Could you point me to a reference that would explain and describe the evolution of the use of le passé simple? I understand it's mostly used for literature but I can't find an article that describes it's origin. Does it stem (no pun intended) from French's latin roots, Langue d'oil, Germanic influences? Thanks!

Asked 4 years ago

Like1Answer1

Derek B.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Example clarification n'avoir ... pas and ne ... plus depuis

To emphasise that a (recurring) action in the past has now stopped happening with depuis, you can also use Présent indicatif with ne ... plus (not any more) instead of ne ... pas. Here ne...plus focuses on the change between the past situation and the new current one, which it highlights, hence Le Présent.

Tu ne bois plus d'alcool depuis cinq ans.You haven't drunk alcohol for five years.Je ne fume plus depuis 1998.I haven't smoked since 1998.
I am confused about these examples. I understand the structure and they seem to be more or less interchangeable, but I want to understand the difference. The qualifier makes sense, to indicate that the action has now stopped, but the examples don't seem to illustrate that.
How do those English sentences indicate that an action has now stopped occurring? "I haven't drunk alcohol for five years" -- termination began five years ago when I stopped drinking. Does it mean that the term of the five years has just completed?
But then, if so, with "je ne fume plus depuis 1998," we don't even have a defined term, it's that year to the assumed present and the stopping smoking happened in 1998.
I really want to understand so thanks in advance for any clarification!

Asked 4 years ago

Like0Answer1

Samuel G.A0Kwiziq community member

Joined words and divided words

Hello .

I was asking why is it .that some words are join when u speak them and other are divided when u speakin..why

Asked 4 years ago

Like0Answer1

Karthik I.A2Kwiziq community member

Aspirated "h" - what does this mean?

Can you give some examples of the aspirated "h", as in when the h is aspirated vs. unaspirated at the beginning of a word? Thanks!

Asked 4 years ago

Like1Answer4

Rad I.Kwiziq community member

Articles before the sports

I have a question why do we put an arrival before a sport such as je faire du tennis isn’t du means some or off what does mean if we put it before the sport?

Asked 4 years ago

Like0Answer1

wendy s.C1Kwiziq community member

Colour order

Why does yellow come before blue even though they are the opposite way round in the English text?

Asked 4 years ago

Like0Answer2

Avishka M.A2Kwiziq community member

When do we use the conjugation of verbe etre in passé simple in a sentence?

Asked 4 years ago

Like0Answer1