"I am waiting for my food."
Translation:J'attends ma nourriture.
44 Comments
not exactly french as it is spoken. One tends to speak about MEALS (repas), not mere food.
Exactly. This is the problem with duolingo (although I LOVE IT). I answered "nourriture" because I've learned duolingo uses more literal translations which is a shame because we should be learning colloquially not learning in order to score points on duolingo!
I don't know if I can agree. In order to understand language, we should learn the logic behind it, not merely common usage. However, they should form sentences that would correlate with how they're used in French. Logic should still come first.
That seems like a distinction without a difference. Where does this logic come from other than from examining the way a language is actually used?
Dat wud imply dat d'way i use lang nw is logical bc alotta ppl use it as such.
Logic behind language is its structure, grammar, vocabulary etc. If you have experience in Mathematics and programming, you can understand why logic in language should have a higher priority than common usage.
But the structure, grammar, and vocabulary of a language are not given to us by a burning bush at the top of a mountain. They are nothing more than an account of the systematic, spontaneous and accepted usage of the language. And it changes accordingly.
It doesn't imply what you say it implies, because there is a difference between widespread use and systematic use, and there's a difference between widespread use and widespread acceptance. The very fact that I'm supposed to be obviously convinced by your display proves as much.
I believe that 'repas' is specifically used for the translation of food as I was taught. 'nourriture' on the other hand is mainly used for food in general.
I could potentially get this wrong if "J'attends pour ma nourriture" was a choice.
I mean I think that "attends" means "wait for" so adding "pour" is redundant, i.e. "wait for for".
But repas means meal not food, and nourriture means food, not meal. They are not interchangeable.
Because Je is followed by a verb that starts with a vowel (sound) Je + ai = J'ai Je + aime = J'aime
why would it be J'attends when repas is singular, wouldn't it be J'attend as i'm talking in first person?
The first person singular of attendre is attends. And the conjugation would have nothing to do with the number of the object, only the subject. http://www.wordreference.com/conj/FrVerbs.aspx?v=attendre
is there a rule of thumb about which verbs end with an s in the first and second person (where first and second person are identical) and which ones only in the second (where first and third person have the same form)
Take a look at the three categories of regular verbs: http://french.about.com/od/grammar/a/Introduction-To-French-Verbs.htm
'J'attends' means 'I am waiting FOR' I presume by the vocabulary used in this sentence?
Because nourriture is feminine. The possessive adjective, like all adjectives, must agree with the noun it modifies.
Surely 'ma nourriture' and 'ma repas' are both correct given that one does not know the context?
It's damned if you do, damned if you don't. If repas were allowed, then that might teach the student, incorrectly, to think that it could translate as "food" in those contexts where it doesn't mean food-as-meal. If it isn't allowed, then that teaches the student, incorrectly, that repas cannot be translated into English as food.
Why is it j'attends ma nourriture and not j'attend ma nourriture (note the s)?
Because that's the first person singular conjugation for attendre. -re verbs have an -s in the first and second person familar and not the third person. J'attends, tu attends, il/elle attend.
Can you explain for the verb "mange"? If I remember, it is Je mange but not Je manges
je mange
tu manges
il, elle, on mange
nous mangeons
vous mangez
ils, elles mangent
attendre follows the -re verb model. manger follows the -er verb model.
I suggest bookmarking a good verb conjugator: http://www.wordreference.com/conj/FrVerbs.aspx
J'attends mon repas. ^_^ This answer was accepted. I typed repas by accident... Anotger translation. . . Ma nourriture.
Gender - masculine and feminine; you use mon if saying something masculine is yours (mon livre) and ma for something feminine (ma chaise): le / la; un / une; ce / cette; mon / ma; ton / ta, etc.
