14
votes
Accepted
Where should a pronoun go when the verb is followed by an infinitive clause?
From what you have written I expect you know the rule that says that when the direct object is a pronoun, it must be placed before the verb.
J'améliore la peinture → Je l'améliore.
I suppose you ...
- 60.2k
11
votes
What is the rule behind the use of "de" in this sentence?
The word "de" in French is used for many different things that have nothing in common most of the time -- you should not try to look for a common sense between these usages. In particular it ...
- 6,062
11
votes
Accepted
“Après de” doesn’t seem right?
Avant and Après actually aren't symmetrical, après behaves a little differently.
You can only say "Après [quelque chose*]" or "Après que [sujet + verbe]".
The "quelque chose*&...
- 11.7k
10
votes
What is the rule behind the use of "de" in this sentence?
By the way, your sentence:
Il n'est pas difficile de comprendre pourquoi le samedi est ma journée favorite.
is translated this way in English:
It's not hard to understand why Saturday is my ...
- 2,288
9
votes
Accepted
What is the grammar of "I watch you speaking French" vs "I want you to speak French"?
Pattern 1 and pattern 2 are different. Let's start with pattern 2 which is simpler.
Here the basic construction is a clause which is used as a component of another sentence. For example:
Je veux que ...
9
votes
Accepted
"Viens nous voir dimanche !"
There are two verbs following one another venir and voir. Only the first one is conjugated, here venir in the imperative. The rule is that the second one must be in the infinitive, you never ...
- 60.2k
8
votes
Accepted
Is the expression "question difficile à répondre" correct?
While I would write :
Question difficile à poser
Je n'ai rien à répondre
Il m'est difficile de répondre
I would definitely avoid question difficile à répondre which hurts my ears by using this ...
- 146k
8
votes
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"Ça énerve, d'attendre" ?
Ignoring intonation and punctuation for a moment, there's two structures in French that can produce a surface form like "Ça énerve d'attendre":
The first is an impersonal construction, where ...
- 9,654
7
votes
Accepted
Difference between « Toi pas rester » and « Ne reste pas »
Toi pas rester dans mes pattes.
This is an ironic structure, where the idea is to simplify the structure to be sure the other person will understand what you mean (the use of infinitive is the ...
- 5,951
7
votes
Accepted
Which pronoun to replace an infinitive?
« Je le veux » is actually okay to my ears, though not idiomatic according to the native speakers who have weighed in. Arguably this le wouldn't replace the infinitive but whatever substantive is ...
- 19.2k
7
votes
Accepted
What's the difference between: 'Je ne peux pas venir' and 'Je peux ne pas venir'?
The most usual sentence:
Tu ne peux pas venir
means : You cannot come.
The one you quote:
Tu peux ne pas venir
is less used (but perfectly understood in France), its meaning is :
You can decide ...
- 2,521
7
votes
Why do pronouns sometimes precede infinitives when infinitives are used as imperative?
C'est une traduction erronée. Ce devrait être :
Veuillez vous assoir ici.
Voire, éventuellement :
Asseyez-vous ici.
- 14.9k
6
votes
« Je ne t'ai vu prendre cette photo ! » ou « Je t'ai vu pas pris cette photo » ?
Je ne t'ai pas vue prendre cette photo !
est la bonne solution.
Ici le verbe avoir s'accorde avec le COD placé avant car il est aussi sujet réel de la proposition infinitive.
Bref, ce n'est pas ...
- 374
6
votes
“Après de” doesn’t seem right?
Yes, après de sortir is incorrect while avant de sortir is not. The de is almost always mandatory between avant and an infinitive.
Historically, French started by using no preposition between avant ...
- 146k
6
votes
Why is danser not conjugated in "Je regarde Anna danser" ?
Je regarde Anna danser.
Je regarde = proposition principale
Anna danser = proposition infinitive
In this type of sentences the verb in la proposition principale is usually a verb of perception (...
- 2,224
6
votes
Accepted
Les infinitifs en argot
This is a shitposting trend that consists in translating memes literally. It can be funny because sentences make no sense but you can still "reverse translate" back to the original meaning. ...
- 11.7k
6
votes
Apparente erreur dans l'écriture de l'infinitif « ficher »
Comment expliquer cette anomalie ?
Le verbe fiche ne comporte pas de R à l'infinitif quand il est utilisé comme euphémisme pour foutre.
Une hypothèse serait de dire que cet infinitif singulier permet ...
- 146k
5
votes
Four different forms of the past participle of “laisser”: Which one to use?
Il s'agit d'un cas particulier: il est plutôt préconisé de laisser laissé invariable, quoique l'autre forme (laissée) puisse être utilisée.
Selon le Grevisse 2011 :
Le Conseil supérieur de la ...
5
votes
Accepted
The present infinitive as a noun
Your question calls for a distinction between the verb in the infinitive that remains a verb when used in the grammatical place of a noun and the "infinitif substantivé".
The infinitive that is a ...
- 60.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Understanding "de" in "plus facile, cependant, que de remuer le soleil"
1- In the sentence
Il est facile de parler français.
facile is an attribut complément du verbe,
de parler français is a complément d'objet indirect.
It's the same construction in English:
It ...
- 232
5
votes
Understanding "de" in "plus facile, cependant, que de remuer le soleil"
What is its grammatical or syntactic function? (For example, is there a de-infinitive similar to the English to-infinitive?)
Not that similar but there should be a preposition between an adjective ...
- 146k
5
votes
Accepted
« Savoir que » plus infinitif
Que est ici un équivalent soutenu de quoi qui n'est possible que parce que pas est omis. Une version plus courante est :
Je ne sais pas quoi vous dire, Mademoiselle !
- 146k
5
votes
Accepted
"Tu ne devrais pas fumer" contre "Tu devrais ne pas fumer"
La première est idiomatique. On y déconseille de fumer :
Tu ne devrais pas fumer.
Dans la deuxième phrase on recommande de ne pas fumer.
(?) Tu devrais ne pas fumer.
C'est compréhensible et ne ...
- 146k
5
votes
Accepted
How do you say "I can drive us to the cottage" in French?
In declarative clauses with no inversion, object pronouns, in French, precede the verbs to which they are attached. This may be observed in phrases such as "s'il vous plaît" (if it pleases you). In ...
- 2,116
5
votes
Which pronoun to replace an infinitive?
Sorry if I didn't get your query. What is wrong with the following reply?
Pourquoi est-ce que tu veux voyager ?
(Juste) pour visiter de nouveaux pays.
You avoid repeating voyager.
There is indeed ...
- 27.6k
5
votes
Which pronoun to replace an infinitive?
Je le veux is not technically wrong but is not idiomatic in this context.
It is somewhat too formal and too strong, and only used in occasions where it implies a strong commitment, often religious, ...
- 146k
5
votes
Accepted
il me faut le faire (why not "de le faire")
The grammatical rule is il faut + infinitive verb.
In your example, Il me faut le faire uses faire as a complementary infinitive (l'infinitif complément) of another verb, il faut. Il faut (verbe ...
- 2,471
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