To talk about fishing (pêcher), you need some basic gear, like a fishing rod (une canne à pêche), a hook (un hameçon), and bait (un appât).
| The fisherman prepares his fishing rod and the hook. | Le pêcheur prépare sa canne à pêche et l'hameçon. |
| He puts a bait on the hook. | Il met un appât sur l'hameçon. |
Doing Something in Vain
To express that someone is making an effort but failing to get a result, French uses the expression avoir beau. It translates to doing something "in vain" or "no matter how much" you try.
To use it, conjugate avoir and add beau followed by an infinitive:
- subject + avoir (conjugated) + beau
- infinitive
| I wait in vain, the fish aren't biting. | J'ai beau attendre, les poissons ne mordent pas. |
Notice that beau is invariable here; it never changes to match the subject.
| He fishes all day in vain, his bucket is empty. | Il a beau pêcher toute la journée, son seau est vide. |
| I use this fishing rod in vain, the fish are not biting. | J'ai beau utiliser cette canne à pêche, le poisson ne mord pas. |
Empty-Handed
If a fisherman finishes the day without a single catch (une prise), they return bredouille (empty-handed).
| Without any catch, the fisherman returns empty-handed. | Sans aucune prise, le pêcheur rentre bredouille. |
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