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When you use more than one adjective to designate a single color (like "light blue," "dark green," etc.), neither of the adjectives changes according to the noun it modifies. For example:
"Il a les yeux bleu clair et les cheveux brun foncé."
"He has light blue eyes and dark brown hair."
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All languages have rules, some more than others. I imagine the rules as irritating insects, so we can apply lines by the mathematician Augustus De Morgan : "Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em | And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum".
Another sentence on here has something along the lines of "des gants violettes". So is the color plural there because it doesn't follow the double adjective rule?
So I've noticed, but is that the reason why it is plural? Is it plural because it is the only adjective in the sentence vs the two non-plural adjectives in the original sentence?
- 1720
The "boots" being plural is not driving anything about the color adjective. It is simply that the color adjective is a compound term (rouge foncé). In such a situation, there is no agreement with the noun being modified, whether it is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. For "des gants violettes", "violettes" (a single color adjective) agrees with the plural "des gants".
- 162
Not sure I get your question. But if you think that in English we never modify adjectives you can apply the same rule when there are two in a row in French.
Yes, I know thanks to Ripcurlgirl that the double color adjectives remain unmodified, but is "des gants violettes" plural because it does NOT have the double adjective like "des bottes rouge foncé" ?
Foncé means dark as in a dark color while sombre means to be gloomy. Par exemple,' il y a des bottes rouge foncé ' ' there are dark red boots ' ' Ceci est une sombre histoire du passé' 'This a dark story about the past' So, I hope this helps! Give a lingot please
Just to see what would happen I wrote "she is carrying dark red boots" and this was marked incorrect BUT would one not use the same sentence to describe a female who was carrying red boots???
Does anyone know what these things that look like likes and dislikes under everybodys comments do?
they allow your comment to go either up or down for those who read the discussion
- 1720
It is a way to register your agreement, i.e., "like", without having to add a comment such as "I agree", "me too", etc.
I don't understand why you want to complicate a fairly simple sentence. The word "some" is superfluous. After all, who says "I am wearing some boots"? Having said that, if you report it, it will probably be added to the accepted translations.
It is a part of the grammatical structure of French - articles are required - but they aren't in English so why add them in?
Because Duo is constantly forcing us to add small words that we don't use in casual speaking. The word 'that' for instance.
- 1720
While awkward sentences still creep in to Duolingo's exercises, it is not forcing anyone to use unnecessary words. The "des" in "des bottes" is used because it is the only way to express the idea of plural boots in French. In this sense, "des" is the plural of "un/une". There is no counterpart for this in English although some people have the mistaken idea that "des" must be translated as "some".
- 1720
"Des" is used (here) as the plural of "une". There is no counterpart in English. Some people have the idea that it must be translated as "some". That is not true. It is not absolute wrong but this sense of "some" is almost always ignored in English whereas "des" is absolutely required in French. So to reinforce Ripcurlgirl, avoid adding unnecessary words. Be aware that "some" has other meanings that get conflated with this one also. Consider "certain" or "quelque" as examples.
I don't believe that sombre is used with another adjective of colour to mean "dark". The adjective is always foncé
Use fonce for things that you actually see with your eyes. us sombre for ideas, attitudes, etc. This should be correct most of the time.
- 540
If you want to emphasize the sentence with the definite article "the", add "les" to your sentence so it would be: Elle porte les bottes rouge foncé.
Because the French reads "des" not "les." It doesn't use the definitive article "the." So this would be interpreted as either "She [sometimes/habitually/frequently] wears dark red boots" or "She is [currently] wearing dark red boots."
- 1720
Color adjectives are not BANGS adjectives. They always follow the noun they modify.
From what they explain farther up, the double adjectives becomes singular.
The pronunciation seems more like "Elle porte des gâteau de français". It is increadibly difficult to differenciate these sounds.
If you click on the little lightbulb next to a lesson, you'll access the "tips and notes" for a section where it talks about compound adjectives like "dark red" as in this example.
It is only masculine & singular because 2 adjectives are being used to designate a single colour → rouge foncé (dark red).
If the sentence was "The boots are dark" then the plural would be necessary → Les bottes sont foncées.
- 1720
No, it is because the color term is a compound expression, i.e., rouge foncé. When it is a compound expression, it does not agree with the noun being modified. It has nothing to do with whether the noun is singular, plural, masculine or feminine.
Ughhh, I thought that if there were more than one adjective describing the noun des becomes de?? I swear every time I THINK I memorize a new rule I run into one of a thousand exceptions. Please explain...
- 1720
This particular rule has to do only with color adjectives that are composed of multiple words (rouge foncé). The rule about "des" changing to "de" only applies when there in an adjective in between the article "des" and the plural noun, e.g., "des chiens" but "de petits chiens".
She wears dark brown boots means exactly the same in English. Please fix yourself.
- 91
Brown= marron Red= rouge. So, the sentence is SHE WEARS DARK RED BOOTS. I guess.
