"Tu es plus grand que moi."
Translation:You are taller than me.
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2413
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 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?
173
IMO, Those who argue for 'I' actually argue for 'I am', 'We' for 'We are', 'They' for 'They are', etc.
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.”
1805
The slow version has a distorted but recognizable rendition of grand. The fast version sounds like an entirely different word.
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?!