Question 1

Why do we use connaissez here instead of savez?

Accepted Answer

In French, connaître is used when you are talking about being familiar with a person, place, or thing. Because we are asking if someone is familiar with a place (la célèbre cathédrale), we must use connaissez. Savoir is only used for knowing facts or knowing how to do something.

Question 2

Why does célèbre come before cathédrale? I thought adjectives usually go after the noun.

Accepted Answer

You're right that most French adjectives go after the noun! However, célèbre (famous) is an adjective that is often placed before the noun to add emphasis or a slightly poetic tone. You could also say la cathédrale célèbre, but putting it before the noun sounds very natural in this context.

Question 3

The English translation says "in this city", but the French uses de cette ville. Why?

Accepted Answer

In English, we usually say a building is "in" a city. French prefers to use de (of) to show that the landmark belongs to or is associated with the city. If you used dans (in) to say dans cette ville, it would literally mean "inside this city." This is understandable, but de is the standard way to express this relationship in French.

Question 4

Why is it cette ville and not ce ville?

Accepted Answer

Ville (city) is a feminine noun. When you want to say "this" or "that" in front of a feminine noun, you have to use the feminine form, which is cette. You only use ce for masculine nouns.

Est-ce que vous connaissez la célèbre cathédrale de cette ville ?

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