French language Q&A Forum

hi,

I was wondering whats the difference between using the verb Je veux and J'ai besoin de nouvelle voiture? I thought that it can mean the same thing when using Je veux nouvelle voiture.

thanks

nicole

In the summary translation at the end of the exercise, you propose 'elle ne cachait plus sa bouche' as opposed to 'la' bouche previously in Kwizbot's answer. Is this difference sometimes a matter of personal preference?

I am still having issues with understanding the usage of toujours in the past tense vs imparfait. In Lawless french ( https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/passe-compose-vs-imparfait/) she states, "In a nutshell, the passé composé names something that happened, WITH A CLEAR BEGINNING AND END." She also says that- 'toujours' can be used in Passé composé if it represents 'always (and still now) (this explains its usage in this exercise, but its an ongoing feeling-not over and done!).  However , I find these 2 statements mutually exclusive. How do I determine which form to use under the circumstances?

depuis que j'etais petite pendant l'hiver, on a campe dans les montagnes dans le canton de Geneve. 

Hi, just a comment on one of the English lines. I don’t think we can have “Annoyed by the elephant, a part of Guitri population referred the matter to the authorities”, and would recommend either “Annoyed by the elephant, a part of Guitri’s population referred the matter to the authorities” or “Annoyed by the elephant, a part of the Guitri population referred the matter to the authorities”.

In the sentence "...où j'ai vu les plus merveilleuses peintures préhistoriques de ma vie. ", why is tableaux not accepted as a synonym for peintures.  My dictionary makes no real distinction between the two words.

I think there may be a problem on your end here with the technology.  It has been very difficult to advance to the next sentence in the dictation, as it seems the system is "stuck."  Please look into this matter.  Thank you.

Why 'du' in 'la demeur du Capitaine Haddock' instead of 'de' as in fan de Tintin and Château de Cheverny?  In general, when I interpret something as possessive, for example Tintin's fan or Cheverny's castle, I use 'de'.  So, I am puzzled about the use of 'du' for Captain Haddock's house.  I get this wrong a lot, so if you can point me to a grammar lesson or give me some guidance, I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks, in advance.