French language Q&A Forum

I'm a little bit stumped as to why the text insists on use of the pluperfect instead of le passé composé?

E.g. mes sœurs et moi avions hurlé and nous étions allés à l'église locale.

Why is it not nous avons hurlé and nous sommes allés?

Merci en avance pour la réponse!

I just want to clarify can the following be either, 'what is this' or 'what is that?' If not, how do you change the sentence to be one or the other?

Or is it it for example:

qu'est-ce que c'est : What is that?

qu'est-ce que c'est que cela: What is this?

Like chris w I find this one difficult every time it comes round, due to the English translations given - 

1. the English "certain" can carry either of the two meanings described here

2. "particular" also has several meanings, but it’s usually specific and not at all vague.  Perhaps some more examples would help?

What is the negative form of nous(manger)?

Would it be correct to use the three-layer structure I wrote down below, when building sentences with double pronouns? Imagine it like a matrix with three columns:

ME, TE, SE, NOUS, VOUS   |   LE, LA, LES   |   LUI, LEUR

Ex  Nous vous | les envoyons demain. | e_m_p_t_y

Ex  e_m_p_t_y | Je la | leur explique clairement.

Ex  Je vous | la donne. | e_m_p_t_y

Ex  e_m_p_t_y | Je la | lui donne.

is translated above as:

I guess a woman's past from the way she holds her cigarettes

I would have translated the French to read "I guess a woman's past by the way she holds her cigarettes.

Mon frère ________ quand on joue ensemble

why me fait mal is correct but fait mal à moi is incorrect ?

How come there is elision for "Je suis australien" but no elision for "Je suis australienne"?

"Je n'ai pas de X." 

Should "X" be in the singular form or in the plural? Does it depend on which form it was in in the question? 

eg. "Avez-vous une voiture ?" -> "Je n'ai pas de voiture." but "Avez-vous des chaussures ?" -> "Je n'ai pas de chaussures." ?

I answered "le votre". Would I say "le tienne" to a stranger, for example?