whether

whether
whether
❢ When whether is used to mean if, it is translated by si : I wonder whether she got my letter = je me demande si elle a reçu ma lettre. See 1 in the entry below.whether often occurs after verbs such as ask, doubt, decide, know, say, see and wonder, with adjectives such as doubtful, sure, and with nouns like doubt, question. You can find further examples at these entries.
In whether…or not sentences whether is translated by que and the verb that follows is in the subjunctive : whether you agree or not = que vous soyez d'accord ou non. See 2 in the entry below.conj
1 (when outcome is uncertain : if) si ; I wasn't sure whether to answer or not ou whether or not to answer je ne savais pas s'il fallait répondre, je n'étais pas sûr qu'il fallait répondre ; I wonder whether it's true je me demande si c'est vrai ; you can't tell whether she's joking or not c'est impossible de savoir si elle plaisante ; they can't decide whether to buy or rent ils n'arrivent pas à décider s'ils doivent acheter ou louer ; can you check whether it's cooked? est-ce que tu peux vérifier si c'est cuit? ; it's not clear whether they've reached an agreement c'est difficile de savoir s'ils sont tombés d'accord ; the question is whether anyone is interested le problème est de savoir si quelqu'un est intéressé ; she was worried about whether to invite them elle se demandait si elle devait les inviter ;
2 (when outcome is fixed : no matter if) you're going to school whether you like it or not! tu iras à l'école que cela te plaise ou non! ; whether you have children or not , this book should interest you que vous ayez des enfants ou non, ce livre devrait vous intéresser ; whether or not people are happy is of little importance que les gens soient heureux ou non ce n'est pas très important ; they need an adult whether it be a parent or teacher ils ont besoin d'un adulte que ce soit un parent ou un professeur ; everyone, whether students or townspeople, celebrates tout le monde, que ce soient les étudiants ou les habitants de la ville, fait la fête.

Big English-French dictionary. 2003.

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  • whether — 1. For the choice between if and whether, see if 2. 2. When the alternative to the whether clause is a simple negative, this can take several forms, but whether or not is now more usual than whether or no: • I brooded all the way whether or not I …   Modern English usage

  • Whether — Wheth er, conj. In case; if; used to introduce the first or two or more alternative clauses, the other or others being connected by or, or by or whether. When the second of two alternatives is the simple negative of the first it is sometimes only …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whether or no — Whether Wheth er, conj. In case; if; used to introduce the first or two or more alternative clauses, the other or others being connected by or, or by or whether. When the second of two alternatives is the simple negative of the first it is… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whether — [hweth′ər, weth′ər] conj. [ME < OE hwæther (akin to Ger weder, neither) < IE * kwotero , which (of two) < base * kwo , who (> WHAT) + compar. suffix] 1. if it be the case or fact that: used to introduce an indirect question [ask… …   English World dictionary

  • Whether — Wheth er, pron. [OE. whether, AS. hw[ae]?er; akin to OS. hwe?ar, OFries. hweder, OHG. hwedar, wedar, G. weder, conj., neither, Icel. hv[=a]rr whether, Goth. hwa?ar, Lith. katras, L. uter, Gr. ?, ?, Skr. katara, from the interrogatively pronoun,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whether\ ---\ or — • whether or • whether or whether 1. coord. conj. Used to introduce an indirect question. You must decide whether you should go or stay. I don t know whether Jack or Bill is a better player. Compare: either or 2. Used to show a choice of things,… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • whether — O.E. hwæðer, hweðer which of two, whether, from P.Gmc. *khwatharaz (Cf. O.S. hwedar, O.N. hvarr, Goth. huaþar, O.H.G. hwedar which of the two, Ger. weder neither ), from interrogative base *khwa who (see WHO (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • whether — ► CONJUNCTION 1) expressing a doubt or choice between alternatives. 2) expressing an enquiry or investigation. 3) indicating that a statement applies whichever of the alternatives mentioned is the case. USAGE Whether and if are more or less… …   English terms dictionary

  • whether */*/*/ — UK [ˈweðə(r)] / US [ˈweðər] / US [ˈhweðər] conjunction Collocations: Both whether and if can be used to introduce indirect questions of the type that expect a yes/no answer: She asked if/whether I liked jazz. Use whether, but not if, before an… …   English dictionary

  • whether — conjunction 1 used when talking about a choice you have to make or about two different possibilities: He asked me whether she was coming. | The decision whether to see her was mine alone. | whether or not: I coudn t decide whether or not to go to …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • whether — wheth|er [ weðər, hweðər ] conjunction *** 1. ) used when someone does not know which of two possibilities is true: They asked us whether we were married. There is some doubt as to whether the illness is infectious. whether...or: She doesn t even …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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