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You are here: Experts > Homework Help > French Language > French Language > French grammar
Expert: Denise Pepin - 11/3/2009
Question
QUESTION: Bonjour Denise, C'est moi encore! Denise as I said before I find these sentences here and there and they have been in my notes for some time now waiting for a knowledgeable source to answer them. At one point a French teacher couldn't even give a good answer. Here goes another question: "Il ne cesse pas de pluvoir." No object here. Is it de because it is a negative sentence?????????????? If not, why???????????
Thanks Denise.
ANSWER: Bonjour Joan,
Comment ça va ?
Oh what a beautiful question!
You can even read this sentence in the book
Transports
PECLAT, Pierre Louis, page 125!!!
Joan, in French, there is a nightmare for all learners. The famous prepositions after a verb.
Some verbs "demand" a preposition, some don't, and some want everything!!
****** cesser is glued to "de" ..... no matter what!
Paul cesse de crier. Paul stops (to scream) screaming.
Il a cessé de crier. He stopped screaming.
Here, in your example, we have the impersonal "il" (we are not talking about a person but rather about a "it".
Il pleut = It rains = it is raining.
Il cesse de pleuvoir = It stops to rain = It stops raining.
Il ne cesse pas de pleuvoir = It doesn't stop to rain (it doesn't stop raining).
When you thought that the "de" was used because of a negative ... it is because, "DE" goes with a quantity (and a noun not a verb). Let's read 2 examples:
I have a brother = J'ai un frère.
I don't have a brother = Je n'ai pas de frère.
Je bois du lait. I drink milk.
Je ne bois pas de lait = I do not drink milk.
SO,
2 things :
1. verbs + prepositions = "cesser de, accepter de, mourir de ..."
2. quantity zero = "ne ... pas de + noun"
Was I clear?
It is a bit complex I know but .... vous n'avez pas de problèmes parce que vous cessez de penser en anglais.
Bonne chance Joan!
denise
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Denise, you are a dream come true. Next question please:
"Je le fais pour que vous n'avez pas à le faire."
(Is "le" before faire not considered an object?????
and to use "de" must the object go after the verb faire???)
Answer
Bonjour Joan,
Well, your question is a bit complex.
First, the best way, I think, is to literally translate each part and then,explain, ok?
"Je le fais pour que vous n'ayez (subjunctive here, sorry!) à le faire"
I do IT in order you do not have to do IT.
(Bad English, I know)
Explanation:
Faire doesn't require a preposition.
example: Je fais un gâteau (+noun) // Je fais peinturer ma maison (+verb) = I make (to) paint my house(someone is painting my house for me!)
So no preposition (remember "cesser de"+ verb , décider de + verb ...) but faire + nothing + verb.
Now, the "le " = it. It is an object (grammatical object) you are right.
However, in the sentence, you have another "problem"= to have to ... avoir à ...
This is another example where a verb needs a preposition : "avoir à ..+ verb = have to + verb
J'ai quelque chose à faire = I have something to do. (I must do something)
There is NO de here. No "de" but you notice that "à" is there !
Summary:
Je le fais pour que vous n'ayez pas à la faire"
Je = subject
le = object, grammatical object (a thing here)
fais = verb, no problem there
pour que = in order (to)
vous = subject
n'= negation, no problem there
ayez = subjunctive because of "pour que " = BIG problem :-)
pas= negation OK
à = preposition with faire = to have to (must)
le = object, grammatical object, ((is that OK with you???))
faire = verb = infinitive because of the preposition (verb after a preposition = always infinitive
PHEW!
So Joan
once again
"de" goes sometimes with verbs that demand it (not the case here)
and de is used sometimes to go with a sentence indicating a quantity
If I may sugest something ...
go to
www.realfrench.net/pdf/prep.pdf
and
www.lepointdufle.net/prepositions.htm
and I am sure you will find an exercise that will help you. If not, you are more than welcome to ask me ... anything hum hum :-D
Bonne chance chère Joan,
Denise
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