Incorrect English grammar in explanationThe following taken from above lesson is incorrect English grammar using the article "an". It should be "a" past action.
Il a fait froid hier soir. Here, I'm referring to an past action that has a clear timeframe in the past, insisting on it being a single, whole past event.
Here Le Passé Composé is used to express a sudden action that interrupts or "cuts" an ongoing action, a habit or repeated action in L'Imparfait.
Il faisait froid hier soir. Here, I'm stating that it was cold during the night, insisting on the fact that this situation was ongoing then, describing the situation.
It was cold last night.
Il a fait froid hier soir. Here, I'm referring to an past action that has a clear timeframe in the past, insisting on it being a single, whole past event.
It was cold last night.
I think what I'm about to ask is not possible with manquer de + thing, and I would like to confirm I am correct. Am I correct it is NOT possible to use manquer de + human attribute ?
Examples
I lack your warmth (in the emotional sense). Je manque de ton chaleur.
I lack your humour. Je manque de ton humour.
I have been told this doesn't really work in French, and I would be better off using avoir.
e.g Je n'ai pas ton chaleur. Je n'ai pas ton humour.
Any comments appreciated.
Paul.
The following taken from above lesson is incorrect English grammar using the article "an". It should be "a" past action.
Il a fait froid hier soir. Here, I'm referring to an past action that has a clear timeframe in the past, insisting on it being a single, whole past event.
Here Le Passé Composé is used to express a sudden action that interrupts or "cuts" an ongoing action, a habit or repeated action in L'Imparfait.
Il faisait froid hier soir. Here, I'm stating that it was cold during the night, insisting on the fact that this situation was ongoing then, describing the situation.
It was cold last night.
Il a fait froid hier soir. Here, I'm referring to an past action that has a clear timeframe in the past, insisting on it being a single, whole past event.
It was cold last night.
The first refers to the nature of what you are inquiring about: is it a person or a thing? Qui est-ce… is for people and Qu'est-ce… is for things.The second refers to the grammatical function of the unknown person or thing in your question: is it the subject or the complement of a verb? …est-ce qui is for subjects and …est-ce que is for complements.Examples:
Qui est-ce qui fait X ? → Who is doing X?
The first qui indicates that you're asking about a person ("who"), while the second qui implies that the unknown person performs the action of the verb: this person is doing X.
Short form: Qui fait X ?
Qui est-ce que tu as vu ? → Whom did you see? or commonly Who did you see?
The qui indicates that you're asking about a person ("who" or "whom"), while the que implies that this unknown person is the complement of the verb "to see": the unknown person got seen, and tu is the one who saw them.
Short form: Qui as-tu vu ? (requires inversion)
Note that the English language requires (theoretically, in formal contexts) two different words to ask about people: Who = Qui + qui while Whom = Qui + que.
Qu'est-ce qui fait X ? → What is doing X?
The que (elided to qu') indicates that you're asking about a thing ("what"), while the qui implies that this unknown thing performs the action of the verb: the thing is doing X.
No short form in everyday usage.
Qu'est-ce que tu as vu ? → What did you see?
The first que (elided to qu') indicates that you're asking about a thing ("what"), while the second que implies that the unknown thing is the complement of the verb "to see": tu is the person who saw something, the unknown thing is what got seen.
Short form: Qu'as-tu vu ? (requires inversion)
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