Usages of “fermé”: locked vs closed door?

Question

What is a word that describes the closed-ness of a door and what is another for locked-ness of a door in French? Long story:I was told by my French girlfriend when we woke up that the door was not "closed" (in English); I nearly had a heart attack thinking that we got robbed during the night, only to find out that the door was very much closed in the sense that people outside cannot get in without a key. So I said, the door "was closed, but it's just that it's not locked the second time" So I asked why she said it was NOT closed and she said that's what she'd say in French. I looked it up a bit and it indeed says "fermé" is locked. I think this is really, really unusual to mix up the possible states of a door.

Answer 1

closed - fermé

locked - fermé à clef

Answer 2

In cases such as this, context is what allows you to distinguish which meaning the other person intends. If you see the door is closed but the person tells you it is not "fermée", they likely are telling you it is unlocked. It's similar to having an unclear pronoun in English where you have multiple people of the same gender involved in the conversation and it takes context to figure out who is being discussed. Word placement also matters. "Je ne suis pas encore allé aux EU", means that I haven't gone to the US yet. But, "je ne suis pas allé encore aux EU", means I haven't gone to the US again.

Answer 3

Hello Daulton:

The literal translation of "locked" in French is "ferme a clef" (closed with key). Since you want to make sure that the door is locked before you go to bed, I would ask your girlfriend "est-ce que la porte est fermee a clef (is the door closed with key)?" I am guessing she won't give you a strange look or ask you "pourquoi est-ce tu as dit a clef (why did you say with key)?"

Hope this helps!