French language Q&A Forum

I'm confused as to why "we improved quickly" is in the passé composé rather than the imparfait. Surely the fact that they were quickly improving is an ongoing action in the past rather than something that happened "just like that" at one particular moment? (Having said that, reading the whole passage through again it clearly "feels" like it should be in the passé composé - I'm just not sure why....)

Why is this sentence knocked into the subjunctive?

Selon une étude menée - why is it 'menée' and not 'a mené' ? I'm confused, is it to do with the passive voice? And also why can't I use 'd'après' to mean 'according to'?

What would be the meaning of "et encore" in her sentence :  "Mieux vaut éviter les vêtements que le bébé ne portera qu'une seule fois, et encore". I can't work out why (or in what sense) she is adding "et encore" at the end.

Is there a difference in meaning between these two expressions?

I'm wondering why there is no article before "étoiles" in the phrase "à étoiles multicolores". I was thinking it would be "aux étoiles multicolores".

These answers are bedevilled by poor English translations. Certain, in English, means either a particular one, or that one is sure of something. There is nothing vague about it, but your definition of 'certain' in the pre-noun position you say implies a vagueness, and yet the answer to the question is keith likes a certain (particular) man - unless you mean he likes all men who are sure about things? If you could avoid using the word 'certain' in your english translations that might be helpful.

Why is it incorrect to write “à deux heures de” rather than “à 2 h de?”

I'm really confused, so I thought in prnounciation "ai" = "ay" as in "way."

But it's being pronounced with J'ai with "i" as in "ice." What's going on?

There is nothing in this statement to indicate whether they are just popping out or going permanently. So why is ils quittent bientot marked wrong?

Agreed.  Both choices are corrrect and depend on the context.  The same would apply when using ancienne.  One could say "mon ancienne voiture" or "ma voiture ancienne", depending on the circumstances.  Is it my old car or my prior car?