"Ralentir" in a kwiz
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"Ralentir" in a kwiz
Why have a kwiz where we are tested on conjugating "ralentir" if it turns out to actually be regular, given the information above? Are we supposed to understand that the examples above are the only irregular -tir verbs, or most of them? Because that is not particularly clear. What rough percentage of -tir verbs are irregular vs. regular?
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Hi Andy,
I have checked the Kwiz questions in the lesson you pinned and cannot find 'ralentir' and it certainly doesn't belong here as 'ralentir' like 'choisir' and 'finir' are regular verbs ending in -ir.
The endings are :
ralentissons, ralentissez, ralentissent
unlike partir/ sortir which become
partons/ sortons, partez/sortez, partent/sortent
which is important to know when you are going to form the 'imparfait'.
Take a look at this list of regular verbs ending in -ir which should include 'ralentir'.
If you can be more specific about where you saw the kwiz question, we'll take a closer look.
Hope this helps!
I can't answer your question directly, but I can point you to a site which conjugates every French verb in every form and tense:
https://www.verbix.com/webverbix/go.php?&D1=3&T1=ralentir
@Chris So, I'm not sure what you think I was asking, but my question was actually regarding this: Kwiziq gave us a lesson in how to conjugate "-tir" verbs, as is linked above. The lesson did not say anything about exceptions. Then, in a quiz, we are tested on "ralentir," which does NOT follow the rules outlined in the lesson, because it is just a regular "-ir" verb, and the quiz question is linked to "how to conjugate '-ir' verbs". So if we are paying attention to what we are taught, and conjugate "ralentir" in the quiz--as we were taught for "-tir" verbs--then we get the question wrong. There is literally no way to know we are being tricked and that "ralentir" is an exception to the "-tir" rules. The only way you could get it right is to not have paid attention to the "-tir" lesson, and the question should be removed AND the "-tir" lesson clarified as to when these rules are needed.
@Cecile--I appreciate your trying to help, but it is a little frustrating that your answers to my queries never answer the question I actually asked, yet are somehow marked instantly as the correct answer. If you will read the two items I wrote, they actually mention that "ralentir" is used in a KWIZ--not in the above lesson. My point is that everything in the linked "-tir" lesson would lead you to believe that ralentir should be conjugated thusly. If there are exceptions (such as "ralentir"), that should be mentioned. If the "-tir" verbs mentioned are themselves the exceptions, and regular verbs like "ralentir" outnumber them, THAT should be mentioned. My point, once more, is that we should not be taught that "-tir" verbs get a special conjugation, and then get kwizzed on a "-tir" verb that does not get it, without further clarification. And yet that is indeed what is happening. I hope this all makes sense to you now. Thanks.
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Hi Andy,
I understand your frustration but unless you give us the exact kwiz question I can only answer in general terms.
I can't imagine what difference that would make, since the issue is not with the question itself, as the question and answer is not in itself incorrect (https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/my-languages/french/tests/results/14363418/system), and none of my posts have indicated otherwise. The issue, one final time, even though I have said this repeatedly now, is that we are taught in the lesson--which again, to be clear, does not mention "ralentir"--that "-tir" verbs are conjugated a special way. ONE exception to this apparent rule is mentioned--and it is not ralentir. So then to test us on a kwiz--even if the answer is correct--on "ralentir," which does not follow the "-tir" pattern, is to force us to get the answer wrong if we follow the incomplete information we were given in the lesson. The question should therefore be removed, or the lesson clarified (which obviously should happen anyway, since it is misleading, making it appear that there is only perhaps one exception to the irregularity), or both. Please truly consider having a colleague look over what I am saying; I really don't have it in me to say it all again. Thank you.
Bonjour Andy,
After discussing your query with the French language team, we decided to:
- add "ralentir" in the Regular French -IR Verbs list Regular French -IR Verbs
- add an example with "ralentir" in the following lesson: Conjugate regular -ir verbs in the present tense in French (Le Présent)
As my colleague explained, "ralentir" is not part of the lesson on "Conjugate -tir verbs in Le Présent" as it follows the regular -ir verbs pattern. There is a non-exhaustive list of the verbs following -tir verb pattern here: Conjugate partir/sortir and other irregular -TIR verbs in the present tense in French (Le Présent) and here: French Verbs with -MIR, -TIR, and -VIR
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !
Thanks, but putting information somewhere else still doesn't help anyone who is reading the "-tir" lesson and comes away with the very understandable impression that most, if not nearly all, "-tir" verbs follow the irregular pattern. All that needs to be done to fix the whole problem is change the ambiguity of the lesson by writing something like:
"Some/most -tir verbs follow an irregular pattern"...
"The following verbs are some/most of the verbs that follow this irregular exception."
In other words, you guys need to make it clear that not all "-tir" verbs are irregular, and that the one regular-conjugation verb that you list as an exception is not an isolated case, but that there are in fact many more. This is the issue, and the fix. (And I know ralentir is regular--if it wasn't, none of this would have made any sense. Was never asking for it to be put in the lesson.)
Here is what the lesson currently states: "The verb partir (to leave), as other -TIR verbs* ["other irregular verbs" are linked here by the asterik, which does nothing to clarify the ambiguity], is irregular in Le Présent." How am I not supposed to think ralentir would also be included with a statement like that? "Some other" or "most other" is called for. I can not make it any plainer than that.
Finally, you already have a quiz question that involves conjugating ralentir as a regular verb. That is what prompted this post, as I have repeatedly said. At this point I am desperately requesting that you have a colleague actually read what I am writing, rather than pass along your summary. Please. I have written what the issue is over and over again.
Bonjour Andy,
We've added extra details in the lesson you've mentioned above. Thank you again for your comment! It's always very useful to get constructive feedback! ;-)
I hope this is helpful and that the lesson content is far clearer now.
Merci et bonne journée !
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