French language Q&A Forum

I do understand the distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs, but for this  English speaker there seems to a real difference between "tu as descendu le cadeau" or  "j’ai descendu les boîtes" versus "j’ai descendu les escaliers". You don’t "do" anything (like carrying it down or getting it down) to the staircase/ladder/beanstalk! I’m not sure if the French view the two situations identically or whether it’s just idiomatic to descend something with steps or rungs using the transitive form ?

‘Moutaine’ is the word for ‘mitten’ on Google Translate. Why is ‘moufle’ the correct answer here?

So I got a little confused: Why is there no "de" before "quelques", "plusieurs" etc? Why doesn't the rule of "de" before adjectives that precede nouns apply here?

Nous avons attendu pendant qu'il changeait le pneu.  

Why is 'que' needed? The 2nd clause uses the imparfait. So, except for le present, can other tenses follow 'pendant que' ?

I have some questions with the clarification for the use of PENDANT.

As I have read in other grammar lessons, PENDANT is used to express the 'full duration' of a completed action IN THE PAST ... or the 'set duration' of an action to be done in the future. Pendant cannot be used for the present!

If this is the case then 

a) would it help in clarification if some wording to that effect be added to the lesson for PENDANT,          else based on the lesson someone could ask me "why cant I go into the kindergarten room? and I could answer  " Les enfants dorment pendant une  heure" ... which would be wrong... 

b)the example sentence "Il court pendant une heure tous les matins/He runs for one hour every morning  appears to be unnecessarily skirting that rule .. or at least adding a bit of doubt??.

Of course if there is no such restrictions please let me know. 

Thank you!

The correct answer is:  mais ce matin, j'ai reçu un email qui m'informait que cet article était à présent en rupture de stock 

but why not .....qui m'a informé que cet article est à présent en rupture de stock. 

I get what this article is saying but I'm still confused of what my book said:

ex:

Vous avez passé la journee a la plage, les garcons?
A la plage? Non! Nous, on a fait du skate avec des copains.

In here, why was 'on' before 'nous'?

If a sentence says "Elle a fait cueillir des fleurs.", then to turn des fleurs into a pronoun object I would normally use "en". Is it correct to say, "Elle en a fait cueillir." She had some picked. Or should it be "Elle les a fait cueillir." I have never seen an example of causative faire with "en", so not sure if it is correct.

1. J'arriverai avant qu'ils n'aient mangé.

2. Nous voulons que tu aies rangé ta chambre avant ce soir.

3. J'ai attendu qu'il soit monté dans le train pour partir

I use Avoir when Transitive as is #2 but why avoir in #1 which is intransitive as is #3.

This is the most confusing subject I have encountered so far. Please explain.

i cannot hear "il y a" in this sentence at all.