87 Pas si vite

venir de

“Venir de” is a French phrase that means “to have just (done something)” when followed by an infinitive verb. It’s used to express recent past, similar to saying “just” in English.

Structure:

✅ Venir (conjugated) + de + infinitive
Example:

• Je viens de manger. → I just ate.
• Elle vient de partir. → She just left.
• Nous venons de finir le projet. → We just finished the project.

Conjugation of Venir (in Present Tense):

💡 Note: “Venir de” is different from just “Venir,” which means “to come.”

• Il vient de Paris. → He comes from Paris. (not recent past!)

ne as an expletive

In French, the word “ne” is typically used as part of negation (e.g., Je ne sais pas – “I do not know”). However, it can also function as an expletive or “ne explétif”, which means it does not contribute to negation but is used for stylistic or grammatical reasons. ✨📖

📌 When Is “Ne” Used as an Expletive?

The expletive “ne” appears mainly in subordinate clauses after certain verbs, conjunctions, or expressions that indicate fear, doubt, prevention, or comparison. It has no real impact on the meaning but is often used in formal or literary French. 🖋️

📝 Common Cases:

1️⃣ After Verbs Expressing Fear or Apprehension 😨

• Examples: craindre que (to fear that), avoir peur que (to be afraid that)
• Example Sentences:
  • Je crains qu’il ne vienne. (I fear that he might come.)
  • Elle a peur que nous ne soyons en retard. (She is afraid that we might be late.)
  • ⚠️ Note: The sentence is not negating the action; “ne” is just a stylistic addition.

2️⃣ After Conjunctions Like “avant que” (before) ⏳

• Example:
  • Fermez la porte avant qu’il ne parte. (Close the door before he leaves.)
  • Even though “ne” is there, it does not negate the verb.

3️⃣ In Comparisons with “moins que” and “autre que” 🤔

• Example:
  • Il travaille plus que tu ne penses. (He works more than you think.)
  • Il a d’autres problèmes qu’on ne croit. (He has other problems than one might think.)

4️⃣ After Expressions of Prevention or Hindrance 🚫

• Example:
  • Il empêche que je ne parle. (He prevents me from speaking.)
  • This “ne” does not mean “not”; it’s just a formal construction.

📢 Important Notes:

✅ Expletive “ne” is optional in modern spoken French and often omitted in casual speech.
✅ It is more common in formal writing or older texts. 🏛️
✅ It does not appear in English translations because it does not change the meaning.

📔 Examples from the text

• L’histoire est plus compliquée qu’il ne paraît. The story’s more complicated than it appears.
• Le mauvais temps a empêché qu’ils ne partent. The bad weather prevented them from leaving.

apparaître vs. paraître

Both apparaître and paraître are French verbs related to appearance, but they have different nuances and usages. Let’s break them down:

1️⃣ “Apparaître” – To Appear Suddenly or Come Into View 👀✨

Meaning:

• Refers to something that physically appears or comes into existence suddenly or noticeably.
• Often used for visual perception or the sudden emergence of something.

Examples:

• 🌟 Le soleil apparaît à l’horizon. → (The sun appears on the horizon.)
• 👻 Un fantôme est apparu dans la pièce ! → (A ghost appeared in the room!)
• 📚 Ce mot est apparu récemment dans la langue française. → (This word has recently appeared in the French language.)

2️⃣ “Paraître” – To Seem or Look Like Something 🤔👓

Meaning:

• Means “to seem” or “to appear to be” (subjective perception).
• Can also mean “to be published” (e.g., for books, articles, etc.).

Examples:

• 🧐 Il paraît fatigué aujourd’hui. → (He seems tired today.)
• 📖 Son nouveau livre paraîtra le mois prochain. → (His new book will be published next month.)
• 🏡 Cette maison paraît grande, mais en réalité, elle est petite. → (This house looks big, but in reality, it’s small.)

🚀 Quick Trick to Remember the Difference:

• Apparaître = Something physically appears (👀 suddenly visible).
• Paraître = Something seems to be a certain way (🤔 perceived impression).

risquer sa peau

The French expression “risquer sa peau” literally means “to risk one’s skin”, but it is an idiomatic way of saying “to risk one’s life” or “to put oneself in danger”. 🏍️🔥

📌 Meaning & Usage:

• Used to describe a very dangerous action that could seriously harm or kill someone.
• Often used in informal or dramatic speech.

📝 Example Sentences:

• 🚗 Il a risqué sa peau en traversant l’autoroute sans regarder !
  → (He risked his life crossing the highway without looking!)
• 🎢 Pourquoi risquer ta peau pour une simple montée d’adrénaline ?
  → (Why risk your life just for an adrenaline rush?)
• 🚁 Les pompiers risquent leur peau chaque jour pour sauver des vies.
  → (Firefighters risk their lives every day to save others.)

