Questions & Answers about Paul est discret quand il parle de son passé.
What exactly does discret mean here? Does it just mean “quiet”?
Discret can overlap with “quiet,” but its main idea is:
- discreet, reserved, not very revealing, not drawing attention to oneself
In this sentence, Paul est discret quand il parle de son passé suggests:
- He doesn’t say much about his past,
- Or he talks about it carefully, without giving many details,
- He doesn’t expose himself too much.
It’s less about being shy or unable to speak, and more about choosing not to say too much.
How is discret different from timide or silencieux?
- discret: discreet, reserved; he carefully controls what he reveals.
- timide: shy; he might find it difficult to talk at all, especially to people he doesn’t know.
- silencieux: silent/very quiet; he simply doesn’t talk much, regardless of topic.
So Paul can be:
- discret when talking about his past (he hides details),
even if he’s not timide (he’s not necessarily shy)
and not particularly silencieux (he may talk a lot about other topics).
Why is it discret and not discrète?