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Writing Proofs in French

  1. Jul 6, 2011 #1
    I'm writing some of my proofs up in french in order to practice the language and I have a few questions for any of you french speakers out there.

    First, what voice is generally used 'nous' or 'on'.
    Second when I am telling the reader to perform this or that mathematical procedure, do I use the imperative or the infinitive?

    Also if there are some other common mistakes anglophones make when writing math in french, please let me know, thanks! =].
  2. jcsd
  3. Jul 12, 2011 #2


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    Moderator's note: thread moved from General Math to General Discussion.
  4. Jul 13, 2011 #3
    Why don't you find a French math book or two and read their proofs for guidance?

    If I were to take a guess, I'd go with "on" instead of "nous," and stick to more passive language (e.g., the infinitive) rather than the imperative. You'll probably have to use lots of reflexive verbs in the passive tense, too.