"Tu es plus grand que moi."
Translation:You are taller than me.
52 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
Correct English is "you are taller than I" OR "you are taller than me".
Feel free to google "than I vs than me" to find debates.
I agree. If you extend the thought, you are saying 'you are taller than I am' and would never say 'you are taller than me am'
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And you would never say "they are fewer than us"? As said before, there are endless debates on the subject. Hope both are accepted here.
It's not a matter of debate, but a matter of grammatical fact. However, people are used to hearing it - and unfortunately reading it - wrong that the correct usage strikes them as odd.
It is not a "fact". It is debated by grammarians. I actually agree with those who hold that "than me" is more normally correct than "than I". The same as it is in French, Spanish, German, Russian and every other European language as far as I am aware. Only in English do some misguided pedants insist that the "me/I" in that sentence should stand for a subordinate clause following "than". In every other language what follows "than" is the object, as it should be in English. And would those who argue for "I" really say "taller than we" and "taller than they" and be able to keep a straight face when they do?
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IMO, Those who argue for 'I' actually argue for 'I am', 'We' for 'We are', 'They' for 'They are', etc.
They may well do. "Than I", "than we" and "than they" are equally as grammatically correct as "than me", "than us" and "than them". But they would make one sound rather pompous.
Both are grammatically correct technically, depending on whether you're using 'than' as a conjuction or a preposition. In this context, the French version is using it as a preposition, so 'than me' is the correct literal translation - though both work.
correct English is you are taller than I.
I don't think so. From what I know, "I" should only be used when designated as a subject.
It is the subject of the implied subordinate phrase. We need a grammarian to review answers
It has been reviewed (extensively) by grammarians on other Duolingo threads, who are clear that both “than I” and “than me” are equally correct.
I guess that an English teacher probably taught you that it has to be "than I". That was certainly what I was taught. But does everything you were taught at school still hold up? I have been teaching professional written English for some years and always advise using “than me”, which professional and academic sources cite as equally grammatically correct, as well as sounding more mellifluous and being what most people actually say. (Actually I advise avoiding either construction where possible, simply to avoid stirring up this kind of debate with angry pedants on both sides.)
To be clear, I am not saying that “than I” is wrong. I am just trying to point out that both "than me" and "than I" are equally grammatically acceptable according to most authoritative sources.
In short, the issue is not with the “me” or “I”, it is with the word "than". If “than” is treated as a conjunction, it should be followed by the nominative "I" - with an implied missing word "am". As you are claiming. But if "than" is treated as a preposition (which it most certainly can be) then it should be followed by the accusative "me", with no implied missing words.
Traditionally, English language teachers tended to argue for “than I”, often rationalising that it follows the Latin rules for “quam”, which means “than” and takes the same case before and after. The counter argument here of course is that Latin is only part of the roots of the English language. We do not slavishly follow Latin grammar rules, and we wouldn’t want to, any more than we would want to resurrect their numbering system. In any case, “than” as a word comes from the old German “thanna”, not from Latin.
Interestingly this debate isn't, as far as I am aware, an issue in French, Spanish, German or any other European language (although I stand to be corrected here). In any of them, a phrase like "plus grand que je" would sound both ugly and bizarre and no French person would argue that "there is an implied suis".
And finally, do those who argue for "than I" really also say "taller than we" rather than “taller than us”, "taller than they" rather than “taller than them” and even "taller than who" rather than “taller than whom”? I hope not.
There are many discussions of this on line, here is a good one:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/than-what-follows-it-and-why
I always recall the sage advice of my English teacher from the 1970s: “In English, as long as you write well enough you can break the rules. And if you write really well; then you can make new rules.”
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The slow version has a distorted but recognizable rendition of grand. The fast version sounds like an entirely different word.
The audio does not pronounce the "d" at the end of "grand," so you know that it is masculine. Only the feminine form of "grande" pronounces the "d."
Right! But for me you're supposed to answer English, but I think there are different versions of this question?
Why was "You are bigger than I" marked wrong. "I" is the correct word in English grammar because the full sentence would be "You are taller than I AM," but for the fact that the word "am" is assumed. And "bigger" is a correct definition of "grand" every other time I've used it with Duolingo.
The primal propose of people using this tree is to learn French and not comment on English grammar. There are far too many people arguing rather focusing on the core and the real purpose of this commnet box was made for -> French
Preach! This is the most annoying part of being in the lower lessons of duolingo.
It seems there's a greater mix of UK and US English speakers than other language courses in the app (maybe just my experience.) Both dialects have developed their own idiosyncrasies, and both assert they are the absolute authority on all things English grammar. (tbh though, I've noticed more of this behavior from the older UK gents...)
Either way, the bickering derails the conversation about FRENCH and buries helpful question threads.
...assert they are the absolute authority on all things English grammar. Either way, the bickering derails the conversation about FRENCH and buries helpful question threads.
Man, this isn't only happening in the French quarter. OMFG it's happening everywhere, all over the place: Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese. ❤❤❤ are they doing here in the first place if they care more about who speaks perfect english? At the end of the day, who gives a fvck?!
What do you use if someone is not just tall but also big in the overall sense?
It is a typical case for the expletive (optional) "ne" which is not negative, just elegant and making the sentence flow more smoothly.
It can happen when there is a comparison (more/less/better/worse than) in the first part of the sentence.
How often is a sentence like this used? Would anyone who speaks French say this?
Not very often because people tend to simplify their speech and "tu es plus grand que moi" is much simpler.
