French language Q&A Forum

I know that this phrase is incorrect: "Le bâtiment d'ancien où mes parents habitaient", but I also know that sometimes "de" is used with an adjective in similar phrases.

What is the rule about whether to add "de" to an adjective?

Each of these expressions are translated using 'du'.  In English, both are possessive.  In the first case, we are talking about a place, so I can rationalize the use of 'du' instead of 'de'.  In the second case, I have more of a problem.   It seems like a simple use of the possessive which I think would call for 'de' instead of 'du'.  Can I get some guidance here?  Thanks.

For the line “Chaque seconde, un hectare de forêt vierge mondiale est détruit” one lesson listed is passive voice. Is this really passive voice, or is “détruit” just an adjective in this case? I would be able to see more clearly the passive voice nature of, for example, “Every second, one hectare of forest was destroyed by foresters” or even “Every second, one hectare of forest was destroyed” (with an implied subject enacting the verb). However, I’m not getting the passive voice in the original line, perhaps because “is” rather than “was” is being used. Explanation welcome, as I do struggle with passive voice topics.

Passive voice

depuis que j'etais petite pendant l'hiver, on a campe dans les montagnes dans le canton de Geneve. 

I put in some different answers from what was accepted and wondered if any of the following were possible. 

1. For "I really need to save", is it OK to use "il faut vraiment", or does "absolument" always naturally go with "il faut" ?

2. For "I've stopped buying expensive brands", can I also use the reflexive "Je me suis arrêtée d'acheter des marques chères" ?

3. For "and instead I've tried the supermarket brands" can we use "au lieu" in place of "à la place"?; and finally :

4. For "I must admit", can the verb "avouer" replace "admettre", as in "Je dois l'avouer..." or does this have a different sense ?

Thanks

It does rather put modern man in a bad light, but that aside a good dictation exercise.

My main point though is that the woman's diction was clear but the man's was muffled and difficult to understand.