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
13
votes
Accepted
13
votes
Accepted
can "que que" ever appear?
No, que que cannot appear in regular text except if the second que is a substantive or to mark hesitation/sluttering:
On ne doit pas utiliser que « que » pour traduire what.
Tu dis que... que j'ai ...
- 146k
11
votes
Accepted
How do I properly word this question in French?
To correct your proposals:
Quelle est ta chanson préférée de lui ?
De ses chansons, quelle est ta préférée ? (chanson is a feminine noun).
Or other suggestions:
Laquelle de ses chansons préfères-tu ...
- 1,509
9
votes
Accepted
Si plusieurs adjectifs modifient un nom, doivent-ils être rangés dans un certain ordre ?
Comme l'indique la longueur de l'article Wikipedia correspondant c'est un sujet très complexe. Pour le dire en quelques mots, plusieurs tentatives ont été faites pour identifier les règles de ...
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9
votes
Accepted
"Pourquoi l'hôtel est-il complet?" Why est-il and not just est?
Even though this is more or less a duplicate, I'll add an explanation that I didn't see when skimming previous answers.
The subject pronouns are clitics, which have some fascinating properties but ...
- 19.2k
9
votes
Accepted
"Pas franchement" vs "franchement pas"
Tu n'as pas franchement l’air d’être si occupée que ça...
Is "pas vraiment", as you said => "pas tout à fait"
Here "pas" moderates "franchement".
{vs}: Tu n'as franchement pas l’air d’être si ...
- 1,171
8
votes
Accepted
Placement of the word "aussi" in a sentence
The four examples are correct, I will add some names to clarify the meanings.
1) This one has the same meaning than in English:
Paul says that someone ate his porridge, then Anne says "Quelqu'un a
...
- 418
8
votes
Accepted
Placement of "tout" as an object in a sentence
Tout clarifies the meaning of a verb, an adverb or a noun.
In the case tout is clarifying a verb or an adverb, it is an adverb and is invariant.
In the case tout is clarifying a noun, it is an ...
- 1,548
8
votes
Accepted
Why is "différents" before the noun in the following sentence and also no articles used?
L'adjectif différent antéposé signifie plusieurs
La phrase pourrait s'écrire :
(Ils ont participé à) plusieurs événements historiques.
§B
2. Usuel, au plur. et antéposé avec valeur d'adj. ...
- 14.9k
7
votes
Accepted
Is there a general guide on how adjectives change meaning with position?
I don't think there's a foolproof rule, but in all the cases I can think about, there's a figurative, non-literal and idiomatic meaning to the order "adjective + noun" whereas "noun + ...
- 6,693
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
Word order when using indirect object with a reflexive verb
French translation: je m'identifie à eux.
I don't think there is any other possible.
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6
votes
Placement des adverbes dans une phrase négative
Je pense que les 2 sont autorisées, mais la plus correcte et celle qu'on entendra le plus souvent est :
Je n'ai pas encore mangé.
Quant à l'ajout de "even", tu peux effectivement dire :
Je n'ai ...
- 161
6
votes
Accepted
How exactly do you say "a wireless computer mouse" in French?
The problem is that it would be ambiguous. You can't know which one is wireless: The computer or the mouse ?
In France, if you say « Une souris sans fil », it is clear you are talking about a computer ...
- 5,951
6
votes
Accepted
Depending on whether to say "vraiment pas" or "pas vraiment", does the meaning of this sentence change?
Yes. “Pas vraiment” means that the statement is more false than true, it can mean “to a small extent” or it can be a weak “not” (literally, it refutes “vraiment” which would be an intensifier). “...
6
votes
Accepted
Explication de « lui dit-il » et « lui dit-elle »
In incises, the sentences are always reversed in French.
− J'ai été sotte, lui dit-elle enfin. Je te demande pardon. Tâche d'être heureux.
is translated in English
"I have been silly," she said ...
- 146k
6
votes
What is the difference between "là toujours" and "toujours là"?
Là and toujours are both adverbs. In what you want to express là modifies the verb être and toujours the adverb là.
Theoretically adverbs can be placed before or after the verb. It's most usual to ...
- 60.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Placement of "tout"?
Afficher tout is short for Afficher tout (le contenu) and isn't technically wrong.
Though I'll agree with you, as a native speaker, Tout afficher sounds better to me.
- 726
6
votes
Accepted
What is the correct word order when lining up the same verb in three different tenses?
I find the order (past, present, future) more natural, but I think any order is ok. Choosing a different order puts a slightly different emphasis: if chronological order is not used, then the first ...
6
votes
Parsing "plus de retour en arrière possible"
Unlike English where traditional grammar states a verb is mandatory to form a complete sentence, a verbless sentence is possible in French where it is called phrase nominale.
The sentence means:
...
- 146k
6
votes
How do you emphasize a part of a sentence?
The word order would not vary much, but the word choice would likely vary, as well as the tone.
General guidelines concerning the tone change would be the pitch getting higher, the volume getting ...
- 11.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Why is it "une vie meilleure", not "une meilleure vie"?
While BANGS is a good rule of thumb, it's not a strong, 100% true rule.
Many adjectives that are usually before the noun can be placed after it in some cases, mostly for historic or stylistic reasons ...
- 11.7k
5
votes
Explication de « lui dit-il » et « lui dit-elle »
You are right.
These two sentences mean the same thing (with masculine speaker):
Il (lui) dit « Va à la voiture »
« Va à la voiture » (lui) dit-il.
It fits your second exemple "Sire, lui dit-...
- 5,951
5
votes
Accepted
The word order of “de ne pas avoir à”
You're right, usually you place the verb between "ne" and "pas", but that applies to conjugated verbs. When the verb is not conjugated, it goes after both particles, e.g. "Ne pas manger" or "Ne pas ...
- 12.2k
5
votes
Accepted
The placement of the word “seulement” in the following sentence
According to Larousse, seulement's 4th meaning is the French equivalent of however.
Here are examples:
Je t'ai attendu à la gare, seulement tu n'es pas venu…
Moi, je le disais pour te faire réagir, ...
- 298
5
votes
Word order in questions
For a general discussion, you might want to look at the answers of the possible duplicate questions mentioned in the question comments. As for your particular word orders:
Depuis quand ce magasin est-...
- 2,869
5
votes
Is there a rule for adjective order with multiple adjectives?
I recognize that the existing answer, apart of the fact that it is written in French, might also be a little too abstract for immediate needs.
First of all, a general thumb rule is that epithet ...
- 1,012
5
votes
Accepted
Is it appropriate to use "ennemi" as the subject here?
Leur ennemi ne sera pas que la chaleur accablante de cette région.
Turned this way, it seems like they will face only one multifaceted enemy, that will present itself as insubstantial oppressing heat,...
- 11.3k
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