Question about french language...

[BigToque]

"Je suis" means "I am" in english.

"né" means "born".

Put them together ("Je suis né") and it becomes "I was born".

Why does adding the word born, change "I am" to "I was"? The end result seems logical, but I don't understand why it changes.

 

[jhayx7]

This thread has potential.

*lawn chair* *beer* *freedom fries*

 

[blackdogdeek]

it's a limitation in the translation to english.

think of ne as more like "originally from".

 

[leftyman]

oh ho, ze lan'guaege ofe Herpe'

 

[Alone]

Because the accent in né means past-tense?

 

[lytalbayre]

Because you can't talk when you are just born. If you are old enough to talk then you will always refer to your birth as past tense. You don't pop out and say "Je suis ne."

All languages, like english, have rules or assumptions that don't make a lot of logical sense.

PS. I just made this up.

 

[AndrewR]

You're translating literally, which doesn't work for any language. There's no logic -- it's just the way the language works, and the verb "naitre" is one of the irregular ones.

Wrap your logic around this translation: Elle me manque. It means, "I miss her", even though elle is the subject in the sentence.

 

[MX2]

Its like those French have a different word for everything

 

[2Xtreme21]

To make naitre past tense you use the "to be" verb before it (conjugated in the je form is "suis"), rather than with most other verbs you use the "to have" verb before a past participle to make it past.

There are reasons for this exception but that was like 8 years ago... has something to do with motion verbs (montrer = to climb up, descendre = to descend, entrer = to enter, sortir = to leave, etc.).

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: MX2
Its like those French have a different word for everything

Chapeau means hat, oeuf means egg...

 

[MX2]

Originally posted by: sm8000

Originally posted by: MX2
Its like those French have a different word for everything

Chapeau means hat, oeuf means egg...

:thumbsup:

 

[Steve]

"I vud like to go to ze 'otel please!"

 

[chcarnage]

être is an auxiliary verb, like to have in English:

I have = present tense of to have
I have sung = past tense of to sing

Same thing. Passé composé: avoir/être (in present tense) + participle

Some intransitive verbs have être as auxiliary verb. And the French naître apparently is intransitive.

(But! It could also be passive presence, passive is constructed with être + participle.
However some dudes in French IRC channels just now assured me it's really past tense.)

 

[ItTheCow]

Originally posted by: AndrewR


Wrap your logic around this translation: Elle me manque. It means, "I miss her", even though elle is the subject in the sentence.

Actually, no. That really does mean "She misses me." "I miss her" is either "Je lui manque" or "Je le manque" (my grammar has always sucked).

 

[GregGreen]

Originally posted by: chcarnage
être is an auxiliary verb, like to have in English:

I have = present tense of to have
I have sung = past tense of to sing

Same thing. Passé composé: avoir/être (in present tense) + participle

Some intransitive verbs have être as auxiliary verb. And the French naître apparently is intransitive.

(But! It could also be passive presence, passive is constructed with être + participle.
However some dudes in French IRC channels just now assured me it's really past tense.)

QFT. In addition when using etre the past participle has to agree also. For example, if the speaker was female, she would say "Je suis née" whereas a man would just say "Je suis né"

 

[imported_Imp]

To put it short, you're translating too literally. Other languages if you do a direct translation, you'll get non-sense, but it's perfectly clear in its native context.

Another example (my French sucks so hope this is one):
"Je vous aime" = I love you
It translates directly as "I you like".

 

[Biggerhammer]

I think you would be saying je fus né for I was born... been a while since I spoke French though

 

[chcarnage]

Originally posted by: ItTheCow

Originally posted by: AndrewR
Wrap your logic around this translation: Elle me manque. It means, "I miss her", even though elle is the subject in the sentence.

Actually, no. That really does mean "She misses me." "I miss her" is either "Je lui manque" or "Je le manque" (my grammar has always sucked).

AndrewR got it right. Manquer à quelqu'un means to be missed by somebody. "Je lui manque" means (s)he misses me.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: Biggerhammer
I think you would be saying je fus né for I was born... been a while since I spoke French though

Well you're getting that a bit mixed up. While fus is past tense, it's passé simple which is only used when writing VERY formal texts, usually historical ones. Also, when using passé simple there is no need for the auxiliary avoir or être verb preceding it. If you were writing, I don't know, a new French history book about Napoleon, you'd say "Napoléon naquit le 15 août en Corse."

I think I've used it once and that was in some kind of book lesson back in high school.

 

[shopbruin]

Originally posted by: Imp
To put it short, you're translating too literally. Other languages if you do a direct translation, you'll get non-sense, but it's perfectly clear in its native context.

Another example (my French sucks so hope this is one):
"Je vous aime" = I love you
It translates directly as "I you like".

you love someone that formally?

 

[RichardE]

Originally posted by: BigToque
"Je suis" means "I am" in english.

"né" means "born".

Put them together ("Je suis né") and it becomes "I was born".

Why does adding the word born, change "I am" to "I was"? The end result seems logical, but I don't understand why it changes.

Verb tenses in the french language compensate for that. The english language only has really 3 different tense

Past

Swam

Present

Swim

future

I will be swimming

French has different tenses for many different situations, different times, when to use and when not to use, how many people in the group ect.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: freesia39

Originally posted by: Imp
To put it short, you're translating too literally. Other languages if you do a direct translation, you'll get non-sense, but it's perfectly clear in its native context.

Another example (my French sucks so hope this is one):
"Je vous aime" = I love you
It translates directly as "I you like".

you love someone that formally?

It's a professional relationship.

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: chcarnage

Originally posted by: ItTheCow

Originally posted by: AndrewR
Wrap your logic around this translation: Elle me manque. It means, "I miss her", even though elle is the subject in the sentence.

Actually, no. That really does mean "She misses me." "I miss her" is either "Je lui manque" or "Je le manque" (my grammar has always sucked).

AndrewR got it right. Manquer à quelqu'un means to be missed by somebody. "Je lui manque" means (s)he misses me.

Aww, come on -- let him get confused stares in France or Quebec.

 

[ForumMaster]

because french is a messed up language?

 

[eleison]

French is a useless language.. it use to be cool because all the GI's bringing back French wives /girlfriends/maids etc.... now its just a language for losers and francophiles....