ils savent très bien jouer aux échecs !

English translation: they play chess very well! / they're very good chess players! / they're very good at playing chess!

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:ils savent très bien jouer aux échecs !
English translation:they play chess very well! / they're very good chess players! / they're very good at playing chess!
Entered by: Tony M

16:53 Mar 17, 2018
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / Plubicité/school homework
French term or phrase: ils savent très bien jouer aux échecs !
https://translate.google.fr/?hl=fr#fr/en/ils savent très bie...
Fabrice59
France
Local time: 15:16
they're very good at playing chess! / they play chess very well!
Explanation:
This is another example where there is no real need in EN to use 'to know how to' — and suggesting they know how to do it 'very well' sounds rather comical — as if someone else knows how to play it badly! Once again, here, the sense is really simply 'can', though even that is unnecessary, EN can make it nice and simple.

Interesting point in the soruce text, since 'savoir très bien...' can also be some kind of a reproach — "Now don't make that excuse, you're just being lazy — you know perfectly well how to do the washing up!"

Perhaps this was not the best example the prof might have chosen.

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Note added at 3 heures (2018-03-17 20:10:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Thanks to Writeaway for bringing up this usage, where 'savoir' seems, at least emiricially, to have a sense of 'pouvoir' — and which I've certainly also encountered here in France.

In particular, there is phrase that's been used for ages, when we say in the past tense: « Il a su... » which often conveys the notion of 'was able to / managed to / succeeded in...', where it's really quite difficult to see exactly how any sesne of 'knowing how to' would really fit.
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 15:16
Grading comment
Merci
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +6they're very good at playing chess! / they play chess very well!
Tony M
5 +2to know HOW to + INF
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
4 +1They know how to play chess really well!
Barbara Cochran, MFA


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
They know how to play chess really well!


Explanation:
Although I was much better at checkers!

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 10:16
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mohamed Hosni: That's it.
5 mins
  -> Thanks, Mohamed.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
they're very good at playing chess! / they play chess very well!


Explanation:
This is another example where there is no real need in EN to use 'to know how to' — and suggesting they know how to do it 'very well' sounds rather comical — as if someone else knows how to play it badly! Once again, here, the sense is really simply 'can', though even that is unnecessary, EN can make it nice and simple.

Interesting point in the soruce text, since 'savoir très bien...' can also be some kind of a reproach — "Now don't make that excuse, you're just being lazy — you know perfectly well how to do the washing up!"

Perhaps this was not the best example the prof might have chosen.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 heures (2018-03-17 20:10:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Thanks to Writeaway for bringing up this usage, where 'savoir' seems, at least emiricially, to have a sense of 'pouvoir' — and which I've certainly also encountered here in France.

In particular, there is phrase that's been used for ages, when we say in the past tense: « Il a su... » which often conveys the notion of 'was able to / managed to / succeeded in...', where it's really quite difficult to see exactly how any sesne of 'knowing how to' would really fit.

Tony M
France
Local time: 15:16
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 348
Grading comment
Merci

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  writeaway: agree. a literal translation is a tad clumsy. In Belgium, they sometimes/often (?) use 'savoir' to mean 'pouvoir'......
6 mins
  -> Thanks, W/A! Yes, I've even encountered similar usage here in FR too.

agree  Jennifer White: yes, "they are very good chess players" - why not?
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Jennifer! Yes, that's another good one!

agree  Jennifer Levey: Well, yes. But in my version of "native English" (Essex, UK), we'd just say "they're very good at chess" - because chess is necessarily a game that is 'played'.
5 hrs
  -> Thanks, Robin! I agree, though possibly not in the context of this question, wher the prof. is obviously looking for soemthing a little more literal.

agree  Josephine Cassar: Sounds natural-natural flow
11 hrs
  -> Thanks, Josephine!

agree  kashew: For the second one.
1 day 4 mins
  -> Thanks, Kashew! Yes, my preference too!

agree  AllegroTrans
1 day 1 hr
  -> Thanks, C!
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1 day 1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
ils savent très bien jouer aux échecs (savoir + INF)
to know HOW to + INF


Explanation:
Fabrice, to all intents and purposes, you have asked the same question a number of times. Like others, I have provided explanations and sources. It is honestly now up to you to make an effort to work on the information provided and practice applying the structure. The answer to this one is the same as the previous one. In addition, it is 99% certain that with the information provided by your teacher and the information in the previous answers, you have more than enough to deal with the questions in the exercise you have to deal with.

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 15:16
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 119

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M
10 mins

agree  katsy
34 mins
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