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- "Je pense que l'on va passer …
"Je pense que l'on va passer une bonne journée."
Translation:I think that we are going to have a good day.
55 Comments
"que l'on" is more formal than "qu'on". By the way, you have to know that homonym "con" is slang French (= idiot, stupid, bastard... but worse), that is why "que l'on" is preferable.
great, please, collect all this posts in one page) if one can buy it for lingots it would become a bestseller here))
My only major criticism of Duolingo is its lack of any sort of classroom-style education, just introducing some of the concepts in each section and a little understanding of the grammar brhind them. I realize that is very difficult, especially with each language => language course they have, but it would be very helpful for someone like me.
1829
You are aware there is a "Tips & Notes" section for each lesson on the desktop version of DL?
Wow, with that insight it makes some sense :). So then if we were to use another pronoun, for example to say "I think HE will have a good day", would it be only "qu'il" or would "que l'il" also be correct?
"Qu'il" does not pose any problem. It is not a homophone to anything else.
The T is also a dummy letter, added to avoid the vowel conflict A-I. So, the mechanism is the same one, although the motive is not the same.
It’s not just a dummy letter—it’s a remnant of Latin –at/et/it that is omitted in most conjugations. You can also find it in conjugations such as lit for lire for example.
Interestingly enough, it’s a distant relative of the old-timey English –eth (see: Grimm’s Law).
Could you say " Je pense que nous allons passer une bonne journee"? If so, which one is more common?
Yes, when the English is "we" and you mean "we", you can always say "nous". What the French do is that they often say "on" to mean "we" because the conjugation is simpler.
I have come to determine that the "on" for "we" is used as we use in the English "you" for "one" as in "You don't have to go the speed limit; you can drive slower if you like." That sentence can also be phrased, "One doesn't have to drive the speed limit but can drive slower if they like."
what is the exact difference in "une bonne journée" and "un bon jour" anyway? How do I know when to use which?
My understanding is that when you're simply referring to a day, you say 'jour' as in bonjour. But when you want to make a point of meaning the entire day, you say 'journée. That's why when you say hello, you use bonjour (= good day) but when you really want to wish someone a good 'all day long', you say, 'bonne journée'.
- 1576
Can you actually say " un bon jour " ? Is " day " both feminine and masculine e.g. le jour et la journee ?
I think = je pense
I am thinking = je pense OR je suis en train de penser
- 923
Thank you super Sitesurf =) In general, "je mange" (for example)... is "I eat" or "I am eating" etc etc with other verbs...yes? and if so, then "I am thinking that we are going to have a good day" ought to be accepted here, yes?
I think that... is mostly used in simple present. I am thinking would rather be about a more intense mental exercise.
In French:
I think = je pense, je crois
I am thinking = je suis en train de penser, je réfléchis
- 923
D'accord, je vois ça =)
Mais...avec des verbes en général:
Je marche: I walk/I am walking...?
Je dors: I sleep/I am sleeping...?
Je chante: I sing/I am singing...?
etc. ?
Avec les verbes en général, la forme progressive anglaise peut se traduire soit par le présent simple: "je marche" ou avec la périphrase "je suis en train de marcher" si on veut insister sur l'immédiateté de l'action au moment où on parle.
- 1829
I thought that "on" was translated as "it" or used as a replacement for "you." Is this correct?
Nope. 'On' means 'one' and is used as a replacement for 'nous' in casual conversation. Example: 'On doit le faire' means 'One should do it' or 'We should do it'.
I wrote exactly what I heard but I was marked incorrect: Je pense qu'on va passer une bonne journée.
it suggested Je pense que l'on va passer une bonne journée.
If i put my sentence in Google translate I get the same answer as the DL English translation. If I put DL's French phrase I get a rubbish translation
I could find no reference to the DL French phrase , could we get a response from the content contributors please
if you go to the top of this page site surf answers this question somewhat saying the que l'on is more formal and avoids the sound con which is unpleasant slang. Hope this helps.
Thanks, I did read that. However, like I said I have not found any reference to this "rule" that que l'on is a more formal way of saying qu'on. I think DL should accept both answers from new learners or else explain why it is wrong. ref: http://www.larousse.fr/forums/langue-francaise/la-difference-entre-que-l-on-et-qu-on/751
The male voice clearly says "...que l'on..." and this is the reference sentence that the automated checker refers to when comparing your translation with the correct answer.
The dictation exercise (type what you hear), cannot accept anything else than the actual, written sentence used to make the audio.
However, when you get "I think that we are going to have a good day" to translate to French, you have a choice of 23 acceptable variants.
Was "I think THAT we are going to have a good day." necessary? I left out the "that" and was marked wrong.
The French pronoun? Yes, common enough. Much more common than "one" (the corresponding English pronoun).
It's simplicity makes it very common in french conversation as a replacement for 'nous'. It is usually understood to be translated as 'we' in most, if not all, casual or spoken french.
True. But "on" and "one" are both singular, whereas "we" is plural. In both languages, the impersonality of "one" is what makes it possible to suggest any one, and that there might be more than one. So while we often translate the French "on" as "we", it's always intended as a kind of impersonal or general "we", not so much "me and you and him", and is thus found in rather general statements without strong individual associations. There can be gray areas. So upon occasion, it might be better to translate it as "one" rather than as "we". Very much a judgment call.
Would "nous avons aller" be a correct alternate translation here, or is there a significant difference?
That would translate to "we have to go".
I think you may mean "nous allons" → "we are going".
- 576
This was the correction I was given
"I think that 1 is going to have a good day." Cannot think of a single English person who would say this except maybe the Queen.
Even the Queen would not use the numeral "1" as the faulty algorithm does.
