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Questions answered by our learning community with help from expert French teachers
15,064 questions • 32,723 answers • 1,040,757 learners
Past of the past - Le Plus-que-parfait
Bonjour Madame Cécile !
J’avais dû en racheter un nouveau après que Patrick avait cassé le mien.
This sentence is an example from a lesson. Here, plus-que-parfait has been used in both the verbs. Though the action of breaking took place first and then came the necessity to buy a new one.
Would you like to explain how these two cases can be both Le plus-que-parfait ? Here, one action precedes the other so can one be in Passé Composé and other in Le Plus-que-Parfait ?
In the sentence "What do you miss the most?" the word "what" is the object of the verb. So it would be easy to think that the correct translation is "Qu'est-ce que te manque le plus?" However, in French the construction differs from English. The French construction is essentially "What is missing to you the most"? Hence "what" has become the subject of the verb and accordingly the correct translation is "Qu'est-ce qui te manque le plus?"
Can someone confirm that this analysis is correct please?
Perhaps even in another lesson on this site, but certainly in other references have seen 'le Zaïre' as an exception to the "-e rule" - I believe it is also masculine and should be added to the list in this lesson. For example https://www.lawlessfrench.com/vocabulary/countries-and-continents/
"the verb must agree with the gender and number of the person."
Can you please explain the discrepancy between these two sources of information? Thanks.
Can I say ... 'Je n'ai pas un stylo'
That'd be fine right?
Why do we say "J'adore la France" but "J'aime Paris" ? Why dont we need to add "le" before "Paris"?
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