“une espèce de” is often used to the same effect as the English “a kind of”, “a sort of”, or even “something like”
In this case,
formant comme une espèce de perspective
could indeed be translated as
creating a kind of perspective / something like a perspective
"Une espèce de" can mean "sort of" in a figurative way, when you say it "looks a bit like", it’s "partially".
Synonyms: "une sorte de", "un genre de".
Often used when you can’t really describe something because it’s not common.
Ce film est une espèce de western médiéval avec des dinosaures robotiques.
It is so a locution that a very common mistake is to say "un espèce de" when talking about something masculine ("c’est un espèce d’avion").
Of course you can say "une espèce de" in a literal meaning of "species".
And note it can be used as an insult, similar to "you" like in South Park:
You bastard!
Espèce d’enfoiré !
Leave a comment