a couple of simple questions

[yong leong]

 

 

  1.  Un an   means  one year  and  une année  also means  one year  right?

         Do you use one over the other in certain cases or are they interchangeable, or it doesn't matter.

 

   2.  En cas d'intrusion composez 511  -   'do I read the 511 as  Cinq cent onze' ? Or is there  another way to read the numbers.

 

   3.  Japon l'empire du doute  -   does this phrase simply means 'japan empire of doubt'? I wonder what it means.

 

       Merci d'avance.

[Erwan]

1. They both means year but the way of used them are not the same.

an is used for a division of time. e.g. il a trois ans (he is three years old)

année indicate a duration. e.g. C'est sa première année ici (it's his first year)

 

2. Cinq cent onze is good. In your sentence, it should be, I think, Composez le 511.

 

3. Your translation seems correct. You probably find this expression in a news. The journalist try to said that the doubt is growing among Japanases.

 

[Ed la mouette]

Erwan, i think you're not clear enough about an and année, so here's my opinion.

An is a duration (= a division of time if you want). Il a trois ans. J'habite ici depuis dix ans.

Année is more "a thing". 2010 a été une bonne année pour les viticulteurs. Les années folles. Je n'ai fait qu'une année de medecine.

 

One exception, the year 2000 has been called "An 2000".

[yong leong]

Merci, Ed la mouette, your explanation help a lot.