Lesson 16

Question 1

Translate to French:

The teacher had (made) the students sing

Answer 1

L’instituteur a fait chanter les élèves

Recall the causative use of faire, which is formed by faire + an infinitive. If the direct object in a causative construction is a noun (les élèves in this case), it follows the infinitive.

Question 2

Translate to French:

She had the car washed. She had it washed

Answer 2

Elle a fait laver la voiture. Elle l’a fait laver

If the direct object in a causative construction is an object pronoun (l’ in this case), it precedes faire. Also note that the object of faire here is laver, so the past participle of faire does not agree with the preceding feminine direct object pronoun.

Question 3

Translate to French:

Have the house built. Have it built

Answer 3

Faites construire la maison. Faites-la construire

Note the placement of the direct objects in these (affirmative) imperative causative constructions. When the direct object is a pronoun (as in the second sentence), it follows the verb (attached with a hyphen) but precedes the infinitive.

Question 4

Translate to French:

He had the students sing the song. He had them sing it

Answer 4

Il a fait chanter la chanson par les élèves. Il la leur a fait chanter

Here, two pronouns are used with the causative faire. The students (those doing the action) are the indirect object, while the song being sung is the direct object. Note also that the past participle of faire is invariable when followed by an infinitive.

Question 5

Translate to French:

I am having him clean it

Answer 5

Je le lui fais nettoyer

Two pronouns are used in this causative construction. Recall that le/la/les should come before lui/leur when two pronouns are used.

Question 6

Translate to French:

She had the newspaper brought to her

Answer 6

Elle s’est fait apporter le journal

The reflexive causative indicates that the subject is having something done to or for himself/herself.

Question 7

Translate to French:

You have your hair cut

Answer 7

Tu te fais couper les cheveux

Note the use of the reflexive se faire in this causative construction. Also recall how the definite article is used with body parts like cheveux.

Question 8

Translate to French:

I let Marcel do his homework

Answer 8

Je laisse Marcel faire ses devoirs

Note how the infinitive can be used after the verb laisser. This is similar to how the infinitive is used with faire in causative constructions.

Question 9

Translate to French:

Did you let Jean eat the dessert?

Answer 9

Est-ce que tu as laissé Jean manger le dessert?

Question 10

Translate to French:

My parents let me play guitar

Answer 10

Mes parents me laissent jouer de la guitare

Note how the direct object pronoun me precedes the verb here.

Question 11

Translate to French:

I let him do it

Answer 11

Je le laisse le faire

There are two object pronouns here. One of them precedes the verb, while the other, which is the object of the infinitive, precedes the infinitive. In other words, the second le here refers to “it,” which is the object of the infinitive faire.

Question 12

Translate to French:

We hear Paul singing

Answer 12

On entend chanter Paul

Just like laisser, verbs of perception can be followed by the infinitive. Verbs that can be used like this include: entendre, voir, sentir, regarder, and écouter.

Question 13

Translate to French:

We saw Maxime reading his book

Answer 13

Nous avons vu Maxime lire son livre

In this verb of perception + infinitive construction, the noun livre (the object of the infinitive lire) comes after the infinitive.

Question 14

Translate to French:

I see the girl eating. I see her eating

Answer 14

Je vois manger la fille. Je la vois manger

Note the placement of the direct object pronoun before the verb of perception.

Question 15

Translate to French:

We heard Marie sing(ing) the song. We heard her sing(ing) the song

Answer 15

Nous avons entendu Marie chanter la chanson. Nous l’avons entendue chanter la chanson

Note how the feminine past participle agrees with the preceding feminine object pronoun l’, which replaces Marie.

Question 16

Translate to French:

They heard her singing

Answer 16

Ils l’ont entendue chanter

Note how the participle agrees with the preceding object pronoun, which refers to a woman singing. The woman performs the action expressed by the infinitive. In other words, she is the subject of the infinitive, which warrants participle agreement.

Question 17

Translate to French:

They heard it (the song) sung

Answer 17

Ils l’ont entendu chanter

Here, the participle entendu does not agree with the preceding object pronoun, which refers to a song being sung. This is because the song is actually the object of the infinitive, chanter. Participle agreement could only occur if the song were the subject of the infinitive, which is not the case.

