French language Q&A Forum

This lesson describes “although” and “even if” as “similar” but states that “although” is “more elegant and subtle” than “even if.”  This is not quite right.  There is a significant difference in meaning.  “Although” is usually followed by a concession/affirmation of fact, while “even if” is followed by a hypothetical assumption (without a concession/affirmation of fact).

For example:

“Although I stole the hat, I did not deserve the death penalty.”  — I am admitting I stole the hat.

“Even if I stole the hat, I did not deserve the death penalty.”  There is ambiguity here.  I am not necessarily admitting I stole the hat.  I am saying that, even assuming I stole the hat, I don’t deserve the death penalty.

It’s unclear to me if there is a similar distinction in meaning in French between bien que and meme si which explains why one form takes indicative and the other subjunctive.  I would expect the version that is closer to although and which affirms a fact to take indicative, and the other subjunctive.  At least that is how it works in Spanish - “aunque” with indicative is “although,” and “aunque” with subjunctive is “even if.”

In the example when it says il pense à elle and it means he’s thinking of her. But in another example it says je parle de lui which means I speak of him. So de and à both mean of in these examples so I will as wondering when I would use à and when I would use de.

The above is quoted from the lesson.  I wonder if the "past participle" now serves as an adjective and that is the reason for the agreement, not the use of the verb être per se.  If that is the case it seems to me to be a much easier way to understand the construction of the passive voice.  

The explanation seems to focus on the verb être with the use of bold for être rather than the subject agreement, so it's easy to get confused.  (I tried to use "bold" here but it didn't work, so pls. see statement as it appears in the lesson.)

Going back to an earlier lesson which had this sentence in a quiz question:

Je vais être dévoré par les morts vivants

I went round and round trying to figure out what part of speech dévoré was.  I finally decided it was being used as an adjective (but I admit I am not !00% sure).   Hence my question above.

see that question below (not from me)

Conjugate verbs in the near future in French using aller + infinitive (Le Futur Proche)

See below.   The use of être plus the past participle should be discussed/explained...just say'n :))Non ! Je ________ dévoré par les morts vivants !No! I'm going to be devoured by the living dead!HINT: Conjugate être (to be) in Le Futur Proche

Just FYI, the HINT i.e. mon rêve is attached to the wrong audio file. 

Are there rules about when to use the abbreviation for heure? For example, huit heure or 8h or huit h. Also, when typing 8h is there a space between the number and the abbreviation or no space (8h or 8 h)?

This isn't the first time in a dictation where a word appears in the text, but isn't in the spoken section. In this specific case, "que" is absent in the spoken portion of the phrase "on s'est vus jeudi avant que vous ne partiez." It (que) is used 8 times in this exercise, and clearly articulated 7 times, (minus the portion mentioned). Is this an error? Or a natural omission for advanced french speaker? Perhaps something to add in another lesson?