French Word of the Day: Tracter
Yes it's a vehicle for farmers, but it's also so much more than that.
Why do I need to know tracter?
Because it is a particularly useful word to know during election season, as well as if you want to work in the agriculture industry.
What does it mean?
Tracter, pronounced track-tay, has multiple meanings.
The first is to pull, haul, tow or drag something along with a tractor (un tracteur) or another mechanical vehicle.
Pensez toujours à prendre un tracteur suffisamment puissant pour tracter vos matériels - Always make sure to bring a sufficiently powerful tractor to haul your material
Cette moto n'est pas prévue pour tracter une remorque - This motorbike is not designed to tow a trailer
The second meaning, which is often used around elections, is to distribute leaflets or tracts in favour of a candidate or political party.
Les militants politiques ont le droit de tracter - Political activists have the right to distribute flyers
J’ai tracté pour un candidat pendant la campagne - I distributed leaflets for a candidate during the campaign
The verb tracter comes from the noun, tractage, which describes the act of distributing political or even commercial promotion material - in English leafleting or flyering.
Tracts, or short pieces of writing designed to promote a political or religious agenda, pre-date the invention of the printing press and were mentioned by scholars as early as the 7th century.
In France, municipal authorities have the power to ban tractage in certain parts of town.
The law states that address and name of the person responsible for printing leaflets must be detailed on tracts. In the mid-90s, a new rule was introduced requiring all promotional material to be written in French. Foreign terms can only be used if a French translation is also provided.
Other election material vocabulary
There are plenty of words to talk about flyers with which you could be tracté by someone on the street: circulaires, dépliants, prospectus, tracts, imprimés, feuillets or brochures.
An election poster is une affiche électorale.
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Why do I need to know tracter?
Because it is a particularly useful word to know during election season, as well as if you want to work in the agriculture industry.
What does it mean?
Tracter, pronounced track-tay, has multiple meanings.
The first is to pull, haul, tow or drag something along with a tractor (un tracteur) or another mechanical vehicle.
Pensez toujours à prendre un tracteur suffisamment puissant pour tracter vos matériels - Always make sure to bring a sufficiently powerful tractor to haul your material
Cette moto n'est pas prévue pour tracter une remorque - This motorbike is not designed to tow a trailer
The second meaning, which is often used around elections, is to distribute leaflets or tracts in favour of a candidate or political party.
Les militants politiques ont le droit de tracter - Political activists have the right to distribute flyers
J’ai tracté pour un candidat pendant la campagne - I distributed leaflets for a candidate during the campaign
The verb tracter comes from the noun, tractage, which describes the act of distributing political or even commercial promotion material - in English leafleting or flyering.
Tracts, or short pieces of writing designed to promote a political or religious agenda, pre-date the invention of the printing press and were mentioned by scholars as early as the 7th century.
In France, municipal authorities have the power to ban tractage in certain parts of town.
The law states that address and name of the person responsible for printing leaflets must be detailed on tracts. In the mid-90s, a new rule was introduced requiring all promotional material to be written in French. Foreign terms can only be used if a French translation is also provided.
Other election material vocabulary
There are plenty of words to talk about flyers with which you could be tracté by someone on the street: circulaires, dépliants, prospectus, tracts, imprimés, feuillets or brochures.
An election poster is une affiche électorale.
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