Breakdown of C'est ma résolution : j'arrête de fumer.
je
I
être
to be
ce
it / this (with être)
mon
my (mon, ma, mes)
fumer
to smoke
la résolution
the resolution
arrêter de
to stop (doing something)
Questions & Answers about C'est ma résolution : j'arrête de fumer.
Since this lesson is about ne... plus, how would I say 'I no longer smoke' to follow up this resolution?
To say 'I no longer smoke' or 'I don't smoke anymore', you would use Je ne fume plus. The ne goes before the conjugated verb (fume) and plus goes right after it.
Why is there a de before fumer? Can I just say j'arrête fumer?
No, you must include the de. In French, many verbs require a specific preposition to connect them to another verb. The verb arrêter (to stop / to quit) always takes de when it is followed by an infinitive verb. So, 'to quit doing something' is always arrêter de faire quelque chose.
Why does fumer translate to 'smoking' (an -ing word) instead of 'to smoke'?
In English, we often use the -ing form (the gerund) after verbs like 'quit' or 'stop'. French does not have an exact equivalent for this. Instead, when a verb follows a preposition like de, it must be in the infinitive (the dictionary form). Therefore, de fumer translates perfectly to 'smoking' in this context.
Why do we use c'est here instead of elle est, since résolution is feminine?
You use c'est because it is followed by a noun that has a determiner (in this case, the possessive adjective ma). If you want to say 'It is a/my [noun]', you must use c'est. You would only use il est or elle est if you were describing it with a standalone adjective, like elle est difficile (it is difficult).
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