Answers
Jul 29, 2013 - 09:13 PM
In general mieux is best, and meilleur is better. Saying "le mieux c'est d'aller" would be "the best is to go", which sounds better than "the better is to go" even in english. Vous avez vu qqchose de bien is "Did you see something good", I disagree with the translation "Did you see something well", which doesn't even sound too good in english. "Quelque chose de" is followed by an adjective, that's a rule.Quelque chose is an indeterminate pronoun, it is the opposite of "rien de", which follows the same rule: "rien de bien" (nothing good). QQchose de mal = qqchose de + adjectif same rule. Badly Is an adverb, not an adjective i think, so it logically translates as "something bad" (not something of badly!).
Jul 31, 2013 - 09:34 AM
OK, "le mieux c'est d'aller," I am fine with that, it is an expression and doesn't translate word for word. But I am still confused about the use of "bien" as an adjective. So, you are saying "bien" is an adjective meaning "good"? In correct English "Did you see something good" asks if the thing you saw is a good thing. If you are asking whether or not you saw it clearly, the correct English is "Did you see something well." Even if it sounds a bit awkward, it is correct English for that particularl meaning. Good is an adjective, well is an adverb. I had thought the same was true for "bon" (adjective) and "bien" (adverb). Maybe I am trying too hard to fit French grammar to English grammar. BTW, I have commented before that there are examples of poor English in the program. Same is true for mal and mauvais, the meaning changes depending on whether an adjective is needed (the "something" is bad), or an adverb (I am having a hard time seeing the something).
I think one problem I am having is that Fluenz tries a bit too hard (I think) to avoid giving us the rules in terms of parts of speech. So maybe "bien" is an adjective meaning "good" in these structures; if so, just tell us, the current presentation is confusing, at least to me.
I think one problem I am having is that Fluenz tries a bit too hard (I think) to avoid giving us the rules in terms of parts of speech. So maybe "bien" is an adjective meaning "good" in these structures; if so, just tell us, the current presentation is confusing, at least to me.
Aug 03, 2013 - 09:19 AM
Agree completely about Fluenz constructing sentences that totally puzzle English speakers. I often give up when they use a sentence that seems to be crazy talk. I scream, "who says this stuff....ever?" I'm sure they are trying to present/illustrate some advanced example of grammatical structure...as is their genius. I just wish they would dig a bit deeper to find a simple, meaningful sentence that we might actually use in real life. Fluenz is so closer to being the undisputed champion of language learning, but needs a bit of tweaking. This is a terrific forum for them to advance their status in the language learning market.