Question 18

Translate to French:

We heard her sing(ing) the song. We heard her sing(ing) it

Answer 18

Nous l’avons entendue chanter la chanson. Nous l’avons entendue la chanter

Here, two object pronouns are used. The first (l’) applies to the person singing, while the second (la) is the song being sung.

Question 19

Translate to French:

After visiting Paris, he went to Grenoble

Answer 19

Après avoir visité Paris, il est allé à Grenoble

Note the past infinitive, which is formed by pairing the infinitive of either avoir or être with a past participle. The past infinitive is used for actions that happened before other actions. Both actions are performed by the same subject.

Question 20

Translate to French:

Thank you for helping him

Answer 20

Merci de l’avoir aidé

In English, the more literal translation here would be “Thanks for having helped him,” which is how we say it in French. Also note the object pronoun l’, placed before the verb construction here.

Question 21

Translate to French:

I’m sorry for having missed you at the airport

Answer 21

Je suis désolé de t’avoir manqué à l’aéroport

Note the use of de after désolé – “sorry for.” Also note the object pronoun t’, which precedes the past participle construction.

Question 22

Translate to French:

They’re happy that they came

Answer 22

Ils sont contents d’être venus

Note how the past participle agrees with the subject, since the auxiliary verb is être. (A more direct English translation would have been “They’re happy for having come.”)

Question 23

Translate to French:

You guys wanted to (have) finish(ed) by Saturday

Answer 23

Vous vouliez avoir terminé avant le samedi

Here, the past infinitive modifies the main verb, vouloir.

Question 24

Translate to French:

Julie? After seeing her, we left

Answer 24

Julie? Après l’avoir vue, nous sommes partis

Note how the past participle vue agrees with its preceding feminine direct object.

Question 25

# Translate to French: He regrets _not_ coming/having come

Answer 25

Il regrette de _ne pas_ être venu ## Footnote Note the placement of negative adverbs in the past infinitive. *Ne* and *pas* do not surround the past infinitive; instead, they both precede it.

Question 26

# Translate to French: Marie can no longer _take care of_ her grandmother

Answer 26

Marie ne peut plus _prendre soin de_ sa grand-mère ## Footnote to take care of - *prendre soin de*. Note that an alternative is the reflexive construction *s'occuper de*.

Question 27

# Translate to French: I dream of a day when cancer _will be cured_

Answer 27

Je rêve d'un jour où le cancer _sera guéri_ ## Footnote to cure - *guérir*. Note that "to cure someone of something" is *guérir quelqu'un de quelque chose*. Also note how *où* is used instead of *quand* to refer to a moment in time.

Question 28

# Translate to French: Sorry to _bother_ you

Answer 28

Excusez-moi de vous _déranger_ ## Footnote to bother, to disturb - *déranger*

Question 29

# Translate to French: I _sneeze_ when I'm in the same room as a dog

Answer 29

J'_éternue_ quand je suis dans la même pièce qu'un chien ## Footnote to sneeze - *éternuer*

Question 30

# Translate to French: When someone sneezes, I always say _"Bless you!"_

Answer 30

Quand quelqu'un éternue, je dis toujours _"À vos souhaits!"_ ## Footnote bless you - *à vos souhaits*. This literally means "to your wishes." When addressing someone with whom you are more familiar, you could say *à tes souhaits*.

Question 31

# Translate to French: This year, orange is _in style_

Answer 31

Cette année, l'orange est _à la mode_ ## Footnote in style - *à la mode*

Question 32

# Translate to French: She has the _know-how_ to take care of herself

Answer 32

Elle a le _savoir-faire_ de s'occuper d'elle-même ## Footnote know-how - *le savoir-faire*. This is an invariable masculine noun.

Question 33

# Translate to French: I _thank_ you for helping me

Answer 33

Je vous _remercie_ pour votre aide ## Footnote to thank - *remercier*. Note that "to thank someone for something" is *remercier quelqu'un pour quelque chose*.

