Is "il est parlé couramment" C1-level French grammar? (La Voix Passive Forming La Voix Passive with simple tenses (passive voice))
I understand what it means, but if C1 why is it in an A2 grammar lesson?
Look at these adverbs:
Ce fil est apparent, mais apparemment personne ne l'a remarqué.
This thread is showing, but apparently no one noticed it.
Notre amitié est récente: nous nous sommes rencontrés récemment.
Our friendship is recent: we met recently.
Cette réponse est évidente: c'est évidemment 1515.
This answer is obvious: it's obviously 1515.
Ce train est fréquent: il vient fréquemment.
This train is frequent: it comes frequently.
Marc est très patient: il attend patiemment.
Marc is very patient: he's waiting patiently.
When turned into adverbs, adjectives ending in -ant and -ent act as follows:
-ant becomes -amment
-ent becomes -emment
-ent becomes -emment
Pronunciation: -emment and -amment both pronounce the same = [aman]
Examples and resources
Le temps n'est pas constant: il change constamment.
The weather is not constant: it changes constantly.
Ce langage est courant: des millions de personnes le parlent couramment à travers le monde.
This language is common: millions of people speak it fluently around the world.
Cette réponse est évidente: c'est évidemment 1515.
This answer is obvious: it's obviously 1515.
Ce fil est apparent, mais apparemment personne ne l'a remarqué.
This thread is showing, but apparently no one noticed it.
Marc est très patient: il attend patiemment.
Marc is very patient: he's waiting patiently.
Ce train est fréquent: il vient fréquemment.
This train is frequent: it comes frequently.
Notre amitié est récente: nous nous sommes rencontrés récemment.
Our friendship is recent: we met recently.
Q&A Forum 9 questions, 26 answers
Question about "Ce langage est courant: il est parlé couramment par de nombreuses personnes"
Asked 3 months ago
Bonjour John !
Indeed, we agree that this sentence is too advanced for A2, and could therefore be more confusing and take the focus away the actual lesson point :)
We therefore decided to change it to a level-appropriate example.
Merci et bonne journée !
Incidentally, I am not complaining. I am just curious about your grammar point design choices and reasoning.
John asked:View original
Question about "Ce langage est courant: il est parlé couramment par de nombreuses personnes"
Is "il est parlé couramment" C1-level French grammar? (La Voix Passive Forming La Voix Passive with simple tenses (passive voice))
I understand what it means, but if C1 why is it in an A2 grammar lesson?
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This thread is apparent, but apparently no one noticed it. - !!!!!!!
Does the question writer mean to ask if a thread is "showing"? The question is not IMO stated in idiomatic English. I can't make the question make sense even if the thread in question is an email thread. Maybe I'm being picky.........
Asked 10 months ago
Yes, I think the problem is that in English we only use apparent for abstract nouns - "no apparent reason", "an apparent danger" etc. So it should probably be translated as "visible", or maybe your suggestion of "showing" would work in this case. But that would spoil the word play of the original -
Ce fil est apparent, mais apparemment personne ne l'a remarqué.
AurélieKwiziq language super star
Bonjour Max !
Indeed, "showing" would be more colloquial here, and thanks to you, it's now been updated :)
Merci et bonne journée !
Max asked:View original
This thread is apparent, but apparently no one noticed it. - !!!!!!!
Does the question writer mean to ask if a thread is "showing"? The question is not IMO stated in idiomatic English. I can't make the question make sense even if the thread in question is an email thread. Maybe I'm being picky.........
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I don't understand why: "David and Jean speak fluent Spanish" isn't correct? Lawless answer was: "David and Jean speak Spanish fluently
Asked 1 year ago
ChrisCorrect answer
Hi Margaret, the lesson is about forming adverbs. The answer was looking for this. In "fluent Spanish", "fluent" is an adjective, not an adverb. It isn't wrong but it isn't what they were looking for.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
My problem is taking a test w/o knowing what the lesson it was based on. Fortunately, I know when to ignore these issues.
Margaret asked:View original
I don't understand why: "David and Jean speak fluent Spanish" isn't correct? Lawless answer was: "David and Jean speak Spanish fluently
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I don't understand why "Currently speak Spanish" is not a correct answer.
I don't understand why currently speak Spanish is not a correct answer. Couramment means currently, correct? It also means fluently, but how is someone to know which definition you are using in this particular example? Please help. Thanks, Terri"
Asked 1 year ago
Actually, couramment doesn't mean currently, it means commonly, frequently or fluently.
Currently would be actuellement. (Which doesn't mean actually.)
These are both faux amis.
My, I feel silly. Sorry for asking such a basic question. Thank you for the correction, and for both faux amis.
Hi Terri, don't beat yourself up about it. Such experiences are actually valuable. I guess you won't forget the meaning of couramment anytime soon. ;)
-- Chris.
Terri asked:View original
I don't understand why "Currently speak Spanish" is not a correct answer.
I don't understand why currently speak Spanish is not a correct answer. Couramment means currently, correct? It also means fluently, but how is someone to know which definition you are using in this particular example? Please help. Thanks, Terri"
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d'autres or des autres
In the test " Il exprime sa haine des autres ardemment . He expresses his hate for others ardently." Is this not "the others" because it is des rather than d'
Asked 1 year ago
As I understand it, "des autres" are "the others" and I know no other way how to say this. However:
Des autres ordinateurs -- The other computers.
