French language Q&A Forum

Hello, 

05/10/2018 Writing Challenge 'Congratulations on your degree'

The translation of "We know that you worked hard to get there..." = "Nous savons que tu as travaillé dur pour en arriver là" 

Is it also possible to say "pour y arriver"? Why "en" if the verb is "arriver à"?

Thanks. 

If I say "I have been living in Paris for 4 years" is it correct to say either:

#1 J'habite à Paris depuis quatre ans or  #2 J'ai été habiter à Paris quatre ans.

I have trouble understanding when to use les and when to use des when you don't use an article in English.  For example, it is j'ai les yeux bleus but je porte des lunettes.  I have found the same problem in other exercises.  For example, j'aime les salades but je mange des salades avec des framboises.  Is there a simple rule to tell when I should use les and when I should use des when I wouldn't use anything in English.  Thanks so much.

In "I can't find my shirt!" this sentence -I'll be 5 minutes at most.- was translated as - J'en ai pour 5 minutes maximum.-

Can someone explain this translation? Is it an expression?  I am not familiar with this construction. My translation was "Je reviens dans cinq minutes au maximum." Would this translation be acceptable?