French language Q&A Forum

Bonjour! I have definitely heard an excited new dad exclaim, “Je suis Papa!”  

Is there a difference between what is correct and what is actually said?

How can I know whether the city contains a definite article or not? Is there some rule?

In one of the 10 question quizzes:

How would you say "Alain expected this situation to resolve itself." ?

J'ai repondu "Alain attendait que cette situation se résolve d'elle-même."

Mais la réponse correcte était: "Alain s'attendait à ce que cette situation se résolve d'elle-même."

Pourquoi? Où est la sense de souci ? L'anglais etait "expected this situation to resolve itself" qui indique une manque de souci.

I have just run across this sentence in my reading, and I don't understand how/why the adverbial pronoun is used:

The introductory sentence is part of a conversation: 

-Vous ignorez qu'il est le propriétaire des parfums et des produits de beauté Mylène?

This is followed by the following sentence, which is the author's omnipotent observation about how little Maigret knew about perfumes:  

Il s'y connaissait si peu en produits de beauté! 

I understand what is being communicated, but I don't understand the grammar!

Please explain why the "s'y" construction is in this sentence.  

Merci!