Traduire 11 04 2011

 - 1 Ils n'ont pas encore réussi à le convaincre.
      They have not yet succeeded in convincing him.
      OR : They haven’t managed to convince him yet.

 - 2. Nous avons bien failli perdre  nos passeports.
        We very nearly lost our passports.

 - 3. C'est tout juste s'il sait leurs noms.
         He hardly knows their names.

 - 4. Il est allé jusqu'à dire que nous l'avions insulté.
        He actually said that we had insulted him.
        OR : He went so far as to say that we had insulted him.

 - 5. Je me demande comment il est parvenu à tromper les douaniers.
       I wonder how he managed to deceive/trick/fool the customs officers.

  - 6. On dirait qu'il va neiger.
       It looks like snow.
       It looks as if it's going to snow.

 - 7. On aurait dit qu'il avait un peu trop apprécié le whisky.
       He looked as if he had been on [had liked] the whisky [bottle] a little [a bit] too much.

 ­ - 8. A peine eut-il réussi à ouvrir son parapIuie que la pluie s'arrêta.
       No sooner had he opened [succeeded in opening] [managed to open] his umbrella than [when] it stopped raining [the rain stopped].

 - 9. Ne manquez pas de venir nous voir quand vous serez en France.
       Don't forget to come and see us when you are in France.
       Be sure to come and visit us...
       You must come and see us...
       Do come and see us ...

 - 10. J'ai bien failli lui dire ce que je pensais de lui.
       I very nearly told him [her] what I thought of him.      

 - 11. Je me suis borné à dire ce que je savais.
       I just [merely, only] said what I knew.

 - 12. Ils avaient bel et bien l'intention de la tuer.
       They well and truly [really, actually] intended [meant] to kill him.

 - 13. Avez-vous réussi à traduire le texte ?
       Did you succeed [manage] in translating [to translate] the text.

 - 14. Elle avait l'impression qu'elle allait mourir.
       She felt as if she were [was] going [about] to die.
       She had the feeling she was going to die.

 - 15. Le hasard voulut qu'il n'y eût personne pour l'entendre.
       There happened to be nobody [no-one] to hear him.
        As luck would have it there was nobody to hear him.

 -­ 16. Il se trouvait que je les avais remarqués.
       I happened to have noticed them.

 - 17 J'ai failli me tromper de chapeau.
       I nearly took the wrong hat.

 ­ - 18. Il se trouve que nous étions les seuls Français à bord.
       We happened to be the only French people on board.

 - 19. Ils se sont bornés à dire qu'ils repasseraient le lendemain.
       They merely [just, only] said (that) they would come back  [return, call again] the next day [following day]

 - 20. Sauriez-vous par hasard pourquoi ils ne sont pas venus?
      Do you happen to know why they haven't [didn't] come?
       Do you know by any chance why ..