C. asked : "Why doesn't 'français' become 'françaisE' when it is about 'her' speaking French?"

AurélieKwiziq team member

C. asked : "Why doesn't 'français' become 'françaisE' when it is about 'her' speaking French?"

"A-t-elle parlé français ce soir ?"

Asked 8 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team memberCorrect answer
Bonjour C. !

The reason "français" doesn't agree in gender with "elle" here is that with the structure "parler + language", it is always the masculine form that is employed.
Indeed here what you're actually saying is "I speak [the language] French", i.e. "Je parle français" OR "Je parle le [langage] français". Languages are always masculine in French, no matter who speaks them ;)

I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
Catherine B.B2Kwiziq community member
Yes, thanks so much, sometimes the brain doesn't engage all the rules!

C. asked : "Why doesn't 'français' become 'françaisE' when it is about 'her' speaking French?"

"A-t-elle parlé français ce soir ?"

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Clever stuff happening!