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.....
Thank you for sharing this beautiful and inspirational video. It would have been a fabulous exhibit to have seen in person.
Je ne suis pas vraiment le foot mais je me souviens du "coup de tête"!
Is prendre l'air an idiomatic expression? What does it mean, please? (e.g. to put on airs, to act in a certain way, etc.??)
Hello,
I know that the reflexive verb introduction is in the A1 level but, when should one learn about the passive and subjective pronominals?
Thanks
Nicole
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.....
I've noticed that 71 above has no hyphens: soixante et onze. So is it just the numbers 21,31,41,51,61 that do have hyphens? Or does 71 have hyphens just when there are higher numbers, e.g. 171?
Merci d'avance!
Can you please explain when 'de' is used before a number in French?
- Le nombre de décès a été de 54600. (Does it mean 'was at' or ' was about'?)- La population a augmenté l'année dernière de 3,46,000 personnes. (Does it mean 'increased to' or 'increased by' here?)
- Le prix est de 500 dollars.
And, is there a general rule about using "de" before numbers? Please explain?
More on in line.. accepted that Americans call a queue a line but in ordinary English, standing in a line is a common enough thing to do without being anywhere near a queue so maybe need to accept en ligne as well.
In the lesson where you have the example to hand, there is a clue but not in general Kwizes.
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