French language Q&A Forum

I can't seem to differentiate between the cojugate form of etre and avoir when used with the first person Je. Par exemple:
Je suis grand.
versus 
J'ai cinq ans.

They both seem to mean "I am" in the above sentence.

Hi, in the first section, why is it “que j’ai réunis” instead of “que j’aie réunis”? I thought that the verb following “que” needed to be in the subjunctive. 

Thanks, Brian

I was marked wrong on this one. Vous faisez la queue seems correct. Not understanding why it would be vous faites la queue? Thank you. 

Hello again,

I have a question when looking over my answers and noticing that il me reste is using the impersonal verb shouldn't the suggestion lesson change from direct/indirect object to impersonal verb?

Thanks 

Nicole

Hello,

I was wondering if I can post my translation of the reading exercise of Cher journal for my answers here to see how I did or is there a page where it shows it correctly of the translation?

Thanks for your help

Nicole

Bonjour !

While studying, I've found a sentence which drives me crazy for the last few days... I've been googling and reviewing my notes and Kwiziq's lessons, but I couldnt find a clear answer... Hope someone can help me out.... 

This is the sentence: " J'ai fait passer les coordonnées de tout le mond." And according to the source where I found it, the english translation of the sentence is this : "I've circulated everyone's contact details."

Based on the translation, I dont get it why "faire passer" is used instead of "passer".  In my understanding, the word "passer" is also a transitive verb with a meaning "pass on/ hand over".

Would it be wrong if I use "J'ai passé" ? 

I would much appreciate any response or explanation !

I read somewhere that ne ... pas and ne ...point were the first negative constructions in the evolution of the French language. I can just imagine someone trekking through the woods in Old French times and saying, "Not another step."  Or a tired monk in some scriptorium copying over an illegible text and saying, "Not another period."

If I ask a 'how come' question that refers to myself (and not to someone else), presumably the subjunctive does not apply? For example: -

"How come I'm not in the football team?" this presumably would not attract the subjunctive??

I only ask because other subjunctive lessons state:

 'When something happens so that / in order that someone else does something in French'

I've keyed the below sentence into google. 

As the subject is the 'same person' in both parts of the sentence, is the translation wrong? 

According to the lesson the subjunctive occurs when something happens so that someone else does something.

"I do it so that I look beautiful" ... "Je le fais pour que je sois belle." 

https://french.kwiziq.com/revision/glossary/transitivity

https://french.kwiziq.com/revision/glossary/transitivity/transitive-verb

Retourner can be used with avoir or être in compound tenses depending on its meaning in French (Le Passé Composé)

Grammar Jargon:   
partir and sortir are intransitive verbs, whereas quitter and laisser are always transitive verbs (i.e. have a direct object).

In this lesson the comment is made that «quitter and laisser are always transitive verbs - ie have direct objects» . While both parts of the statement are correct, it seems to link the need for a direct object to be the definition of being a transitive verb. It is the definition only for «les verbes transitifs directs». (In other lessons as for 'retourner' here the same inference is given by noting that retourner is «intransitive because it lacks a direct object»). 

In a number of other references, and discussed fully on the KwizIQ glossary pages linked, the definition for 'transitive verb' is that it needs an object, with some verbs only taking direct objects, some indirect objects, and some taking both. Some verbs are intransitive - cannot have any object. There are of course verbs that have both transitive and intransitive usage. So as not to repeat everything, I will just note that the 'description' of these forms in lessons is not always consistent with their 'definitions'.