Ce n’est pas que au petit matin

IanC1Kwiziq community member

Ce n’est pas que au petit matin

‘Ce n’est que au petit matin’ : pourquoi pas ‘ce n’était  que au petit matin’?

Asked 11 months ago
CécileKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Hi Ian, 

Oops! 

In French we would use the present de narration, this is often different in English, as in this case.

Bonne Continuation !

CécileKwiziq team member

Hi Ian,

Please take a look at the following page on which words can be elided, que being one of them.

https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/glossary/contraction/l-elision-elision

Bonne Continuation !

IanC1Kwiziq community member

Hi Cécile

Thanks for spotting my error but my questions related to the test of être: why is it the present and no the imperfect ie c’est rather that c’était

Thanks

AlanC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Since the rest of the story is not in the present tense, I don't think this can be the présent de narration

I answered a similar question here:

https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/questions/view/use-of-the-present-when-it-is-actually-the-past

I also found an explanation in a book, online. Here is a link to Google books, but I don't know if it will work for you:

https://tinyurl.com/yzr2cjmb

Ce n’est pas que au petit matin

‘Ce n’est que au petit matin’ : pourquoi pas ‘ce n’était  que au petit matin’?

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