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- "J'aime griller la viande."
38 Comments
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the answer is "I like grilling THE meat" because the article "la" appears alone. If it read, "J'aime griller DE LA viande," then the answer would be "I like grilling meat (in general)" because "de la" refers to an unspecified thing or quantity. It's this right?
I find this extremely confusing: if I understood correctly, you are saying the partitive (de la viande) with 'griller' is not used to talk about a part (some meat), but about the whole category/concept. Isn't this in direct contradiction to the usage of the partitive case elsewhere?
You should read this to have a full understanding: https://www.duolingo.com/comment/3683850
If that didn't clear it up for you, then tell me why or why not and I'll try to explain.
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Is Duo then a particular form of French which is not necessarily acceptable in all cases to native French speakers?
"Note that native Francophones may use them differently"
I see. Well, you should direct your question to someone more knowledgeable than me about this such as Sitesurf or the guy who wrote the post that I referenced.
Cheers
The way I like to think about it, as a reminder to myself when to use it, is that to use 'la/etc.' form if you are talking about something in specific, eg. I like to grill meat specifically/especially - to put greater emphasis on the noun. This is just the feeling I get for this usage, and so far it helps me to get the correct answer on the questions - though whether in general it is correct i am not sure of
Shouldn't this be 'I like to grill meat' in an analogous way to 'j'aime le pain' meaning 'I like bread' you use le/la/l'/les because you're talking about the concept or idea of what you like and not a definite quantity?
It would be "J'aime le pain" = I like bread OR I like the bread.
J'aime griller le pain = I like to grill the bread.
J'aime griller du pain = I like to grill bread.
J'aime griller de la viande = I like to grill meat.
With verbs of appreciation you use the definite article for generalities as pertains to the object of the sentence. Once you add a verb such as "griller", you're no longer talking about liking bread, but liking to grill bread.
"I like to grill the meat" is a very, very bizarre thing to say. If "J'aime griller la viande" is not a bizarre statement, then "I like to grill the meat" is not the correct translation.
I agree with Philip. The idea that one enjoys grilling some particular piece or bunch of meat is bizarre. I vote for learning "real" language.
Yes, it's unusual, but not impossible. Think about a situation such as this: "When my family and I have barbecues, my sister likes to make the salad, and I like to grill the meat." Nothing bizarre about that.
Vous avez raison. Merci. Although I'm sure I have seen "avoir de la raison" somewhere, but it was a long time ago, and I don't remember in what context.
No it would not be. "Faire" + a verb creates the causative voice.
Ex1-1 J'aime faire griller la viande
Ex1.-2 "I like to have the meat cooked."
It's the causative voice because "faire" causes the action following it to be done by someone else other than the subject. So in this sentence, "je" did not do the grilling.
No it would not be. "Faire" + a verb creates the causative voice, and the translation of what you wrote would be:
"I like to have the meat cooked."
It's the causative voice because "faire" causes the action following it to be done by someone else other than the subject. So in your sentence, "je" did not do the grilling.
I'm still confused about when "aimer" means "to like" and when it means "to love." Help?
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I found this and it may be helpful?!?
The verb ‘aimer’ can mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ depending on the context and accompanying adverbs. allintolearning has said it most clearly for me by saying: In French, "aime" means "love " with people and "like " with things. For things that they love, they use a different verb "adore".
I think in reference to people it's love, and in reference to animals and objects it's like
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Why does one say j'aime FAIRE grille de la viande vs j'aime griller de la viande? So confused!!
"Faire" + a verb creates the causative voice.
Ex1-1 J'aime faire griller la viande
Ex1.-2 "I like to have the meat cooked."
It's the causative voice because "faire" causes the action following it to be done by someone else other than the subject. So in this sentence, "je" did not do the grilling.
The faire + verb construction came in with verbs that the subject of the sentence would normally be the object of the verb. The water boils. L'eau bruille. I am boiling in this suit. Je bruille dans ce costume.
In French if you want to turn these sentences around you have to use faire: Je fais bruiller de l'eau.
Griller is different in that the subject of the sentence is the one doing the grilling and the direct object is what is being grilled.
Could someone explain why it is incorrect to say "I like to cook the meat". I understand that it isn't the literal translation but is there any other reason?
I wonder if this sentence is at all related to the last one (for me): j'aime regarder les enfants jouer.
