French language Q&A Forum

had a variation after the comparative that was not exampled in the lesson.

...celui de son frère.

...celle de ce restaurant.

Could the celui de, celle de, be omitted and express the exact same ideas?

Will the inclusion of these demonstrative pronouns and adjectives be part of a future lesson?

hi 

can someone please explain why " je suis desolée que tu es triste" is in indicative but 

"je suis desolée que ton roman n'aie pas été publié en france "is in the subjunctive

i assume it is to do with negativity but the je suis desoléé hasn't changed

thanks

You're washing yourself! (i.e. You do it on your own!)

I thought when it means on your own it is 'tout seul'. Is this phrase idiomatic, and doesn't necessary mean 'washing'? I am confused with i.e. you do it on your own. For example, can I use this phrase to say a kid baked a cake on his own?

Is le passé simple used in daily newspapers and popular magazines or is it strictly reserved for use in literature? Merci!

I think I have seen both la douane and les douanes used for the French customs police.  Is there a rule for which to use and when?

I think in English, especially in the UK, it is an evolving language and many grammatical rules are being overwritten by common usage.  On that basis, I think it is becoming harder and harder to prescribe firm rules, and more often the answer is "either may be acceptable".  Unfortunately, bad/lazy/incorrect/slang grammar, used repeatedly, becomes acceptable/normal grammar.  I struggle to teach my children proper grammar, but they hear incorrect grammar all around them, even from teachers, and they use what the hear more than what I tell them is good grammar.  e.g. "James and me went to the cinema."

What position would <> take?

(Alice répondit, plutôt timidement, “Je-Je ne sais pas vraiment, Monsieur, en ce moment précis - tout du moins je sais qui j'ÉTAIS quand je me suis levée ce matin, mais j'ai bien dû changer plusieurs fois depuis.”)

please explain when to use ennuyant and ennuyeux or ennuyeuse

sometimes I'm told it means boring, sometimes annoying, quite confusing, as i cant make out which is which.  

In the sentence: Moi qui mangeais que des plats à emporter, why is it correct to use des vs les? My reasoning is that we are talking generally...therefore I used les.