Breakdown of Tu tousses, je te conseille ce sirop.
je
I
tu
you (informal singular)
ce
this (before a noun)
tousser
to cough
te
you, yourself (object pronoun)
conseiller
to advise
le sirop
the syrup
Questions & Answers about Tu tousses, je te conseille ce sirop.
Why is the pronoun te placed before the verb?
In French, object pronouns like te (to you) almost always go right before the verb they are connected to. Also, the verb is conseiller quelque chose à quelqu'un (to advise something to someone). Since the advice is given to you, te is acting as an indirect object pronoun (COI).
The English translation includes 'to take', but I don't see the French verb for it. Why?
French often phrases things more simply than English! The phrase je te conseille ce sirop literally translates to 'I advise to you this syrup'. You don't need to add the verb prendre (to take) for it to make perfect sense in French, though you could say je te conseille de prendre ce sirop if you wanted to be highly specific.
Why is there no word for 'are' in tu tousses?
French doesn't use a separate tense for ongoing actions like English does with 'are coughing'. The standard present tense tu tousses translates to both 'you cough' and 'you are coughing' depending on the context. Translating 'are' word-for-word here would be grammatically incorrect in French.
Learn Tu tousses, je te conseille ce sirop and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free