14
votes
Why is not "Je t'aime", "Je aime te"?
The simple answer is "because it is the rule".
The rule says that object pronouns are always placed before the verb except in imperative affirmative sentences.
J'aime la France. → Je l'aime.
J'...
- 56.9k
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 ...
- 56.9k
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 ...
- 132k
12
votes
Accepted
Quelle est la façon standard d'écrire la date en français ?
La version longue est toujours :
le 24 août 1995
le 1er décembre 1996 (et non le 1 décembre 1996)
Il n’est pas courant dans la correspondance administrative d’indiquer le jour de la semaine. ...
- 295
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 ...
- 1,519
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 ...
- 20k
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 ...
- 17.1k
8
votes
Accepted
Quel pronom utiliser pour traduire « It's not possible to translate IT » ?
Mot à mot :
Ce n'est pas possible de le traduire.
Transposé (déplacement de la négation, pour une traduction plus soutenue):
Il est impossible de le traduire.
- 24.2k
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
"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 ...
- 1,151
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. ...
- 14.5k
7
votes
How to translate "Let the good times roll" into French?
Laissez les bons temps rouler is Cajun French, (a variety of French spoken in Louisiana) and I do not think it is used outside Louisiana or outside Cajun culture.
It is sometimes spelled Laisser les ...
- 56.9k
7
votes
Accepted
Beginning a sentence with "there" - "là"?
Depending on context, it is perfectly acceptable to start a sentence with "là", or with another adverb.
Let's take an example. This a paragraph from a recent news article:
En Europe des ...
- 56.9k
7
votes
Quel pronom utiliser pour traduire « It's not possible to translate IT » ?
Cette périphrase est aussi lourde qu'inutile. La traduction qui s'impose est:
C'est intraduisible.
- 132k
7
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
...
- 408
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 + ...
- 6,488
6
votes
« Nouveau » après le nom
C'est sûrement très subjectif, mais une ville nouvelle ne peut se concevoir qu'en opposition à une vieille ville, c'est à dire que l'on a créé récemment à côté de l'ancienne (et toujours vivante) cité,...
- 24.2k
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.
- 657
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 ...
- 132k
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
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
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
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 ...
- 56.9k
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.
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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:
...
- 132k
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 ...
- 11.2k
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 ...
- 9,878
5
votes
Accepted
Does the article come before or after a numeral value?
The first one is grammatically wrong, the second one is a wrong translation.
The numeral removes the requirement for an article so that should be:
J'ai cinq voitures rouges.
Variants would have a ...
- 132k
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