D'avoir été

[MissDi]

Hello !

I'm looking for the translation of : d'avoir été.  For example = Merci d'avoir été là quand j'en avais besoin."

thank you all

[Bettina]

Your questions are really interesting and I awaits the reply of the members or of Thomas with impatience !

[Freddyben]

Hi Bettina I'm affraid your sentence is a litteraly translated one, here is I think a better translation : "your questions are really interresting and I'm looking forward to see the answer from the members or Thomas."

Hi MissDi I reckon you could translate by "thank you to have been here when I needed to" but anyway, please wait for Thomas' answer, hopefully he will correct both sentences.

[Bettina]

I will try to speak better next time. Thanks to help me as you do it always. At the beginning I always was afraid to make mistakes but i make un effort to lost this bad habit. In this way I learn more. It isn't pleasant to be a beginner!

[Freddyben]

No worries it's a pleasure to help you and it improves my English too; to keep on practising is the best way not to forget and even to improve it.
So I try sometimes to correct some sentence but keep in mind that I'm not as good as Thomas (far away from him actually !), so the last correction is always his.
You do well practising this way, it is essential, so if you're keen on learning English it's good to have different supports such as radio, books, TV, various podcasts (as much as you can), that's the only way to get better in my opinion, then it's all about work and motivation of course. So hold on !

[mamour]

me too I 'm always afraid to make mistakes but Thomas is really patient,always here for root you and help you.

[Freddyben]

And oh Bettina, always try to take pleasure in learning; it must not be a pain and it's in my opinion the best way  :)to improve oneself in any field.

[mamour]

I forgot!!all members of course!!

[Freddyben]

Hey Mamour : "So do I, I'm always affraid to make mistakes but Thomas is really patient, always here to root for you and help you." 

[mamour]

i forget !!all memebers !!of course

[Bettina]

Hi Freddyben,
There are many different podcasts I listen to.
The most difficult thing is communication. I don't find the right way to speak as an english person. I always think in french and after that I translate in english and that's why it sounds wrong. It's lousy. I read and I listen with enjoyment but I'm frustrated to talk myself. I try to be patient but sometimes it makes me sad.
I think that you understand what I mean. . .

[mamour]

hi Bettina!!I think and I do exactly like you!! I think in french first and tranlate in english and I make many mistakes and I'm desperate!!

[Thomas]

"Merci d'avoir été là quand j'en avais besoin."

I would translate this as: "Thanks for being there when I needed it."

Yes, the "avoir été" is past tense, and you CAN say "Thanks for having been there when I needed it." However, this sounds very stiff and unnatural, and most people would not say it.

And everyone else -- yep, just trying is really the best way to practice! I make mistakes all the time (or left and right if you paid attention to Expressions 01 ) in French, but I can still communicate in it because I try. It's hard to get over thinking in English first and then translating, but if you start slow, you can do it.

[Bettina]

There are moments (just somes minutes) we are frustrated with our progress. It sometimes happened but it don't matter. I think that learning a language can be very enjoyable despite the difficulties. The most important is to have pleasure. We don't expect to become fluent more quickly than it's possible. I would to be able to speak in a commun way. I think to talk with members of the forum in a basic way is one of the key to progress. Sometimes I think twice before speaking with them.
I'm glad that they are here to help us...

[Freddyben]

Don't be frustrated by your progress because most of the time you really do but you don't even realize it, that's what happened to me while in New Zealand, I was felling bad in English but everyone was telling me I was making huge progress. I mean you don't see things the same way others do. And if you're really into it like you try to turn yourself into an English speaker you'll see that you make huge progress. So try to think like an American for example (because you hear Thomas) and forget your own native language while communicate even while thinking, what funny is that you happen to dream in English sometime and wake up on the morning remembering you had been speaking in English in your subconscious.