Why 'un couple' rather than 'one couple' in 'un couple de chevaux'?

B D.C1Kwiziq community member

Why 'un couple' rather than 'one couple' in 'un couple de chevaux'?

Asked 4 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi B,

I have changed the translation of un couple de chevaux to a pair of horses ( which had been suggested in an earlier question).

Had a bit of a dilemma - should it be there was or there were but chose there was, I can change this if you think it should be,

there were a pair of horses.

I am not a horsey person, but a couple of in English often means, a few, so I think a pair is probably better as in French, a couple of would probably be quelques.

Hope you agree...

Alan G.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

A carriage can be drawn by a "pair of horses", but I wouldn't describe two horses in a field as "a pair". I'd have changed the French translation to be "quelques" or "deux".

Why 'un couple' rather than 'one couple' in 'un couple de chevaux'?

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Thinking...