Seeing Both Sides in Everyday Talk
Публичен
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4 ноември 2026 г.
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Слушане и преговор
Добавете поне 2 Voca карти, за да отключите „Слушане и преговор“ и да се упражнявате с аудио.
Weigh pros and cons in everyday decisions—from choosing an apartment or a commute to picking a phone plan or weekend getaway—using fixed French expressions for contrast, concession, and qualification.
- Balance two sides: chunks like d'un côté... de l'autre, en revanche, and en même temps.
- Allow exceptions without dropping your point: expressions such as cela dit, pour autant, encore que, and il n'empêche que.
- Nuance your conclusion: phrases like dans une certaine mesure, à ceci près que, and tout bien considéré.
Pay attention to whether a chunk is followed by an infinitive, the indicative, or the subjunctive, and notice how spoken connectors differ in tone from more polished ones.
Картички Voca
1.
d'un côté... de l'autre
on the one hand... on the other
D'un côté, c'est pratique d'habiter en plein centre, de l'autre, c'est cher et bruyant.
On the one hand, living right downtown is convenient; on the other, it's expensive and noisy.
Used to weigh two opposing aspects of the same choice. You will also hear 'd'un côté... d'un autre côté'.
2.
en même temps
at the same time, then again
Ce studio est un peu petit, mais en même temps, le loyer est vraiment raisonnable.
This studio is a little small, but at the same time, the rent is really reasonable.
Very common in spoken French to introduce a counterbalancing point right after a criticism.
3.
cela dit
that said, having said that
L'appartement est lumineux et bien situé ; cela dit, il reste un problème avec l'isolation.
The apartment is bright and in a great location; that said, there's still an issue with the insulati
In everyday speech, people also frequently say 'ceci dit' with the exact same meaning.
4.
en revanche
on the other hand, by contrast
La cuisine est toute neuve ; en revanche, la salle de bain aurait besoin d'un coup de peinture.
The kitchen is brand new; on the other hand, the bathroom could use a coat of paint.
More natural in careful speech and writing than 'par contre', which many speakers prefer to avoid in formal contexts.
5.
dans une certaine mesure
to some extent, to a certain extent
Dans une certaine mesure, c'est vrai que le quartier est excentré, mais le tram passe toutes les cin
To some extent, it's true that the neighborhood is out of the way, but the streetcar comes every fiv
6.
à certains égards
in some ways, in some respects
À certains égards, louer meublé est plus simple, même si on ne choisit pas sa déco.
In some ways, renting a furnished place is easier, even if you don't get to choose the decor.
Pronounced with a liaison between 'certains' and 'égards', and a silent final 'd' and 's'.
7.
reste à savoir si
it remains to be seen whether, the question is whether
Le vélo électrique a l'air super sur le papier ; reste à savoir si la batterie tient vraiment tout l
The e-bike looks great on paper; it remains to be seen whether the battery really holds up all winte
Used without a subject pronoun ('il') to qualify an attractive option with a practical doubt.
8.
encore que
although, even though, then again
La ligne quatre est la plus rapide le matin, encore que ça dépende des jours.
Line 4 is the fastest in the morning, although it depends on the day.
Introduces an afterthought that partially restricts what you just said, and is usually followed by the subjunctive.
9.
pour autant
even so, all the same
Le train de dix-huit heures est souvent complet ; pour autant, ce n'est pas impossible d'avoir une p
The 6 p.m. train is often booked solid; even so, it's not impossible to get a seat.
Almost always used with a negative verb to say that one fact does not automatically lead to the expected conclusion.
10.
sans pour autant
without necessarily, without having to
On peut réduire son temps d'écran le soir sans pour autant couper tout contact avec ses amis.
You can cut back on screen time at night without necessarily cutting off all contact with your frien
Followed by an infinitive when both parts of the sentence share the same subject.
11.
il n'empêche que
still, the fact remains that, even so
Je comprends que le télétravail te plaise ; il n'empêche que voir ses collègues en vrai fait du bien
I get why you like working from home; still, it's nice to see your coworkers in person.
Followed by the indicative because it states a fact that remains true despite the previous concession.
12.
il n'en reste pas moins que
the fact remains that, even so
Le nouveau logiciel est plus rapide, mais il n'en reste pas moins qu'il demande un temps d'adaptatio
The new software is faster, but the fact remains that it takes some getting used to.
A slightly more formal way to insist that a core fact still stands despite an advantage or drawback.
13.
toujours est-il que
in any case, the fact remains that, be that as it may
Je ne sais pas si leur service client s'est amélioré ; toujours est-il que ma commande est arrivée à
I don't know if their customer service has improved; in any case, my order arrived on time.
Notice the inverted word order ('est-il') in this fixed expression, which brings the focus back to an undeniable fact.
14.
à ceci près que
except that, with the difference that
Ce forfait mobile ressemble beaucoup à l'ancien, à ceci près que les appels vers l'étranger sont inc
This cell phone plan is a lot like the old one, except that international calls are included.
Used to point out the single detail that makes two otherwise similar things different.
15.
toutes proportions gardées
relatively speaking
Ce petit restaurant de quartier offre, toutes proportions gardées, une cuisine digne d'une grande ta
Relatively speaking, this little neighborhood restaurant serves food worthy of a fine dining spot.
Used to qualify a comparison so the listener knows you are keeping things in perspective.
16.
à y regarder de plus près
on closer inspection, when you look more closely
Le contrat paraît avantageux au premier abord, mais à y regarder de plus près, les frais cachés sont
The contract looks like a good deal at first glance, but on closer inspection, the hidden fees are h
17.
abstraction faite de
setting aside, apart from, leaving aside
Abstraction faite de la file d'attente à l'entrée, cette exposition vaut vraiment le détour.
Setting aside the line at the entrance, this exhibit is really worth checking out.
Means setting one specific flaw or detail aside in order to judge the rest fairly.
18.
au demeurant
otherwise, besides, for all that
Le film traîne un peu en longueur, mais les acteurs sont excellents au demeurant.
The movie drags on a bit, but the acting is excellent otherwise.
Belongs to a polished register and adds a fair-minded qualification without cancelling out your previous remark.
19.
force est de reconnaître que
you have to admit that, there's no denying that, it must be admitted that
Je préfère les petits commerces, mais force est de reconnaître que le drive du supermarché dépanne b
I prefer small local shops, but you have to admit that supermarket curbside pickup really comes in h
A fixed expression used to concede an undeniable practical point fairly.
20.
quitte à
even if it means
Quitte à payer un peu plus cher, je préfère prendre un billet échangeable pour les vacances.
Even if it means paying a little more, I'd rather get an exchangeable ticket for vacation.
Followed by an infinitive, it accepts a minor drawback as a price worth paying for a better outcome.
21.
tout bien considéré
all things considered, on balance
Tout bien considéré, partir le vendredi soir nous laissera beaucoup plus de temps sur place.
All things considered, leaving Friday night will give us a lot more time once we're there.
22.
à tout prendre
all in all, on balance, all things considered
Les deux options ont leurs défauts, mais à tout prendre, je préfère réserver le gîte à la campagne.
Both options have their downsides, but all in all, I'd rather book the cottage in the country.
Expresses a final preference after weighing the pros and cons of imperfect choices.