expressed by the sentence. Consider, for example, the following sentences: (1) John is the husband of Mary, and (2) Mary is the wife of John. It is clear that (1) and (2) are different sentences that nonetheless refer to the same state of affairs. The different sentences have the same meaning and thus express the same proposition.1 The same result can follow when one reflects on the sentence “John is the husband of Mary” and a sentence in French or German that refers to the same state of affairs