Question 1

I've heard that hôte can also mean 'guest'. How do we know it means 'host' here?

Accepted Answer

You're right! Un hôte can mean both 'a host' and 'a guest' in French. However, to avoid confusion, French speakers often use un invité (an invited person) to mean 'guest'. Since we have les invités at the end of the sentence, it's clear that l'hôte means 'the host' here.

Question 2

Is the verb trinquer one of the irregular verbs from this lesson?

Accepted Answer

No, trinquer (to clink glasses or toast) is a standard regular -er verb. While verbs like offrir (to offer) are tricky because they are -ir verbs that borrow -er endings, trinquer uses standard endings naturally. The u in trinque is just there to keep the hard 'k' sound before the -e ending.

Question 3

Could I use trinquer to mean 'to make a speech' or 'propose a toast'?

Accepted Answer

Not exactly. Trinquer specifically refers to the physical action of clinking glasses together. If you want to talk about standing up and giving a spoken toast, you would use the phrase porter un toast (literally: to carry a toast).

Question 4

Why does invités look like a verb in the past tense?

Accepted Answer

Because it originally is! Invité is the past participle of the verb inviter (to invite). In French, it is very common to use a past participle as a noun. So les invités literally means 'the invited ones', which translates smoothly to 'the guests'.

L'hôte trinque avec les invités.

Breakdown of L'hôte trinque avec les invités.

Questions & Answers about L'hôte trinque avec les invités.

Learn L'hôte trinque avec les invités and more in French