Translation of «désirer» in this lesson as 'desire' is too 'direct' and results in very formal-sounding English, giving the impression that «désirer» might be reserved for very formal French too. 'What would you desire' may be heard somewhere in the English-speaking world but where I am from, it sounds quite posh and presumptuous, and would usually only be used in this context in a mocking manner. «Désirer» is much more widely used in French however. Suggest, using 'like' or 'want' as the translation here, as they fit better in the situations in the lesson. It is not quite a faux ami, but not a bon ami either!
French 4.4
MCK
August 11, 2020
Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor
August 17, 2020
Salut MCK !
Thank you for your feedback! I believe the translation of désirer as "to desire" rather than a more idiomatic "to want" was an effort to avoid confusion with vouloir "to want" when it came to the Reinforcement activities and module testing. However, we may be able to find a better way around this now that we have the newer functionalities at our disposal; I will pass this on to the French team too take a look at improving.
Merci, et à la prochaine,
Liss
Thank you for your feedback! I believe the translation of désirer as "to desire" rather than a more idiomatic "to want" was an effort to avoid confusion with vouloir "to want" when it came to the Reinforcement activities and module testing. However, we may be able to find a better way around this now that we have the newer functionalities at our disposal; I will pass this on to the French team too take a look at improving.
Merci, et à la prochaine,
Liss