D'autres ordinateurs -- Other computers.
When you use "autres" as a noun by itself, as in your example "sa haine des autres" you need the article and hence "de + les = des". If "autres" is used as an adjective as in "autres ordinateurs" you can either include the article (des autres ordinateurs = the other computers) or not (d'autres ordinateurs = other computers).
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
AurélieKwiziq language super star
Bonjour Dragana !
Here it's due to the fact that in French when you talk about things in general - here "others/other people" in general - you need to use the definite article (le, la, l', les), hence the use of des, and not d' .
See also https://french.kwiziq.com/revision/grammar/use-le-la-l-or-les-before-nouns-when-generalising-definite-articles
I hope that's helpful!
Bonne journée !
Dragana asked:View original
d'autres or des autres
In the test " Il exprime sa haine des autres ardemment . He expresses his hate for others ardently." Is this not "the others" because it is des rather than d'
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lent as adverb
This lesson says -ent adjectives become -emment adverbs. However a previous lesson said lent becomes lentement as adverb. Are both spelling forms accepted?
Asked 1 year ago
ChrisCorrect answer
No, "lentement" is definitely correct. Lentemment is wrong.
I would guess that the adjective "lent" is simply too short to claim that its stem is simple "l-". Therefore the rule doesn't apply here. That's how I would argue it before a judge ;)
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Bonjour Damien !
The adjective lent can never become lemment, for the simple reason that it would make the stem of the word disappear, due to the shortness of the adjective in the first place :)
Therefore, here the regular rule of using the feminine adjective as the basis of the adverb applies:
lente-ment
Bonne journée !
The adjective lent can never become lemment, for the simple reason that it would make the stem of the word disappear, due to the shortness of the adjective in the first place :)
Therefore, here the regular rule of using the feminine adjective as the basis of the adverb applies:
lente-ment
Bonne journée !
Damien asked:View original
lent as adverb
This lesson says -ent adjectives become -emment adverbs. However a previous lesson said lent becomes lentement as adverb. Are both spelling forms accepted?
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Saying 1515
in the spoken response saying "Cette réponse est évidente: c'est évidemment 1515" the speaker seems to say "mille cent cinq quinze". Is that correct or am I miss hearing it. If I'm not miss hearing it, why is it cent cinq and not cinq cent?
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Nigel,
Having listened to the recording, I can confirm that it says "mille cinq cent quinze" but we could also say "Quinze cent quinze" , which is of course the most famous date in history for school children as it is so easy to remember! The battle of Marignan.
Hope this helps!
Bonjour Nigel,
It is possible you are miss hearing it because, like you noted, it would be «mille cinq cent quinze»
with the number coming before cent and the same way with mille, i.e. deux mille cinq cent.
Often times one also encounters, as in English, "quinze cent quinze" instead of "mille cinque cent quinze".
-- Chris.
Nigel asked:View original
Saying 1515
in the spoken response saying "Cette réponse est évidente: c'est évidemment 1515" the speaker seems to say "mille cent cinq quinze". Is that correct or am I miss hearing it. If I'm not miss hearing it, why is it cent cinq and not cinq cent?
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Bonjour Beverley !
In French, adverbs tend to be quite flexible :)
We teach the main rule as this is always correct, but then you can sometimes have some "poetic licence", especially in short sentences.
In the case you mentioned, both placements are correct in French:
"Je parle couramment (le) français."
or
"Je parle (le) français couramment."
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt!
In French, adverbs tend to be quite flexible :)
We teach the main rule as this is always correct, but then you can sometimes have some "poetic licence", especially in short sentences.
In the case you mentioned, both placements are correct in French:
"Je parle couramment (le) français."
or
"Je parle (le) français couramment."
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt!
Bonjour Diana,
«So couramment goes in front of the noun?» In a word, no. A general rule of thumb is this:
an adverb follows the verb. Position of most adverbs
Here's the take away from this lesson: Notice that in simple sentences, adverbs are placed right after the verb.
You will notice that this states in simple sentences, and of course like everything else in français, there are exceptions which is my reasoning for stating that it is a general rule of thumb.
For example He speaks French fluently. = Il parle francais couramment and He is fluent = Il parle couramment.
Beverley
HI again, I think there may be a similar example somewhere on your site, but I can't find it, so I took this from somewhere else. "Cette expression française qui date du dix-neuvième siècle est couramment utilisée de nos jours. " Couramment is before the verb, and the meaning changes.
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In one of the examples the irrelevant number is next to the actual text
The example "Cette réponse est évidente: c'est évidemment 1515" - the number is read aloud as well. :)
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq language super star
Bonjour Mikhail !
Here the number in question is a very famous date in French history, and the sentence refers to an exam situation for example, where you'd say "Of course the answer was [year].".
I hope that's helpful!
Mikhail asked:View original
In one of the examples the irrelevant number is next to the actual text
The example "Cette réponse est évidente: c'est évidemment 1515" - the number is read aloud as well. :)
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