French language Q&A Forum

Bonjour! In French, how do you know in math equations when to use "font" or "égale" for equals?

I had to complete a worksheet where it marked me wrong for writing "Neuf cent soixante-six moins trois cent quarante-deux font six cent vingt-quatre." It told me the right answer was the exact same sentence, but with "égale" instead of "font."

However, it marks "Deux cents plus trois cents font cinq cents" correctly.

Can someone please explain why and when to use each word?

In one of the writing exercises, I translated "I love my cousin Benjamin" to, "J'aime bien mon cousin Benjamin", but the system corrected this to "J'aime beaucoup mon cousin Benjamin". Why? It actually seems to me that "J'aime bien" is more appropriate than "J'aime beaucoup" (I like a lot).

I'm unsure of when/how to use des

If I want to use des as in the plural indefinite article, like des carottes would it be:

J'ai besoin des carottes - I need some carrots. 

Or would that sentence translate as: I need THE carrots because de+les= des?