Search from various English teachers...
Sherry
Could you explain the constructure of this sentence?
I am learning French, and one of my exercises below makes me confuse. That is:
On n'a pas retrouvé les chaussures de la victime. (Please change the sentence into the passive constructure)
The answer is "Les chaussures de la victime n'ont pas été retrouvées".
Question: why the word "retrouvées" has the letter "e" at the end? The subject is "Les chaussures", that is plural, not the female, so I think it should be retrouvés.
Jul 8, 2017 7:35 AM
Answers · 2
On n'a pas retrouvé les chaussures de la victime.
"Les chaussures de la victime n'ont pas été retrouvées".
Question: why the word "retrouvées" has the letter "e" at the end? The subject is "Les chaussures"
On ne fait pas l'accord en genre et en nombre dans la première phrase parce qu'on utilise l'auxiliaire avoir e le COD vient après l'auxiliaire. Dans la 2ème phrase, pourtant, le passif est une forme composée qui utilise être comme auxiliaire, donc on doit faire l'accord avec "les chaussures" au féminin (+e) et au pluriel (+s)
July 8, 2017
In French,
"chaussures"
is feminine plural. Most (probably all) French words ending in -ure are feminine.
Although French uses the same definite article for both genders in the plural, the words still have their original gender.
July 8, 2017
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
Sherry
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Cantonese), English, French
Learning Language
English, French
Articles You May Also Like

Santa, St. Nicholas, or Father Christmas? How Christmas Varies Across English-Speaking Countries
3 likes · 0 Comments

Reflecting on Your Progress: Year-End Language Journal Prompts
2 likes · 0 Comments

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
25 likes · 17 Comments
More articles
