French language Q&A Forum

Even though I do now understand the difference between when to use those two prepositions, I am having trouble pronouncing them.  Is there a way?  Is the X silent?  Thank you. 

J’habite une maison or j’habite dans une maison. I see the first one written but say the second. Am I wrong? Is it possible to use both?

Where can I find the vocabulary used in the dictation exercises?  I clicked on the all related grammar/vocabuary link, but it only gives the grammar.  There were lots of expressions/words used for which I couldn't find a proper translation in the context of the exercise. Alternatively, a translation for the dictation would be useful

the position of profondment 

Hi, I used  "Je sais que l'on ne pourrait pas visiter tous les pays" - it was not correct BUT is it gramatically correct?

From Lawless page:

After lorsque, puisque, and que, using l’on avoids the contraction and thus pronouncing (even silently inside your head) what sounds like the offensive word con.

The last sentence is given as "Comme ca", but "Comme" doesn't come through in the recording. I played it a few times, including after knowing the answer, and it was cut off.

One of the questions turns the sentence about dolphins into a question: Saviez-vous que les dauphins sont des mammifères?  Could you say why "sont" isn’t concordant with "saviez"? In your article on this subject it says "You can't use the past tense in the main clause with the present tense in the subordinate - the latter must be in the past as well: "Il ne savait pas que j'étais professeur (He did not know that I was a teacher)"      Thanks!

The exercise says "When the main verb is in the passé composé, it is followed by the passé composé or plus que parfait" so why, in the following example, is the passé composé followed by the present tense.

1. "In any case" - « en tout cas » is red-lined but should be accepted

 https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/anglais-francais/case/568797

2. "I will soon be able to get by ..." - « bientôt » is red-lined, but is also correct here. It does not say  "quickly/rapidly be able to get by...", - rapidement/vite are currently given as the preferred answers.

3. The previously, extensively discussed "heard that Isabelle IS going to try her luck ..." sentence needs to be changed. It should be, as has previously been noted, 'WAS going to try her luck'. This would then also fit with the lesson which only uses was/were examples to indicate the imparfait to be used here.

The English sentence in its current form is open to several interpretations - it is not French that is the issue here, it is the vagaries of English 'as it is spoke'.

J'allais + [infinitive] to express the near future in the past in French

For the first 2 options above, the suggestions agree with my wife's spontaneous first responses, and for the third, she immediately used imparfait but put a question mark over the use of 'is going to...' rather than 'was going to ... ' in the English sentence.