French language Q&A Forum

I am trying to figure out how to say "I am good/bad at (something)" in French. There seems to be discrepancies between sources online about what prepositions to use.

For example, I searched "I am good at piano" on an online translator. It gave me many options: Je suis doué pour piano, je suis bon au piano, je suis bon en piano, and je suis doué en piano. I know that you use different prepositions depending on what adjective is used (doué vs bon), but why does this translator give so many options, and which ones are correct?

Also, for example, to say "I am bad at guitar", the translator says you can say either je suis mauvais à la guitarre OR je suis mauvais en guitarre. Which one of these is correct?

Basically, which of these prepositions (en/au/à la/pour) do you use when saying je suis nul/mauvais/bon/doué AT something?

Thank you!

how does this 'nous est arrivé' come together to mean "happening to us"?

If 'Je suis monté en voiture' means 'I got into the car', how does one say (if visiting someone on a hill and they asks how you got there) 'I came up by car ?
Surely that is also 'Je suis monté en voiture'.....

A general question rather than a specific one, though this is an example.  The lessons, as I understand them, teach that short, and some common adjectives go before the nouns, but otherwise (unless for particular stress) most adjectives go after the noun.

However, I have noticed that often these rules don't seem to apply. Puissant is neither short (in my mind one syllable), or common. However the text above places it before, but after is acceptable as well when the exercise is marked.

I have noticed this many times in doing the exercises.  As a consequence, I am confused. 

If the simple answer is that "short" means 2 syllables, I will be content.

Hi there, why is it 'La grammaire francaise? Je trouve ça trop difficile,' and not 'Je trouve elle trop difficile?'

Thanks!

Hello everyone :)

Just a small question, why do you use "faire une escale?" instead of "avoir une escale"?

because it's not "make the stopover".

Thank you in advance for your advices and responses.

Martin likes Sarah. -> Martin aime bien Sarah. I answered this question with simply "Martin aime Sarah", and I wonder why was it marked as a mistake. Nothing in the question suggested that it's the friendly sort of like, it could very well be a romantic sort of like. Both options seem grammatically correct to me. Isn't that right?

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!

how to identify verbs and nouns