French language Q&A Forum

Questions answered by our learning community with help from expert French teachers

13,787 questions • 29,660 answers • 847,802 learners

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level

David L.B2Kwiziq community member

Does anyone use the passé simple?

I love knowing and being able to use the more arcane aspects of grammar. I wonder, is it of any use learning this tense for dialogue, or is it solely literary in its applications?

Asked 8 years ago

Like0Answer1

Cheryl N.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

de or à between verbs, please?Below are examples of French sentences from a kwizik quiz: In the first sentence, is there a rule to follow please, so I know to put de & not à between the conjugated verb refuser & verb lever? Speaking English, you would not say "refuse OF to lift", so I'd want to put an à, (if anything). No. 1: Les voleurs refusent de lever les mains. (The thieves refuse to raise their hands.) The 2nd sentence below, why put anything between matinée & écrire please? Doesn't écrire mean writing as well as 'to write'? The "à" already has a presence..!? The same point for sentence No. 3 below. The à is already contained within the infinitve form of the verb "espionner": TO spy. No. 2: J'ai passé la matinée à écrire. (I spent the morning writing.) No. 3: Elle s'amuse à espionner sa soeur. (She has fun spying on her sister.) Hoping someone will please shed some light..or rule.. about how to know which word to use: de or à, & why we need to put anything here at all ? Cheryl

Asked 8 years ago

Like0Answer2

sue c.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

why not lutter avec

Asked 8 years ago

Like1Answer2

Jenny W.C1Kwiziq community member

Subjonctif?J'avais l'impression que lorsque on utilise "penser" et "croire" en posant une question, le subjonctif doit être employé. Ai-je tort?

Asked 8 years ago

Like0Answer6

ly fen c.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

sur parisCan we say " Je vais sur Paris demain "? as I often heard they said so with preposition "sur not à ".

Asked 8 years ago

Like0Answer2

Susan R.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Why is "de" necessary in, "Les plantes produisent de l'oxygène?"

Asked 8 years ago

Like0Answer2

Claire D.C1Kwiziq community member

J'aurai vs. Je serai. What's the difference?I'm bit confused by these two examples: J'aurai sûrement un quart d'heure de retard. I will probably be fifteen minutes late. Je serai sûrement en retard d'un quart d'heure. I will probably be fifteen minutes late. If "j'aurai" and "je serai" both mean "I will", how do I know which one to use?

Asked 8 years ago

Like1Answer2

Almut H.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Other adjectives?You write "Note that THESE adjectives ending in -u become -üe". So does this only concern exactly these three adjectives or are there others? Is it a general rule for adjectives on -u or are these exeptions?

Asked 8 years ago

Like0Answer3

LauraNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq

D. asked "Why is it 'vous êtes entré' rather than 'vous êtes entrés' ?La bonne réponse est "vous êtes entré" selon Kwizbot. Pourquoi pas on n'utilise le pluriel d'entrer?

Asked 8 years ago

Like0Answer2

LauraNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq

H. asked about bel homme > beaux hommes"The first sentence uses 'bel homme'. Is that right? Should it not be 'beau homme' so the plural would be 'beaux hommes'?"

Asked 8 years ago

Like0Answer3

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level