What does à même in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word à même in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use à même in French.

The word à même in French means directly + [preposition], this very minute, at the very moment, at the very same moment, in it together, as soon as, on the floor, self-assembly, do-it-yourself, true to form, typically, be quite capable of doing, be true to yourself, be true to form, remain true to form, be the most likely to, be left to your own devices, be in the same boat, remain true to form, stay true to yourself, be self-sufficient. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word à même

directly + [preposition]

locution adverbiale (directement en contact avec [qch])

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Il portait une veste à même la peau. Elle but la bière à même la bouteille.
He was wearing a jacket directly against his skin. She drank the beer directly from the bottle.

this very minute

locution adverbiale (juste maintenant)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
J'ai répondu à ce courriel à l'instant même.

at the very moment, at the very same moment

locution conjonction (exactement au même moment)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
À l'instant même où je vous parle, des négociations sont en cours.

in it together

locution adverbiale (de la même façon)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")

as soon as

locution conjonction (aussitôt que)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
À la minute même où les champions ont fait leur apparition, la foule les a acclamés.

on the floor

locution adverbiale (par terre) (inside)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Dans la petite chambre se trouvait seulement un matelas à même le sol.

self-assembly, do-it-yourself

locution adjectivale (en kit)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
IKEA provides a variety of self-assembly furniture.

true to form, typically

locution adjectivale (qui agit comme à son habitude)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")

be quite capable of doing

locution adverbiale (être capable de)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Je suis à même de remplacer ce robinet tout seul !

be true to yourself

locution verbale (respecter ses convictions)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Ce député a toujours été égal à lui-même.

be true to form, remain true to form

locution verbale (agir tel qu'on l'attend)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Philippe sera égal à lui-même il refusera.

be the most likely to

locution adverbiale (être celui le plus capable de)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Elle est la plus à même de régler ce problème.
She is the most likely to solve this problem.

be left to your own devices

locution verbale (être laissé en liberté, tout seul)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
On ne peut pas laisser un enfant de moins de 10 ans être livré à lui-même.

be in the same boat

locution verbale (être considéré de la même façon) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Tous les étudiants de ce professeur sont logés à la même enseigne.

remain true to form

locution verbale (ne pas varier)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

stay true to yourself

locution verbale (ne pas changer son comportement)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

be self-sufficient

(n'avoir besoin de personne)

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So now that you know more about the meaning of à même in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.