Question 1

Is quelque chose considered a single word or two separate words?

Accepted Answer

Even though it is written as two words (literally "some thing"), quelque chose acts as a single indefinite pronoun meaning "something". You use it as a single block of meaning exactly where you would normally put a noun, such as right after the verb observe.

Question 2

The word chose is feminine. Does that make quelque chose feminine too?

Accepted Answer

Surprisingly, no! Even though une chose (a thing) is feminine, the pronoun quelque chose is always treated as masculine singular. If you wanted to describe the "something", you would use a masculine adjective and connect it with de. For example: Le détective observe quelque chose d'intéressant (The detective observes something interesting).

Question 3

If I wanted to say the detective observes nothing, would I just put ne... pas around the verb?

Accepted Answer

Not quite. To say "nothing", you replace the affirmative pronoun quelque chose with the negative pronoun rien. The sentence would become: Le détective n'observe rien. You drop quelque chose entirely, because "something" and "nothing" are opposites.

Question 4

Could I use the verb regarde instead of observe here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but it changes the nuance slightly. Regarder just means "to look at" or "to watch" (Le détective regarde quelque chose = The detective is looking at something). Observer is a regular -er verb that carries a stronger meaning of studying or scrutinizing something carefully, which fits a detective's job perfectly!

Le détective observe quelque chose.

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