Devoir (and its discontents)After I had had to do my homework, I went for a walk.Really? No native English speaker would ever say this. One might say "After I did my homework, I went for a walk" but that doesn't mean what I think the question writer is after.
Having had to do something is a state of being, not something after which one takes a walk. Consider a work around to what is said: "After being in a position where I was required to do my homework, I took a walk." Weird, awkward, unidiomatic, and just strange. If this question was written by a native English speaker, it was surely in pursuit of teaching the plupurfect of devoir, which I never hear in conversation. It is something taught but in my experience never used and really never needed. Apparently, whatever exists on the conjugation chart has to be worked into a question....
When I took French in 60s, the pluperfect of devoir was translated as "must have", but I only hear the passe compose in cases where the pluperfect might have worked. Again, I never hear this said and rarely written.
Anyway you look at it, devoir in the past is a condition - not something that happens before something else happens. So no more is needed than the passe compose IMO.....
Really? No native English speaker would ever say this. One might say "After I did my homework, I went for a walk" but that doesn't mean what I think the question writer is after.
Having had to do something is a state of being, not something after which one takes a walk. Consider a work around to what is said: "After being in a position where I was required to do my homework, I took a walk." Weird, awkward, unidiomatic, and just strange. If this question was written by a native English speaker, it was surely in pursuit of teaching the plupurfect of devoir, which I never hear in conversation. It is something taught but in my experience never used and really never needed. Apparently, whatever exists on the conjugation chart has to be worked into a question....
When I took French in 60s, the pluperfect of devoir was translated as "must have", but I only hear the passe compose in cases where the pluperfect might have worked. Again, I never hear this said and rarely written.
Anyway you look at it, devoir in the past is a condition - not something that happens before something else happens. So no more is needed than the passe compose IMO.....
In this exercise, can we substitute the preposition “à” for “dans” in any or all of these sentences:
1. Nous irions ensemble dans des galeries d’art (ou à des galeries d’art) ?
2. Nous pourrions manger dans un bon bistrot (ou à un bon bistrot) ?
3. Je l’emmènerais dans un charmant petit parc (ou à un charmant petit parc) ?
I put “à” for (1) and (3) and wondered if it was acceptable alternative, similar to saying “on va au cinéma” ou “à la boulangerie”.
I'm wondering about this sentence: "Des festivites incontournables qui prennent habituellement fin a Mardi Gras, soit la veille du..."
What is the reason for the subjunctive verb tense of "soit" toward the end of this statement?
How to contugate intelligent with nous in french
Why is plus-que-parfait used in this text in phrases such as " Sarah et moi avions loué un camping-car .."
I used the first person plural form of the verb for two reasons. Because the explanatory sentence used "we", not "one" or "people", and because although we may well know that everyone in our group is dying to meet her, we certainly cannot know that about the general public.
Why was this wrong?
Start of B1.. I have not met ayons before. My Larousse says it is le subjonctif which looks a bit way off in the future!
Right.. I see that it is the imperative avoir as well but still seems a bit steep for my second Kwiz in B1 when it has not come up in a leçon!
"Party favours" in not a term in use in Australia as far as I can ascertain, and I had never heard of them (with either of the meanings I discovered).
Doesn't help much when the urban dictionary definition is essentially 'hard(er) drugs'!
Luckily, overseas sites advertising other 'party favours' gave a different insight, as did wordreference.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=party%20favours
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/my-languages/french/exercises/overview/1291
The answer choice inlcudes 'Aurelie only went to the market - and nowhere else' and 'Aurelie went to the market - and did nothing else'. Can you please explain why these sentences mean different things? Aurelie only went to the market. End of, surely?
how would i translate smth like “I love my mother, but I don’t like her.” thankd
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