French language Q&A Forum

Could someone comment on the function of “au” in “très au sérieux”? It is optional? In which other circumstances might we see a similar thing?

This wording has been very confusing to many people in this forum. I’ve read through the comments and still remain very confused about what the author is trying to convey when he/she states these clauses can only be used on their own. Could someone please explain to a Native American English speaker what this actually means? When I read this I am thinking literally “they can only be used on their own” either separated entirely from the phrase using some sort of punctuation OR by using a preposition such “de”. However that doesn’t seem to always be the case which then seems to contradict “used only on their own”. 1st example: “Il a été relâché le jour suivant son arrestation.”

2nd example: “J’y suis allée le jour d’après.”

3rd example: “Le jour précédent leur premier rendez-vous, ils étaient très nerveux.”

Alors, aidez-moi de comprendre, s’il vous plaît. Qu’est-ce que le auteur essaie de dire? Je ne comprends toujours pas. J’ai besoin de quelqu’un m’aider, s’il vous plaît.

Aussi, je pense qu’il faudrait réfléchir à la reformulation de cette phrase pour clarifier de la signification.

Merci beaucoup!