Question 1

Why do we use celui in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Celui translates to "the one" here. Because it refers back to le camion (the truck), which is masculine and singular, we must use the masculine singular demonstrative pronoun celui. If she were buying a car (la voiture), we would use the feminine celle.

Question 2

Why doesn't celui have a suffix like -ci or -là attached to it?

Accepted Answer

You usually add -ci or -là when you are just saying "this one" (celui-ci) or "that one" (celui-là). However, when celui is immediately followed by a descriptive phrase starting with a preposition (like à côté de - next to), you drop the suffix. It acts as a bridge to say "the one next to...".

Question 3

The English translation says she is paying "for" the truck. Why isn't there a word like pour after paie?

Accepted Answer

In French, the verb payer directly takes the item you are buying as its object. You don't need to add pour (for) when talking about paying for goods or services. You simply say Elle paie le camion (She pays the truck).

Question 4

I've seen the verb "to pay" conjugated as paye. Is paie also correct?

Accepted Answer

Yes! For verbs ending in -ayer, you have a choice in the present tense. You can keep the y (elle paye) or change the y to an i (elle paie). Both are completely correct and mean the exact same thing.

Elle paie le camion électrique, celui à côté de la porte.

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