43 Comments
The "s" (or "se" for verbs not starting with a vowel) is a reflexive pronoun. It reflects the subject of the verb and is more common in French than in English. In English we may say: "He sees himself in the mirror" but not "he runs himself away" as it would be the case in French.
just because i've been driving myself mad too...for adult language students, we tend to compare new languages with our own, causing more confusion than necessary. All i would say my friend, is to simple learn and accept it. Not everything translates and not comparing our own language to that which we are learning is half the battle. I feel your pain.
It's also fascinating to research the reasons behind seemingly arbitrary linguistic tidbits in any language. Sometimes there's a good story behind things we take for granted in our native tongues.
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Yes it's interesting to learn some of the arcane details. Focusing on linguistic trivia advances "learning" in general, but for me it distracts from actually learning French in particular.
well, i think that s is sometimes just there to separate the vowels from each other but i'm not sure. Sitesurf will probably know
I think it should be but maybe the pronunciation is slightly different. Need a native speaker here
My husband is a native French speaker and he said the pronunciation of the two sing or plural is identical. Alors both answers are correct but the plural was not accepted. Needs to be reported.
"se" could mean "himself/herself/itself"or "themselves"
"nous" is for "ourselves"
"vous" is for "yourselves" or formal "yourself"
"me" is for "myself"
"te" is for "yourself" (tu form, singular familiar you)
Not always, it could be sometimes possible. You could try reporting it. https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-french/He%20runs%20off
'fly away' was suggested and then not accepted. I knew the word as flee but decided to try the first suggestion. Bad idea. Reported.
Thanks that definitely helped, but kinda brokenly i meant what does the verb actually mean,,with a little googling its 'to leave hastily/save one self' thanks
"Je m'enfuis", "tu t'enfuis" and "il/elle s'enfuit" is "présent" as well as "passé simple". Although the past tense "passé simple" is hardly used anymore, it is incorrect to say that "il s'enfuit" is clearly present tense.
I reported it. For now, here: (je) m'enfuis (tu) t'enfuis (il/elle) s'enfuit (nous) nous enfuyons (vous) vous enfuyez (ils/elles) s'enfuient
Here is a verb conjugator for you and it comes with a dictionary: http://conjugator.reverso.net/conjugation-french-verb-s'enfuir.html
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At this point, you should be able to look up conjugations for yourself. We, the people you're asking to do this, are at the same level as you are.
I put "He runs away himself" and it said that the correct answer was "He runs away away." That doesn't even make any sense?
"s'enfuir" is a reflexive verb; this means that the subjects refers back to itself. Literally, "il s'enfuit" translates to "he runs away (himself)", as you pointed out. However, it is always a bad idea to translate sentences literally. You would never say "he runs away himself" in English, would you? No. So, think of "s'enfuir" as a regular verb, but with an 'invisible' reflexive pronoun. It's there, just don't translate it into English.
How would you say "He runs away with her"? "Il l'enfuit" or "Il s'enfuit avec elle" or some other way? (I'm really bad with pronouns)
No, "enfuir" is always reflexive. You could put. "Il fuit avec elle." or "Ils s'enfuient." Although the last could mean that they are eloping.
I'm a good speller because I say a word in my mind to reflect how it is spelled. E. g., I say "fry-end" in my head for "friend. " Similarly, would it not be a good idea to translate French literally at least initially as a mnemonic?
I got that 'he runs away away' is the correct answer. I think an away needs to be removed.
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So when do we use "il fuit"? What's the difference between "il fuit" and "il s'enfuit"?
Is enfuir always reflexive?
Yes, you would use "fuir" when you run away from someone else. "enfuir" is always reflexive. https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/S'enfuir https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/fuir
Am i the only one hearing a "sh" sound when the female voice pronounces any "f" letter??
Is this a cultural thing/expression in French cultures? Running away? I am assuming this is as in 'skipping town' in America? Duolingo has repeated this to me at least over 50times in the past year
Not necessarily. You could run away for many reasons and not leave town. https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/S'enfuir
