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certain

certain

adjective determiner sehr-TAN Less Common
Descriptions & Qualities Degree

Also means

some

Usage Note

Certain has two very distinct uses depending on position: placed after the noun it means 'certain' or 'sure' (une victoire certaine, a certain victory), while placed before the noun it acts as a determiner meaning 'some' or 'a particular' (un certain temps, a certain amount of time). The adverb certainement (certainly) and the noun certitude are common derivatives.

Examples

"Il faut un certain temps pour apprendre."

Natural Translation

It takes a certain amount of time to learn.

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