Question 34

# Translate to French: Thank him _for me_

Answer 34

Remerciez-le _de ma part_ ## Footnote for someone, on someone's behalf - *de sa part*

Question 35

# Translate to French: She was _thankful_ to him for the flowers

Answer 35

Elle lui était _reconnaissante_ pour les fleurs ## Footnote grateful, thankful - *reconnaissant*. This adjective takes the preposition *à* -- "grateful to." Also note that the feminine noun *reconnaissance* means "thanks" or "gratitude."

Question 36

# Translate to French: _If you don't mind me asking_, what do you do for a living?

Answer 36

_Si ce n'est pas indiscret_, que faites-vous dans la vie? ## Footnote if you don't mind me asking - *si ce n'est pas indiscret*. Some equivalent expressions include: *si cette question ne vous dérange pas* and *pardonnez mon indiscrétion, mais*.

Question 37

# Translate to French: _In addition_, the symptoms of the virus are not yet known

Answer 37

_En outre_, les symptômes du virus ne sont pas encore connus ## Footnote in addition - *en outre*. This is a relatively formal construction. Note how *pas encore* is used here to mean "not yet."

Question 38

# Translate to French: It is _henceforth_ forbidden to leave before 6 o'clock

Answer 38

Il est _désormais_ interdit de partir avant 18 heures ## Footnote henceforth - *désormais, dorénavant*. Another option is *dès lors*.

Question 39

# Translate to French: _Nonetheless_, I believe that it is always important to help others

Answer 39

_Néanmoins_, je crois qu'il est toujours important d'aider les autres ## Footnote nevertheless, nonetheless - *néanmoins, pourtant*. Another synonym is *cependant*.

Question 40

# Translate to French: Marie prepared the whole meal, _apart from_ the appetizer

Answer 40

Marie a préparé tout le repas, _hormis_ l'entrée ## Footnote except (for), apart from - *hormis*. This is a formal word that is most commonly seen in written French.

Question 41

# Translate to French: _In olden days_, the flu was a much more serious illness

Answer 41

_Jadis_, la grippe était une maladie bien plus grave ## Footnote formerly, in olden days - *jadis*. This is a more formal alternative to *autrefois* and *auparavant*.

Question 42

# Translate to French: _As a result_, he can no longer travel to France

Answer 42

_Par conséquent_, il ne peut plus voyager en France ## Footnote as a result - *par conséquent*

Question 43

# Translate to French: Which one? _Either_ one _or_ the other, they're both great

Answer 43

Lequel? _Soit_ l'un, _soit_ l'autre, ils sont tous les deux géniaux ## Footnote either... or - *soit... soit*. Note the use of *tous les deux* to mean "both."

Question 44

# Translate to French: You have _neither_ sisters _nor_ brothers

Answer 44

Tu *_n'_*as _ni_ soeurs _ni_ frères ## Footnote neither... nor - *ne... ni... ni*. No article or partitive is used after this construction. Also note that *ni* can be used more than twice: *Il n'a parlé ni à Sophie, ni à Paul, ni à Jean* -- "He talked neither to Sophie, nor to Paul, nor to Jean."

Question 45

# Translate to French: _Neither one_ can go there

Answer 45

_Ni l'un ni l'autre ne_ peut y aller ## Footnote neither one - *ni l'un(e) ni l'autre ne*. Note how this construction serves as the subject of the sentence. Also note how the verb is conjugated in the third-person singular.

Question 46

# Translate to French: The scarves? We did _not_ want _either one_

Answer 46

Les écharpes? On _ne_ voulait _ni l'une ni l'autre_ ## Footnote either one - *ni l'un(e) ni l'autre*. Here, this construction is used as the direct object (rather than the subject), which changes its meaning to "either one" (rather than "neither one"). Notice how the verb takes the negative *ne*.

Question 47

# Translate to French: Is there _anyone_ tall in your class?

Answer 47

Y a-t-il _personne_ de grand dans ta classe? ## Footnote anyone - *personne*. In a question or conditional sentence, *personne* can be used without the negative *ne*, meaning "anyone."

Question 48

# Translate to French: Paul eats a lot. Me too. Paul doesn't eat much. _Neither do I_

Answer 48

Paul mange beaucoup. Moi aussi. Paul ne mange pas beaucoup. _Moi non plus_ ## Footnote neither, either - *non plus*. This is the negative form of *aussi*.

