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- "Nous mangeons cette viande a…
"Nous mangeons cette viande avec quoi ?"
Translation:What are we eating this meat with?
33 Comments
The "correct" way for English speakers to ask this question is "With what" are we eating this meat? This was my answer. I realize that this is not the most commonly spoken variation, but it is correct and the form most likely to be found in older literature or in formal correspondance. Regardless, "With what are we eating this meat?" is a correct answer and should not be marked as incorrect.
"We eat this meat with what?" was marked as a correct answer...whether it makes sense in English or not...go figure. I am learning French and English btw.
I wrote "What are we eating with this meat" and it was marked incorrect. Why?
I did a literal translation "We are eating this meat with what?" and was marked wrong. I thought we were supposed to stay with as close to the original construction as possible.
In English this form is often used to indicate surprise (perhaps in a negative direction). Is the French one by default a more neutral query?
By default, it's neutral and informal. But just like in English, if you give it enough inflection or emphasis, especially with "quoi", it can indicate surprise.
To end a sentence with a preposition is not good form in English. I'm not sure if it's incorrect technically, but it might be.
The website of The Chicago Manual of Style has this to say on the matter:
That old prohibition is what we call a grammar superstition. You will not find it in any authoritative grammar book. Please see CMOS 5.176.
CMOS has never prohibited a preposition at the end of a sentence in any of its versions and editions since 1906.
949
Serious English students: never, ever finish a sentence with a preposition such as in this case. It is an incorrect/sloppy translation by duo into English. You can easily restructure any sentence. (as many have shown here) You will be pulled up on that mistake at any legitimate university course. Also ending a sentence with a preposition not only sounds awkward but makes you come across as not very educated. HTH Cheers
Allow me to share with you the opinion of an English PhD on such matters. Beware, your mind might blow: https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/27996761$comment_id=28009320.
Or here's a source that should be more to your liking (it's largely engaged on a related campaign), except:
Although sentences 2 and 3 are not ungrammatical, we could, of course, rewrite them to avoid ending them with prepositions:
- For what do you need to go to the store?
- In which department is he?
Such wording sounds very formal, however, and would sound pretentious in casual conversation and in most professional writing. Nonetheless, in professional contexts, it is probably best to avoid ending sentences with prepositions simply because many people think that doing so is always incorrect.
So to the extent it agrees with you, it's only because a lot of grammar scolds don't actually know their grammar well.
The question is ambiguous -- What do we eat this meat with ... implies knife and fork; What do we eat with this meat ... implies a side dish. I don't think the French distinguishes the two in the same way as English. messy?
I'm still not quite clear on when "quoi" comes at the end of a sentence and when "que" comes at the start of a sentence...
The correct form can be determined from the answer. If the answer is "knives and forks", then the correct question form is "what are we eating this meat with?". However, if the answer is "vegetables" the cotrrect question form is "what are we eating with this meat?"
I think this is an unclear question with a very ambiguous answer in the English of England.
Use "quoi" after prepositions. In a question, use "que" as a subject pronoun.
- 141
Because it says "cette viande", not "la viande". So you need either "this meat" or "that meat", not "the meat".
- 213
No. Wrong. A preposition is a bad word to end a sentence with! Good English would be 'what are we eating with this meat?'
- 126
shouldn't it be "With what do we eat this meat?" I notice this program oftens ends sentences with a preposition, which is incorrect.
