Thomas T. Frost Feb 14, 2016:

Correct Correct, it would not be the exact same meaning. As you say, it's impossible to determine if we don't know the source. By default, I presume it's FR-FR unless otherwise indicated, but this asker doesn't seem to be very talkative. It's even worse when askers fail to mention if a translation to English is meant for the UK or the US or some other place, apparently failing to appreciate the many differences.

Jennifer White Feb 14, 2016:

Thomas Well, the meaning would be different then. Maybe they are asking for an opinion now - we don't know unless the source is clarified, and we don't know the context anyway so a definitive answer is unlikely unless we get more feedback from the asker.

Thomas T. Frost Feb 14, 2016:

We don't know which FR variant I hadn't heard about this Belgian meaning, as I'm only familiar with France's version of French. In any case, "at some point" also softens the sentence, as it could otherwise sound as if the first person expected the second person to do it straight away. "At some point" not only means "at some time in the future" but also implies "when it is convenient to you".

writeaway Feb 14, 2016:

I stand corrected Eens is (much) better than een keer(tje). (I don't translate into Dutch for good reasons...).

Jennifer White Feb 14, 2016:

Exactly. I came across this many years ago as an au pair with a French speaking family in Ghent. They said it all the time, and I assumed then that it was standard French usage.

Verginia Ophof Feb 14, 2016:

yes Jennifer Usage of une fois ("once") in mid-sentence, especially in Brussels, is a direct translation from the Dutch "eens". French people who want to imitate the Belgian accent often use a lot of "une fois" at the end of the sentences, which is often wrong. Example: "Viens une fois ici" - literally from the Dutch : "Kom eens hier" ("Come once here") . "Une fois" cannot really be translated in other languages; its function is to soften the meaning of the sentence. The English equivalent would be "Could you come here?" or "Why don't you come here?".

writeaway Feb 14, 2016:

Makes sense if it's Belgian It's a spin-off from the Dutch, een keer(tje).

Jennifer White Feb 14, 2016:

Une fois This may have nothing to do with time. Can be used to "soften" a phrase if I remember rightly, and in such a case isn't translated.

Found it - it's used in Belgium. Is this Belgian??