French language Q&A Forum

In the quiz there was this sentence:  By the time you were ready, the bus had already gone. We had to write the part up to the comma.

The answer given was Le temps que tu sois prête....  That to me translates as By the time you are ready, not were ready.  How would you write:  By the time you are ready the bus will be already gone.

For the sentence "In this beautiful and lively city," I answered "Dans cette belle ville vivante," which was not accepted. Can you explain why as elsewhere it seems to be an accepted translation?

Why do you use “à la” with New-Orleans (On va à la Nouvelle-Orléans la semaine prochaine) if there is no article in the name of Nouvelle-Orléans? Is it because it’s a feminine noun? Do I have to use “à la” and “de la” with all feminine nouns OR only with the ones that start with the feminine articles?

Bonjour,

According to the following cases, there are some cases in which there is "no agreement with the subject" (either the agreement is with the object or there is no agreement at all):

- If DOC before verb, then agreement with DOC (les doigts qu'elle s'est brûlés);

- If DOC after verb, then no agreement (elle s'est brûlé les doigts);

- If body parts are with à, then no DOC, then agreement with subject (il s'est brûlé aux doigts; elle s'est brûlée aux doigts; ils se sont brûlés aux doigts; elles se sont brûlées aux doigts)

Am I correct or I am missing sth? Thank you very much.

Fardin (French language learner)

Hello! I'm confused about the sentence: "Pour que tous les habitants comprennent, le roi François Ier décide en 1539 .... " If the English translation takes place in the past tense (the king François decided), why does the phrase seem to be conjugated in the present tense? Why not "le roi François Ier a décidé?" Merci!

Could "elle s'y est installée" be used to translate "she moved there"?

I was wondering why the use of indefinite articles with descriptive nouns was no longer in use. For example, I learned to say "Je suis une chanteuse." But, a textbook I am using in my class simply says "Je suis chanteuse." First, why is the un or une no longer included and second, is it grammatically correct to say something like "Je suis fille." or "Il est homme."? Much appreciated for any help. Rules have changed since I was a student.

THe subjunctive form is "nous ne detestions pas" yet in your exercise you have "nous ne  detestons pas" ??