363 Answered Questions for the topic French

06/25/19

What are the possible meanings of “quand même”?
Many times per day I hear the phrase “quand même”. I have looked it up and I know there are several possible translations, such as “even so”, “all the same”, “anyway”. What are other possible... more
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06/25/19

Usage of “d'eau” vs “de l'eau”?
I'm confused about when to use “*d'eau*” and when to use “*de l'eau*”. For example, if someone asks “what is in that carafe?”, I think it is correct to answer “*c'est de l'eau*”. But if you ask for... more
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06/25/19

What does "Il faut manger moins de fromage que de pain" mean?
Yesterday one of my French colleagues said that "Il faut manger moins de fromage que de pain."I've been googling this French proverb but I couldn't find any deep meaning under this sentence; does... more
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06/25/19

Why do we say “un seul M” and not “une seule M” even though M is a “consonne”?
When spelling names, for example “Bram”, to make clear that there's only one *M* at the end I hear French people say “Avec un seul *M* à la fin”. But “*M* est une consonne” therefore “un nom... more
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06/24/19

Quand faut-il mettre un pluriel après un mot indiquant l'absence d'un élément ? — When to use plural after words that hint at a missing entity?
Quelle règle s'applique après un mot comme *sans*, *aucun*, ou une expression comme *pas un seul*, *il n'y a pas*, concernant le nombre du mot suivant ?Doit-on dire : - *une dictée sans faute*-... more
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06/24/19

Accentuation des majuscules — Accents on upper-case letters?
En français, faut-il accentuer les lettres majuscules ?Par exemple, doit-on écrire:> Écritureou> EcritureOn voit les deux situations très souvent, laquelle doit être utilisée ?---Ought... more
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French Histoire Nombres

06/23/19

D'où viennent soixante-dix et quatre-vingts (plutôt que septante et huitante)?
Pourquoi est-ce qu'en français on dit « quatre-vingts » plutôt que quelque chose qui se base sur dix, comme «huitante» ou «octante»?Même chose pour *soixante-dix / septante* et *quatre-vingt-dix /... more
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06/23/19

Différence entre le passé simple et le passé composé?
Je sais que le passé simple ne s'emploie presque jamais à l'oral, où il a été remplacé par le passé composé. Cependant, j'ai déjà lu des textes dans lesquels les deux temps ont été employés côte à... more
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06/22/19

When does one pronounce the 's' in plus?
When a friend of mine asked why so many contractors worked in Dubai, I replied by saying (approximately):> À Dubai, on a plus d'argent.Meaning to say that one can earn more money in Dubai. I... more
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06/21/19

Quand peut-on mettre un adjectif avant ou après un nom ? — When do adjectives go before or after a noun?
Quelles sont les règles quant au placement des adjectifs avant ou après les noms ?Exemples : - *Un **bel** animal* (avec en prime le changement *beau* → *bel*… règle ?) - *Une **belle** maison* -... more
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06/19/19

What movies or TV series can I use to improve my French?
Watching movies or TV series are very helpful in learning a language. What such movies or series (french ones, of course) is recommended for a new learner?This is what I experienced in learning... more
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06/19/19

“L’on y danse”: why the article “l’ ”?
> Sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse tous en rond.What is *l'* doing here? When is it generally used like this?I'm assuming it's a pronoun, but *y* already refers to *pont*, so it's not quite... more
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06/17/19

J'ai bien peur que tu n'aies raison: faut-il mettre le mot « ne » ?
Doit-on dire:> J'ai bien peur que tu aies raison.ou> J'ai bien peur que tu n'aies raison.----Should the word *ne* be used in the sentence above? What's the difference?
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French Politesse

06/17/19

Ways of saying “you're welcome” in French?
After someone says “*merci beaucoup*”, I would like to respond by saying something equivalent to the English phrase “*no problem*”. I tried google translate, and it gave me “*Pas de problème*”,... more
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06/17/19

Pourquoi place-t-on une espace avant les ponctuations fortes? — Why is there a space before certain punctuation marks?
Par exemple, le point d'exclamation `!`, le point d'interrogation `?` et le point-virgule `;` sont précédés d'une espace, contrairement à l'usage anglais. Historiquement, y a-t-il eu une raison ou... more
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06/17/19

Comment traduire «upload»?
J'ai toujours eu de la difficulté avec ce mot. Partout où je cherche, je trouve *télécharger*, mais j'aimerais pouvoir faire la distinction entre *download* et *upload*. Il me semble que... more
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06/17/19

Differences between “Oui” and “Si” in the affirmative?
The usual form of yes in French is "oui."But my understanding is that there is another form of the affirmative, "si," (similar to the Spanish). It is used only in limited contexts, and is perhaps a... more
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06/17/19

Do native speakers of French generally use "du/de la" when thinking of nouns like eau, sel, etc?
This is sort of a question about the extent to which French speakers associate partitive articles with nouns that use them.If you ask for water at a restaurant, you might say "De l'eau, s'il vous... more
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06/17/19

Why are O and E sometimes attached together, as in “les œufs”?
I asked my French teacher last time, and she said she didn't know, but she will ask. Can anyone give clear and simple reason for this?
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06/17/19

Why does French use a "split negative"?
I'm referring to such constructions as *ne [verb] pas*, *ne [verb] que*, *ne [verb] jamais*, etc.In Spanish, the negative precedes the verb:* ***No** lo quiero.*In Anglo-Saxon languages, the... more
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06/17/19

What languages are perceived as classy or fancy to French speakers?
In English, this might be demonstrated by using the word *boutique* rather than *shop*, or by saying *au contraire* rather than *on the contrary*, because to English speakers French is commonly... more
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06/17/19

Pourquoi trente-six?
Le nombre 36 apparaît dans plusieurs expressions :> Voir trente-six chandelles. (Être sonné, KO.)> Tous les trente-six du mois. (Jamais)> Il n'y a pas trente-six solutions. (Il y a une,... more
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06/17/19

How to translate “By the way”? — Comment traduire « By the way » ?
I want to translate a sentence that says something like “By the way, did you remember to get…?”So far I've seen two options: _au fait_ and _à propos_. Which one would be more appropriate for an... more
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French

05/30/19

I need to tell what type of cognates these are.
eclair, quiche, hors-d‘œuvres, restaurant, and à la mode
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05/29/19

How to classify verbs in French?
It is imperative to memorize verb endings in conjugation. What is the best way to retain the different forms?
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