Question 1

Why is the verb dit used here instead of dis or dites?

Accepted Answer

Dit is the third-person singular form of the irregular verb dire (to say). Because the subject is Notre professeur (Our teacher), which counts as a 'he' or 'she', we use dit. For a quick reminder, dis is for 'je' and 'tu', and dites is for 'vous'.

Question 2

Why does the sentence use raconte for 'tells' instead of another form of dire?

Accepted Answer

While dire often means 'to say' or 'to tell' (like telling a fact or stating something), raconter specifically means 'to tell a story', 'to recount', or 'to narrate'. Whenever you talk about telling a tale, a book's plot, or a joke, you must use raconter.

Question 3

Why is it cet auteur and not ce auteur?

Accepted Answer

Auteur is a masculine word, so normally you would use the masculine word for 'this', which is ce. However, because auteur starts with a vowel, you must change it to cet so it flows smoothly when spoken. It prevents two vowel sounds from clashing.

Question 4

Why does belle come before histoire? I thought French adjectives go after the noun.

Accepted Answer

Most French adjectives do go after the noun. However, a small group of common, short adjectives that describe Beauty, Age, Goodness, or Size go before the noun. Because belle (beautiful) describes beauty, it sits directly in front of histoire.

Question 5

Does histoire mean 'story' or 'history'?

Accepted Answer

It can mean both! Une histoire translates to either 'a story' or 'history' depending on the context. In this sentence, because an author is telling it, 'story' is the most natural translation.

Notre professeur dit que cet auteur raconte une belle histoire.

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