Question 1

How would I ask 'Which skirt does she want to try on?' using the topic from this lesson?

Accepted Answer

You would replace the demonstrative adjective cette (this) with the interrogative adjective quelle (which), because jupe is a feminine noun. You could ask: Quelle jupe veut-elle essayer ? or the more casual conversational form: Elle veut essayer quelle jupe ?

Question 2

Why is essayer in its full dictionary form (the infinitive) here?

Accepted Answer

In French, when two verbs are paired together to form a single idea, only the first verb is conjugated to match the subject (Elle veut). The second verb stays in its infinitive form (essayer). This maps nicely to English: 'She wants' followed by 'to try'.

Question 3

Does essayer mean both 'to try' and 'to try on'?

Accepted Answer

Yes! essayer can mean trying to accomplish a task, but in the context of clothing like cette jupe, it specifically means 'to try on' to see if it fits. You don't need to add any extra words to translate the English 'on'.

Question 4

What if she wanted to try on a masculine piece of clothing, like a hat (chapeau)?

Accepted Answer

Because cette is strictly for feminine nouns like jupe, you would need to change it to the masculine form ce. 'She wants to try on this hat' would be Elle veut essayer ce chapeau. (And remember, if the masculine noun starts with a vowel, you use cet instead).

Elle veut essayer cette jupe.

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