close to

près de, à proximité de

À une courte distance de quelqu’un ou de quelque chose.

En anglais simple : A short distance from someone or something.

• Sit close to me.
• Our house is close to the station.
• They stood close to the door while they waited.

Comment l'utiliser : close to + person/place/thing (The hotel is close to the beach.)

Synonymes : near, by

Contraires : far from

Expressions courantes : close to home, close to someone, close to the station

près de, environ

Environ un certain nombre ou une certaine quantité, souvent un peu moins.

En anglais simple : About a particular number or amount, often a little less.

• It took close to an hour.
• Close to fifty people came to the meeting.
• The house sold for close to a million dollars.

Comment l'utiliser : close to + number/amount (The repairs cost close to a thousand dollars.)

Synonymes : about, approximately, around

Expressions courantes : close to fifty, close to midnight, close to an hour

presque, près de

Être tout près d’atteindre un état ou de terminer une action.

En anglais simple : Almost reaching a particular state or completing an action.

• The work is close to finished.
• She was close to tears after the argument.
• We came close to winning the match.

Comment l'utiliser : close to + -ing (We were close to giving up.); close to + state (The tank is close to empty.)

Synonymes : almost, nearly

Expressions courantes : close to finished, close to tears, close to winning