1

I was listening to some listening material and there's a part I heard that I can't understand. I always thought prêt à faire is the correct phrase. Why is prêt de faire the correct one in this case to mean "I'm not ready to forget it", in other words, "I won't forget it"?

Merci. Tu m’as appris une bonne leçon et je ne suis pas prêt de l’oublier.

Why is it wrong to say prêt à faire?

Merci. Tu m’as appris une bonne leçon et je ne suis pas prêt à l’oublier ?

2 Answers 2

9

"prêt à l’oublier" would mean "ready to forget it".

"prêt de l’oublier" should be "près de l’oublier" ("close to forgetting it"). Cf. http://www.academie-francaise.fr/pret-pres-de

5

Hmm. Given the context, you most likely had it confused with:

Merci. Tu m’as appris une bonne leçon et je ne suis pas près de l’oublier.

... due to the identical pronunciation of "prêt" and "près".

The expression "être près de faire (= sur le point de faire)" is often used in the negative in the form of "ne pas être près de faire" with the meaning of "not about to do" to emphatically say that you have no intention whatsoever of doing something.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.