If I wanted to say "to do something on and off" I'm unsure how to express the "on and off" part.
A literal translation might be "de faire quelque chose sur et en dehors" but I'm not sure if this is correct.
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1Related: for an occasional activity rather than something that comes and goes, see Complément de temps qualifiant une action infréquente, mais pas un état infréquent– Gilles 'SO nous est hostile'Jul 31, 2014 at 18:35
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3 Answers
It depends on the time pattern: French and English don't break them up in exactly the same way.
For a habitual action like “I play tennis on and off”, you could say “Je joue au tennis à certaines périodes”; this has no implication on which of the on and off periods are the longer ones. Some other possibilities tend imply shorter on periods: “de manière sporadique”, “sporadiquement”, “de façon intermittente”, “par intermittence”. As for “de temps à autre” or “de temps en temps” or “à l'occasion”, they can mean “now and then” or “once in a while” (i.e. there are no lasting on periods, just the occasional game) as well as “on and off”.
For an interrupted activity like “I knit on and off, when I'm not helping a customer”, you can say “Je tricote par moments, quand je ne suis pas occupé avec un client”.
answered Jul 31, 2014 at 18:34
Gilles 'SO nous est hostile'Gilles 'SO nous est hostile'
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Thanks for the comprehensive list. The sense I'm trying to get is "I have studied X on and off for the last 10 years" meaning a year or two of study, a break of a year or two, repeat...– mrbabooJul 31, 2014 at 23:17
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1@mrbaboo “Par intermittence” sounds ok for this. But if it's for a CV you may want to be more specific with dates anyway. Jul 31, 2014 at 23:26
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@musicwithoutpaper CV = curriculum vitae = résumé Aug 2, 2014 at 16:12
De temps en temps
De temps à autre
These two have the same meaning, it means 'from time to time'.
The latter is slightly more formal and could indicate a slightly lesser frequency.
De façon intermittente
It means directly 'intermittently'; it's more precise than the two above.
If you want say something like switch on or switch off you must say :
Mettre quelque-chose en marche ou à l'arrêt.
You can't say :
Mettre quelque-chose en marche ET à l'arrêt.
because it's one or the other but not the two together.
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2« To do something on and off » signifie faire quelque chose à certains moments mais pas à d'autres. Ça peut désigner une activité qu'on alterne avec d'autres, ou qu'on pratique à certaines périodes mais pas à d'autres. Traduire par allumer/éteindre est un contresens. Jul 30, 2014 at 17:28