"You're not able to finish this project alone."
Translation:Tu n'arrives pas à finir ce projet seul.
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I am confused about the right place for seul in this sentence. "Tu n'arrives pas seul a finir ce projet" makes sense in English, but was not accepted in French.
1096
I don't think it does. But "Tu n'arrives pas à finir seul ce projet." makes sense in English and is accepted in French.
Both should work:
finir ce projet seul = finish this project alone
finir ce projet tout seul = finish this project all alone
arriver à faire [quelque chose] loc v (parvenir à faire [quelque chose) = manage to do, be able to do, can do
Vous n'arrivez pas a (with accent) finir ce project seuls. If I use "vous", would "seuls" be plural? I am referring to more than one person.
- 1096
This is an odd one!
According to the dictionary "seul" is an adjective and not an adverb. However, here it is being used like an adverb, yet it still needs to agree like an adjective.
If "seul" is an adjective, why is it not "ce projet" that it is describing?
Sitesurf, what is going on? Why isn't "seul" like "tout" ?
According to my dictionaries, seul can be either an adjective or an adverb. In this sentence, seul is clearly an adjective in French. Alone can also be an adjective or an adverb in English.
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seul adjective (sans aide) = single-handedly adverb, on your own, by yourself adverb, (added emphasis) all on your own, all by yourself
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seul adjective (sans compagnie) = alone adjective, on your own, by yourself adjective
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seul adverb (seulement) = only adverb
- 1096
So if "seul" is clearly an adjective in French, why is it qualifying "tu" and not "ce projet" ?
And which dictionary are you quoting which contradicts Larousse and Hachette?
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/seul shows "seul" as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun. #1 as an adverb shows uses with "seul" and "seule".
- 1096
This is weird! I've never heard of an adverb having different forms for different genders!
No wonder the dictionaries don't seem to be able to agree on what kind of word it is!
- 1200
Vous n'arrivez pas à finir ce projet: • ... seuls - rejected on August 28th, 2020; • ... seul - accepted.
- 1096
If there was more than one of them they wouldn't be doing it alone, they'd be doing it together.
- 593
Vous n seul cant come together! Vous as in somebody respectable or not close can be alone , isnt it?
- 1096
It makes more sense if "seul" is an adverb, which I think means that "seule" is incorrect, and yet Duo is accepting it!
Sitesurf! We need an expert opinion.
confused by the word arrives.... I thought it meant "arrive" not "be able to" ? am I looking at the wrong word?
- 1096
It can mean "to arrive", but in English we don't say "You're not arriving at finishing …", we say something like "You're not getting there …" or "You're not able to finish …".
I just wonder at the choice of the word in French. Why not use reussir?
So, what is wrong with "Tu n'es pas" ? Other than that Duo didn't think of it.
