There are lists of verbs that take à or de before an infinitive and commencer is on both lists. Can you explain when to use which construction? Thanks.
There are lists of verbs that take à or de before an infinitive and commencer is on both lists. Can you explain when to use which construction? Thanks.
"He apologised for not bringing her glasses"
Is the sentence "Il s'est excusé pour n'apporter pas ses lunettes" a correct translation of the sentence above, if not, what is the correct one?
Bonjour Emre can,
s'excuser de = to apologise for
il s'est excusé de ne pas avoir apporté ses lunettes - He apologised for not bringing his glasses
See link here (it is a little advanced - look where the negation is positioned in each example): Negating infinitives in indirect speech
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !
"He apologised for not bringing her glasses"
Is the sentence "Il s'est excusé pour n'apporter pas ses lunettes" a correct translation of the sentence above, if not, what is the correct one?
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No notebook add feature?
I'd love to add this page to my notebook but don't see the button for it. Can you please add that feature to this page? Thank you!
You can add quizzes to your notebook, not grammar lists.
No notebook add feature?
I'd love to add this page to my notebook but don't see the button for it. Can you please add that feature to this page? Thank you!
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Commencer à faire ou commencer de faire
Hi,
There are lists of verbs that take à or de before an infinitive and commencer is on both lists. Can you explain when to use which construction? Thanks.
Hi John,
There is a slight difference in usage between the two but I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Commencer à is more used than commencer de.
You might be interested in reading my answer to Shrey on the matter in the following question which explains the difference -
https://french.kwiziq.com/questions/view/queries-pertaining-to-grammatical-concepts
Hope this helps!
It is commencer à, with commencer de being reserved for literary use.
Commencer à faire ou commencer de faire
Hi,
There are lists of verbs that take à or de before an infinitive and commencer is on both lists. Can you explain when to use which construction? Thanks.
Sign in to submit your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today