French language Q&A Forum

As an alternative to "sans rien", could you use tout seul?  Merci!

Hi - Could someone explain to me why the line "he told me that he needed a new raincoat" is translated into French without the adjective "new"?  (..il m'a dit qu'il avait besoin d'un imperméable).  Thanks.  

The translation says "like alongside clear springs."

Does the word "golfes" mean "springs"?

I dont understand why se faire refaire isn't conjugated to [s'est fait refaire] but s'est fait poser is conjugated. 

Also why isn't the causative faire used in the liposuction phrase? :

elle a eu plusieurs liposuccions

Why is it le nez but ses lèvres?

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!