1

"There was a story she wrote that I really like."

Il y a une histoire qu'elle a écrit que j'aime beaucoup.

Here, do we need to write "écrite"? I think we don't, since une histoire is indefinite, and the rule for adding an ending only applies if the noun is definite (e.g., l'histoire). Is that correct?

Improve this question
2
  • Where did you read such a rule?
    – qoba
    Jan 20, 2017 at 5:06
  • @qoba I guess I was confused with another rule that says that there is no accord if an indefinite noun is replaced by en: J'ai mangé une pomme -> J'en ai mangé une.
    – user11550
    Jan 20, 2017 at 15:41

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

I would change the whole sentence because it really doesn't sound very good at all. How about:

J'aime beaucoup l'histoire qu'elle a écrite.

The problem with:

Il y a une histoire qu'elle a écrite que j'aime beaucoup.

is that the repeated "qu" sound awful. I think it would be corrected in primary school in France. Another problem is that it is too convoluted. Better to keep it more direct.

If you really wanted to insist, in this kind of context, you could salvage the "il y a une histoire" thus:

Elle a écrit beaucoup de choses. Mais il y a une de ses histoires en particulier que j'aime beaucoup.

Or maybe:

Elle a écrit beaucoup de choses. Mais il y a une de ses histoires qui me plait particulièrement.

I know this side-steps your original question but IMHO, those two "qu'" need fixing first.

In terms of agreement, since this is using the verb "avoir" and that the object complement is before the verb, the agreement would be qu'elle a écrite. Another example:

Les fleurs qu'ils ont cueillies étaient ravissantes.

Improve this answer
5
  • Is there an agreement even though the object is indefinite (une histoire) rather than definite (l'histoire)?
    – user11550
    Jan 19, 2017 at 0:27
  • 1
    Yes, I think that indefinite/definite does not play any role in the agreement.
    – Frank
    Jan 19, 2017 at 0:29
  • @user11550 - this double "qu" issue is not just made up by me. I talked with other natives, and they had the same reaction, going as far as saying it was "incorrect" (I believe it is grammatically correct though), and agreeing the teacher in elementary school would not accept it.
    – Frank
    Jan 19, 2017 at 3:46
  • It is indeed correct, but it definitely does not sound like something someone would say here in France. You could find such a chain of “que/qui” for a comical effect though, implying the person you're speaking to is doing a suspiciously remote connection between two things.
    – spectras
    Jan 19, 2017 at 12:22
  • @spectras - agreed. If not for a special effect, best to correct this.
    – Frank
    Jan 19, 2017 at 15:36

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.