🚀 How to Avoid the Subjunctive

1️⃣ Use an Infinitive Instead of a Subjunctive Clause

If both clauses have the same subject, replace “que” + subjunctive with an infinitive.

✅ Il faut que tu viennes. (subjunctive)
➡️ Il faut venir. (infinitive)

2️⃣ Use “Devoir” or “Pouvoir” to Rephrase Necessity

Instead of using “il faut que”, rephrase with “devoir” or “pouvoir” to keep it in the indicative.

✅ Il faut que tu sois prudent. (subjunctive)
➡️ Tu dois être prudent. (indicative with “devoir”)

3️⃣ Use Impersonal Expressions with “C’est” + Adjective + “de” + Infinitive

Many impersonal expressions that require the subjunctive can be restructured with “de” + infinitive.

✅ C’est important que tu fasses attention. (subjunctive)
➡️ C’est important de faire attention. (infinitive)

4️⃣ Use “Avant de” Instead of “Avant que”

“Avant que” requires the subjunctive, but you can avoid it with “avant de” + infinitive.

✅ Avant que tu partes, appelle-moi. (subjunctive)
➡️ Avant de partir, appelle-moi. (infinitive)

5️⃣ Use “Parce que” Instead of “Pour que”

“Pour que” requires the subjunctive, but “parce que” takes the indicative and avoids it.

✅ Je t’explique pour que tu comprennes. (subjunctive)
➡️ Je t’explique parce que tu ne comprends pas. (indicative)

6️⃣ Use “Si” Instead of “À Moins Que”

“À moins que” (unless) triggers the subjunctive, but “si” + indicative works just as well.

✅ Nous irons à la plage à moins qu’il pleuve. (subjunctive)
➡️ Nous irons à la plage s’il ne pleut pas. (indicative)

On aurait dit

The French phrase “On aurait dit” is commonly used to express resemblance or a perceived impression. It translates roughly to “It looked like”, “It seemed like”, or “One would have said” in English.

Grammar Breakdown

• “On” → A subject pronoun meaning “one” or “people” (used impersonally).
• “aurait dit” → The past conditional of “dire” (to say), which conveys a hypothetical or uncertain statement.

Thus, “On aurait dit” literally means “One would have said”, but it’s often used idiomatically to indicate something appears to be a certain way.

Examples in Context

1. “On aurait dit un fantôme.”
   → It looked like a ghost.
2. “On aurait dit du marbre.”
   → It seemed like marble.
3. “On aurait dit qu’il allait pleurer.”
   → It looked like he was about to cry.

Why Use “On aurait dit”?

This phrase is useful for describing impressions, illusions, or things that resemble something else. It allows the speaker to soften a statement or indicate subjectivity in their observation.

Tout laisse à penser

The French expression “Tout laisse à penser” means “Everything suggests” or “Everything leads one to believe” in English. It’s used to indicate that all available evidence or signs point toward a particular conclusion.

Breakdown of the phrase:

• “Tout” → Everything
• “laisse” → leaves (third-person singular of laisser, meaning “to leave” or “to let”)
• “à penser” → to think / to believe

Thus, the phrase can be understood as “Everything allows one to think that…”

Examples in Context:

1. “Tout laisse à penser qu’il va démissionner.”
   → Everything suggests that he is going to resign.
2. “Tout laisse à penser que c’était un accident.”
   → All indications point to it being an accident.
3. “Tout laisse à penser que la situation va s’améliorer.”
   → Everything suggests that the situation will improve.

Synonyms & Alternatives:

• “Il semble que…” → It seems that…
• “Tout porte à croire que…” → Everything leads one to believe that…
• “On peut supposer que…” → One can assume that…

Imperative Rule for -ER Verbs

In the imperative (command) tense, -ER verbs (and similar verbs like essayer) drop the final -s in the tu form.

✅ Tu form: Remove the -s
❌ Do not use the regular present tense “tu” form

Examples:

• Parler → Parle ! (Speak!)
• Regarder → Regarde ! (Look!)
• Essayer → Essaie ! (Try!)
• Donner → Donne ! (Give!)
• Essaie encore une fois ! → (Try again!)
• Essaye ce plat, il est délicieux. → (Try this dish, it’s delicious.)

🚨 Exception: When Followed by “Y” or “En”

If the verb is followed by “y” or “en”, the -s is kept for pronunciation:

• Vas-y ! (Go ahead!) (from aller)
• Manges-en ! (Eat some!)
• Essaies-en ! (Try some!)

Vocabulaire