Question 49

# Translate to French: I know it. You know it too. Actually, I don't know it. You don't know it _either_

Answer 49

Je le sais. Tu le sais aussi. En fait, je ne le sais pas. Tu ne le sais pas _non plus_ ## Footnote neither, either - *non plus*

Question 50

# Translate to French: Is there a _way_ of finding it?

Answer 50

Est-ce qu'il y a une _façon_ de le trouver? ## Footnote a way - *une façon, une manière*. These nouns mean "way" as in "manner." *Chemin* or *direction* should be used to mean "way" as in "direction."

Question 51

# Translate to French: _In the end_, she is all he has

Answer 51

_Au bout du compte_, elle est tout ce qu'il a ## Footnote all said and done, in the end, ultimately - *au bout du compte, en fin de compte*

Question 52

# Translate to French: The _symptoms_ of this illness are very well known

Answer 52

Les _symptômes_ de cette maladie sont très bien connus ## Footnote a symptom - *un symptôme*

Question 53

# Translate to French: Headaches are a _common_ problem

Answer 53

Les maux de tête sont un problème _commun_ ## Footnote common - *commun*. Note the plural form of the term *un mal de tête*, "a headache."

Question 54

# Translate to French: The storm _damaged_ John's boat

Answer 54

La tempête _a endommagé_ le bateau de John. / Le bateau de John _a été endommagé_ dans la tempête ## Footnote to damage, to harm - *endommager, abîmer, nuire à*. The first two verbs are more literal, dealing directly with physical harm. *Nuire à* can be used more figuratively.

Question 55

# Translate to French: Claude was seriously _injured_ when he fell last night

Answer 55

Claude a été gravement/sérieusement _blessé_ quand il est tombé hier soir ## Footnote to injure - *blesser*

Question 56

# Translate to French: Alcohol can damage your _liver_

Answer 56

L'alcool peut nuire au _foie_ ## Footnote the liver - *le foie*

Question 57

# Translate to French: His _heart_ was beating rapidly

Answer 57

Son _coeur_ battait rapidement ## Footnote the heart - *le coeur*. Note that you could also say *Son coeur battait vite*.

Question 58

# Translate to French: Fortunately, the accident did not damage his _brain_

Answer 58

Heureusement, l'accident n'a pas endommagé son _cerveau_ ## Footnote the brain - *le cerveau*

Question 59

# Translate to French: This _blood_ disease is very serious

Answer 59

Cette maladie du _sang_ est très grave ## Footnote blood - *sang*. The verb "to bleed" is *saigner*. To order rare meat in French, ask for it to be "bleeding," or *saignant*.

Question 60

# Translate to French: Smoking causes damage to the _lungs_

Answer 60

Fumer nuit aux _poumons_ ## Footnote a lung - *un poumon*

Question 61

# Translate to French: I was not able to stop _coughing_

Answer 61

Je ne pouvais pas arrêter de _tousser_ ## Footnote to cough - *tousser*

Question 62

# Translate to French: Marie is staying home today because she has a _cold_

Answer 62

Marie reste à la maison aujourd'hui parce qu'elle a un _rhume_ ## Footnote a cold - *un rhume*

Question 63

# Translate to French: In winter, the _flu_ is a very common illness

Answer 63

En hiver, la _grippe_ est une maladie très commune ## Footnote the flu - *la grippe*

Question 64

# Translate to French: This _medication_ can cure the symptoms of the flu

Answer 64

Ce _médicament_ peut guérir les symptômes de la grippe ## Footnote medication, medicine - *des médicaments*. Note that "medicine" as a general profession is *la médecine*.

Question 65

# Translate to French: The majority of Americans think that _health insurance_ costs too much

Answer 65

La plupart des Américains pensent que l'_assurance maladie_ coûte trop cher ## Footnote medical/health insurance - *l'assurance maladie*. This term is feminine. Note how *penser* is conjugated in the third-person plural. Also note how *cher* is not spelled *chère*: it is used here as an adverb, so no agreement is needed with the feminine noun *assurance*.