Madame, le pharmacien vous recommande un bon sirop.

Questions & Answers about Madame, le pharmacien vous recommande un bon sirop.

Why is vous placed before the verb recommande?
In French, object pronouns like vous (meaning 'to you' here) are placed directly in front of the verb they belong to. Unlike in English where we say 'recommends to you', French puts the pronoun before the verb: vous recommande.
Does vous in this sentence mean 'you' or 'to you'?
It means 'to you'. The verb is recommander quelque chose à quelqu'un (to recommend something to someone). Because vous represents the person receiving the recommendation, it is an indirect object. The words me, te, nous, and vous can all act as indirect objects.
How do we know vous is being used formally here and not for a group of people?
The sentence starts with Madame, which shows the speaker is addressing one woman respectfully. Vous is used for both the formal singular 'you' and the plural 'you all', but the context makes it clear it is the formal singular here.
Why does the adjective bon come before the noun sirop?
While most French adjectives go after the noun, short and common adjectives describing Beauty, Age, Goodness, or Size (often called BAGS adjectives) go before the noun. Since bon means 'good', it goes in front of sirop.

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