Falloir (in several tenses)

[xanana]

il faut = It is necessary
il faudra = It will be necessary
il fallait = It was necessary
Il a fallu = ?

Comment et quand utilise-t-on "il a fallu" ?

X

 

[Helene]

Well... let's put it in a sentence, that'll be easier to understand.

Comme j'avais perdu mon crayon, il a fallu que j'emprunte celui de mon voisin
(As I had lost my pen, I had to borrow one from my neighbor)

Il a fallu que je rentre à la maison parce que j'avais oublié mes clefs
(I had to go back home because I had forgotten my keys)

I don't really know how to explain this, but you use "il a fallu" when it is something one had to do in the past and is done with it now...

Please someone correct me if i'm wrong !!

 

[fetchezlavache]

strictly speaking, i think it translates as 'i have had to'. 'it has been necessary to'. but i think it's not used much huh ?

i've had to go back home because i had forgotten my keys ?
as i had lost my pen, i've had to borrow one ?

 

[tchev]

It is also used as an expression in sentences like
Et une fois de plus, il a fallu qu'il se plaigne : Once again, he had to complain, he couldn't refrain from complaining
Il a fallu que ça arrive : It was bound to happen

 

[diarapha]

Good morning!
I have trouble translating the following since I'd like to keep the "vécu sans/faire avec" of the French and cannot find an english equivalent.

Après tout, j’avais vécu sans jusqu’ici et manifestement, il allait falloir continuer de faire avec.
After all/all things considered, I had lived without up to/until then/now(story in the past) and obviously/patently I had/was bound to continue to do so/with?

thanks for your genius!

 

[MattF]

Good morning!
I have trouble translating the following since I'd like to keep the "vécu sans/faire avec" of the French and cannot find an english equivalent.

Après tout, j’avais vécu sans jusqu’ici et manifestement, il allait falloir continuer de faire avec.
After all/all things considered, I had lived without up to/until then/now(story in the past) and obviously/patently I had/was bound to continue to do so/with?

thanks for your genius!

I know it must look really clumsy if English isn't your native language, but I can
assure you that we would say "I was going to have to..." for "Il allait falloir [que je]..."

The other expression is harder, though. The closest I can come that preserves the
contrast at all is:

"After all, I had done without it up until then, and now I was going to have to put up with it".

I've had to put in the "it" in the first part, to balance "to put up with", because the latter always takes an object of some sort.

 

[diarapha]

thanks
are you sure for the "up until"?

 

[MattF]

thanks
are you sure for the "up until"?

It's fine, although you could take out the "up" as well, if you're
talking about my version. It's a little familiar and it becomes repetitive
if you also use "to put up with" in the second clause. So

"After all, I had done without it until then, and I was going to have to put up with it now".

[I've moved the "now" to the end, so that the structure is more similar in each half -
it "balances" better that way].

 

[diarapha]

many thanks
d

 

[MattF]

many thanks
d

Pas de problème. Au fait, j'ai réflechi un peu, et je me suis rendu compte
qu'on pourrait très bien garder le "vivre sans" et "faire avec" de l'original,
mais dans le sens contraire: je veux dire qu'on pourrait mettre:

"After all, I had done without it until then, and I was going to have to live with it now"

Intéressant, non?