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- Topic: French >
- "J'y vais."
191 Comments
I agree. Sometimes, I wish Duolingo had a grammar reference/ pre-explanation section, where some rules about French or other languages could be explained or explored in a fun way, not just your average textbook. For a student who has a pretty solid background in French, Duolingo is a great service for review or whatnot. For a new French student, however, translation (Duolingo's main teaching resource) isn't going to cut it in terms of full knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of the language.
For a student learning French, especially from English (not saying that you are if you aren't, but I am) it can be kind of hard to understand that a subject and a verb don't qualify as a complete thought as in English. The "y" has to be present to state that "I'm going there". "I'm going" ("Je vais") just doesn't fly in French...
I agree too. However I think we must allow them some credit for the fact that it's a brand new service and the fact that they are running it completely free. The discussion function also works pretty well for when you're lost, confused and need help. Though it's definitely worth suggesting your idea of a grammar reference explanation section via the feedback.
Mine came up first as text. It is an algorithm -- albeit an incomplete one. Duolingo takes the approach of learning a language naturally, through experience and mistakes, unlike the textbook style, which requires rote memorization. While memorization is more practical and expedient for mere communication's sake, natural learning has been proven to be the more effective route to learn to speak a language fluently.
I agree. I think it's an interesting approach and once I understood that they were going to throw in some curveballs, I just decided to roll with it. I learn, whether I get things "right" or "wrong", just as I would if I were in a French-speaking city or classroom and making mistakes as I went along. (But with much less possible embarrassment ...) :)
I think this will be added eventually--there are explanations in some of the languages on Duolingo. For now, you have to look elsewhere (http://french.about.com being a good place to start).
It is available on the web version of Duolingo:
https://www.duolingo.com/skill/fr/Pronouns-2/tips-and-notes
Just click on the Pronouns-2 skill and click on the lightbulb for the tips and notes and scroll down for the explanation about "y" .
Another great grammar reference is http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tex/
In particular see http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tex/gr/pro1.html
Hi Ivory, don't know when you wrote this, but in case you haven't discovered it yet, you can find those grammar references/pre-explanations you are looking for on the on-line version of Duolingo (there is usually a Tips & Notes section for each module). They are so helpful that I tend to check out the on-line version, as well as using my app. Hope this helps. (29/12/2015....or 12/29/2015 if you use American dating!)
But Duolingo have a pre-explanation section... This section is not available in app from cell phones, but you can access it by login in on the website duolingo.com . You need to login with your same password used to access the app. In that website, in each lesson's subject, there is a pre-explanation...
Personally i find this sort of opinion amusing. Duo isn't marking you, it's teaching you. To say that it's unfair that you lost a heart is, quite frankly, hilarious. That is the method they are using, they force you to make a mistake so that you remember the lesson. 3 mistakes and you redo the whole thing, thus exposing yourself to even more French. If it takes you 20 turns to complete a lesson I promise you it won't affect your future employment prospects or your chances of getting into university. This isn't high school and duo won't be sending letters home to your parents. There are literally no negative consequences to "failing" a lesson therefore it can hardly be unfair. It's an amazingly effective and free learning resource.
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Duoling does have explanation. But i think only if you use the computer or website can you see it. Click on a skill and scroll down to see them.
If you are not saying specifically where you are going then you would use “y”, but French has a different way to express “I’m leaving.” which is “Je m’en vais.” (which is like saying “I am going from here.” except the French version is reflexive so it reminds me of “I am taking myself from here.”). or “Je pars” (which is used more when you are leaving for a trip, perhaps by plane.)
Scroll down for some examples here: https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-french/I%e2%80%99m+leaving
https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/vais
There are so many uses for this special word. https://dictionary.reverse.net/french-english/Y
This one also has varied uses. https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/En
2399
"y" is the part that means "there". "J'y vais" means "I go there" while "je vais" means "I go".
The difference is in the function of "there". In "J'y vais", "y" is an object pronoun (if you don't know about object pronouns, a great website to use is About.com, because they play a huge role in French). In "La je vais", "there" is a simple direction marker, so to speak, indicating where the person is. Kind of like an adverb I guess?
When the subject is « je » or « il/elle » or whenever in English you say "I go" or "he/she/it goes," you use « vais ». Whenever there is a helping/linking verb before the verb and whenever you mean to say "to go" in English (e.g. "I want to go."), you use the infinitive form « aller » (e.g. « Je veux aller. »).
« y » is not an object. It is an adverb, which, just like in English, have relatively free word order. In this sentence, however, it works best to put « y » right after « je », since pronouns (« y » acts as an adverbial pronoun, where « là » is actually the adverb it stands for) always go before the conjugated verbs. Generally, French has the same S-V-O word order as English, but it is not as set in stone as it is in English.
I've used Duolingo on the computer, iphone and android and noticed that the iphone app provides some explanation with the new words but not android and android has this forum but not iphone. And also android app gives combo bonus and not the iphone app. I wonder why the difference in functions and features and if they can make them consistent so users have consistent experience.
One thing that throes me off is when I put my moues over the word, it show it in English. The thing is, is that it shows it, but all mixed up. I know that French converted into English always comes out mixed up, I guess that is just how it works. Like when you look at a food product and it says, "gluten free," in French it says, "sans gluten." For some ODD reason, that is what mixes me up, which it shouldn't.
1439
I understand the "y" to mean "there" in this instance.
I am puzzled as to why I was marked wrong previously for translating "He goes and I go" as "Il va et je vais" .
Duo informed me that , despite the lack of "there" being in the original sentence, the correct answer should have been: "Il y va et j'y vais".
Can anyone enlighten me please?
Y sounds like ee, but the vowel in je sounds a bit like uh, actually the schwa sound. Here, listen to native speakers saying both of these: https://forvo.com/search/Je%20vais%20j%E2%80%99y%20vais/
1439
Thank ALLintolearning, knowing that "Y" is required with "Aller" makes it clear to me now :]
Except, as I realized from someone else’s question, if you want to say from where, then you would say “Je m’en vais.” which is a reflexive form of aller to mean “I am leaving” (from here).
So, I should modify that “aller” uses “y” to replace destination location or “en” for “from here”. There must be a place involved or one of those special locational “preposition plus place” replacing pronouns.
When we are not talking about physically going to or from somewhere, that does not apply, as there are many expressions that have nothing to do with physically going to or from somewhere. “I am going to do something.” or “Je vais faire quelque chose.”, for example, or “Je vais bien. which means “I am well.” or “I am doing well.”
Maybe it would help to understand French pronunciation. Here is a site where you can listen to live native voices:
https://forvo.com/word/j%27y_vais/
https://www.thoughtco.com/beginning-french-pronunciation-1369548
503
While y is locative for 'there', does French have any equivalent to the distinctions of thither (to there) and thence (from there)?
Nicely formulated question.
I would say that 'y' serves as both a locative and a 'toward' directional (thither). I don't know of any 'away from' directional. I believe 'en' and 'y' are the only French words that work like that.
By the way, Catalan uses these, too. It's the only other language that does as far as I know.