai besoin de lui parler d'urgence.
→ Your doctor and health visitor can help a great deal and you need to talk about it with them as a matter of urgency.
as a matter of course (adv)
systématiquement
→ trying international terrorists before an international court as a matter of course
They are carrying arms as a matter of course. Ils sont systématiquement armés.
→ If police are carrying arms as a matter of course then doesn't it encourage criminals to carry them?
Shouldn't I be told all this as a matter of course? Ne devrais-je pas être systématiquement informé de tout ceci?
The best companies do this for staff as a matter of course. C'est une chose que les meilleures compagnies font systématiquement pour leur personnel.
as a matter of fact (adv)
en fait
→ He's my father, as a matter of fact.
→ As a matter of fact, he's teetotal.
→ As a matter of fact, Amnesty is not classified as a charity, although Oxfam is.
→ But I do have a degree - two, as a matter of fact - as does Tom.
for that matter (adv)
d'ailleurs
→ A great deal of hard work was done and, for that matter, is continuing.
He'd not seen her, nor for that matter had anyone else. Il ne l'avait pas vue, et personne d'autre non plus d'ailleurs.
(=problem)
what's the matter? qu'est-ce qu'il y a?
→ Carole, what's the matter? You don't seem happy.
what's the matter with him? qu'est-ce qu'il a ?
what's the matter with your office? qu'est-ce qui ne va pas à ton bureau?
she told him there was nothing the matter elle lui a dit que tout allait bien
(in time phrases)
in a matter of days
(=within a few days) en l'espace de quelques jours
In a matter of days she was back at work. En l'espace de quelques jours, elle était de retour au travail.
in a matter of hours en l'espace de quelques heures
→ He expected to be at East Grinstead station in a matter of hours.
no matter what
(=whatever happens) quoi qu'il arrive
I'll do it no matter what. Je le ferai quoi qu'il arrive.
(=whatever happened) quoi qu'il advienne
→ I vowed then, no matter what, I would never be like those people.
He had decided to publish the manuscript no matter what. Il avait décidé de publier le manuscrit quoi qu'il advienne.
no matter what your age quel que soit votre âge
→ no matter what your age, or whether or not you have children
no matter how small it is, no matter how small aussi petit soit-il (or aussi petite soit-elle)
Any dog bite, no matter how small, needs immediate medical attention. Toute morsure de chien, aussi petite soit-elle, doit être examinée par un médecin.
no matter who you are qui que vous soyez
no matter who you are or where you're from qui que vous soyez et quel que soit l'endroit d'où vous venez
(PHYSICS) matière f
→ An atom is the smallest indivisible particle of matter.
(=secretion) sécrétion f
→ His eyes were gummy with some yellowish matter.
→ He inoculated a young boy with matter (pus) from a cowpox sore
→
fecal matter
matters
npl
(=situation)
to improve matters améliorer les choses
It is hard to see how this would improve matters. On ne voit guère comment cela pourrait améliorer les choses.
to make matters worse aggraver les choses
Don't let yourself despair, that will just make matters worse. Ne vous laissez pas aller au désespoir, cela ne ferait qu'aggraver les choses.
(=be important) importer, compter → Your happiness is the only thing that matters. It's the only thing that matters. C'est la seule chose qui compte., C'est la seule chose qui importe. to matter to sb, It matters a lot to me. C'est très important pour moi. it doesn't matter
(=it's not important) cela n'a pas d'importance → When we pointed this out, she said it didn't matter. "Shall I phone today or tomorrow?" -- "Whenever, it doesn't matter." "Est-ce que j'appelle aujourd'hui ou demain?" -- "Quand tu veux, cela n'a pas d'importance."
(=I don't mind) cela ne fait rien, ça ne fait rien "I can't give you the money today." -- "It doesn't matter." "Je ne peux pas te donner l'argent aujourd'hui." -- "Ça ne fait rien." it doesn't matter anymore cela n'a plus d'importance Under the new rules, this doesn't matter any more. Avec le nouveau réglement, cela n'a plus d'importance.
dark matter
n (ASTRONOMY) matière f noire
fecal matter
n matières fpl fécales
grey matter , (British) gray matter (US)
*
n
(=intelligence) matière f grise
→ ... an unsolved mathematical equation which has caused his grey matter to work overtime.
laughing matter
n
this is no laughing matter il n'y a pas de quoi rire, ça n'a rien d'amusant
matter-of-fact
adj
[person, statement] neutre
→ John was doing his best to give Francis the news in a matter-of-fact way.
organic matter
n matière f organique
printed matter
n imprimés mpl
reading matter
n de quoi lire, de la lecture
I've got some reading matter j'ai de la lecture
subject matter
n
[+book, lecture, film, painting] sujet m