H aspiré for french proper names

Patrick K.C1KwizIQ Q&A regular contributor

H aspiré for french proper names

J'adore le frère d'Hugo
I love Hugo's brother!

My understanding is that some french proper names that start with H use H aspiré, so this should/could be:

J'adore le frère de Hugo

Does the possessive "de" override the H aspiré rule?

Here are some others that I believe use "H aspiré": Henri, Hubert, Héctor, Harry

Can you please clarify?

Thanks

(I found the following: https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1952/04/02/l-uvre-d-hugo-ou-de-hugo_2010600_1819218.html?srsltid=AfmBOoorvYyZtNOVy6E7pXjCbZdxiKAqXFtYERcRhzDdtDDBoViC6mjJ. Looks like H aspire is a bit old fashioned)

Asked 3 weeks ago
CélineKwizIQ Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour Patrick,

This is an excellent question! You're right that "de + H..." has become "old-fashioned". Usage has shifted strongly toward élision (d'H...), and even l'Académie française agress both are correct ("un poème d'Hugo" or "un poème de Hugo")

Que doit-on dire : « la sœur de Hugo » ou « la sœur d’Hugo » ?

So, "le frère d'Hugo" is not only correct, it's the most natural choice and what people will use nowadays.

EDIT: after discussing this grammar point with my colleague, we decided to accept "de Hugo" although it is quite archaic. We've also added this lesson to our list of lessons needing reviewing and updating.

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Patrick K. asked:

H aspiré for french proper names

J'adore le frère d'Hugo
I love Hugo's brother!

My understanding is that some french proper names that start with H use H aspiré, so this should/could be:

J'adore le frère de Hugo

Does the possessive "de" override the H aspiré rule?

Here are some others that I believe use "H aspiré": Henri, Hubert, Héctor, Harry

Can you please clarify?

Thanks

(I found the following: https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1952/04/02/l-uvre-d-hugo-ou-de-hugo_2010600_1819218.html?srsltid=AfmBOoorvYyZtNOVy6E7pXjCbZdxiKAqXFtYERcRhzDdtDDBoViC6mjJ. Looks like H aspire is a bit old fashioned)

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