"Pourquoi aimes-tu les poissons ?"
Translation:Why do you like the fish?
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2053
I imagine that would apply to seeing them in a stream or whatever as well.
I wonder if I will remember that distinction a year from now.
There are also words in English that work like this where the uncountable and countable versions of the word are the same, except when you are referring to different types of them, in which case the plural has a new form. Think of the word "fruit". "I really like to eat fruit" (implying plural), but "I only like to eat specific types of fruits" (still plural, but this time it has an 's' since I am referencing different types of fruits).
there are 3 ways to ask questions. the way you mentioned doesn't exist.
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'est-ce que' this is when you use est-ce que to ask a question. when using a question word (quand, quel, ect.) you place it in front. this type is generally inbetween informal and formal. ex. est-ce que tu danse?
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'inversion' this is when you which the pronoun and the conjugated verb around and add a hyphen. when using a question word you place it in front. it is quite formal. ex. danse-tu?
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'intonation' this is when you raise your voice at the end to indicate it is a question. when using a question word place it at the end. this is quite informal. ex. tu danse?
these all mean the same thing: do you dance?
I always remember Pourquoi means why from the Mika song 'Elle Me Dit', the line in the chorus is 'Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?' which is, 'Why are you wasting your life?'
Songs can be really helpful for learning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiHWwKC8WjU
368
je l'aime beaucoup I'm very fond of him
je l'aime bien I like him
Leia mais em http://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/aimer/1925#9tjLhP6AeyDA6D5s.99
elle adore les roses/lire/qu'on lui écrive she loves roses/to Leia mais em http://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/adorer/1170#c6QujRSmf2yqRdk2.99
1002
Jaquifm, If you haven't studied a foreign language before, you may find the notes that Duo has provided very helpful in getting your bearings. After each answer, you get a screen that has a link you can click.
The right choice in terms of articles depends on the meaning.
- as-tu le(s) poisson(s) ? inquires about specific fish = do you have the fish?
- aimes-tu les poissons ? inquires about your liking of fish in general = do you like fish?
- cuisines-tu du poisson ? inquires about an undefined quantity of fish = are you cooking (some) fish?
In other words, when the French sentence has a definite article, the English translation can be:
- "the" if the object is specific
- no article if the object is generalized or a category
Besides, "des" is the plural indefinite article that English does not have:
- un poisson (singular) - des poissons (plural)
1005
Salut, Sitesurf. I'm grateful for the moderators, such as you, who have the skill and patience to answer our questions. I often get the answers to MY questions by reading the moderators' responses in these discussions. Merci.
In French, you basically have 3 ways to ask a question:
- formal: aimes-tu les poissons ?: with a Verb-Subject inversion (mostly in writing)
- standard: est-ce que tu aimes les poissons ? "est-ce que" introduces the question itself in a statement form
- relaxed/in speech: tu aimes les poissons ? simple statement with a question mark at the end and voice raising with the last syllable.
2053
English speakers almost always use fish for the plural of fish. When they use fishes it is generally to refer to groups of fish such as different species or some other context.
Directly translating the custom of using the plural of fish in French to English would be misleading for English speakers although it would be grammatically correct.
368
The plural of fish is usually fish, but fishes has a few uses. In biology, for instance, fishes is used to refer to multiple species of fish. For example, if you say you saw four fish when scuba diving, that means you saw four individual fish, but if you say you saw four fishes, we might infer that you saw an undetermined number of fish of four different species. http://grammarist.com/usage/fish-fishes/
1693
I find the female voice much harder to make out the words than the male one. She sounds as if she's too close to the microphone.