Wondering how one would say a phrase such as "he can help them reach their potential"
would you use "à atteindre leur potentiel"
Thanks!
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You can also use réaliser son plein potentiel– user10191234Nov 30, 2020 at 21:15
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1 Answer
Instead of the most evident word in French (potentiel) the word "maximum" would have to be used.
- Il peut les aider à atteindre leur maximum.
(harrap's) to reach one's potential → atteindre son maximum
Other possibilities can be used.
- Il peut les aider à donner toute leur mesure. (Robert-Collins: He hasn't realized yet his full potential. → Il n'a pas encore donné toute sa mesure.)
- Il peut les aider à faire de leur mieux.
- Il peut les aider à réaliser le meilleur de ce dont ils sont capables.
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Could you please explain why "potentiel" wouldn't be suitable here? I see no reason... Dec 1, 2020 at 12:32
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@LaurentS. I think it wouldn't be idiomatic. One reason for that is that I don't feel it is (the idea of realizing one's potential somehow is not put that way in French), which is of course not enough for having a certitude, but another reason is that two dictionaries do not use "potentiel"; why would they reject the term if it had some currency in this context?– LPHDec 1, 2020 at 12:50
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@LaurentS. Il me semble que c'est un anglicisme récent; voir par exemple wordreference.– LPHDec 1, 2020 at 12:56
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If I look at CNRTL, I find "Ensemble des ressources que possède en puissance un individu ou un groupe humain ou un système industriel; capacité d'action ou de production." which seems to correspond to the current situation? While I couldn't be sure if it's not an anglicism, it is certainly very idiomatic, there are plenty of articles online about "Développer son potentiel", "Réaliser votre plein potentiel", etc... Dec 1, 2020 at 13:06