Tu as choisi un restaurant élégant il y a un mois.

Questions & Answers about Tu as choisi un restaurant élégant il y a un mois.

I thought il y a meant 'there is'. Why does it mean 'ago' here?
You are right that il y a usually means 'there is' or 'there are'. However, when it is placed right before a measure of time (like un mois, meaning a month), it translates to 'ago'. Therefore, il y a un mois means 'a month ago'.
Why is it as choisi and not as choisit?
Choisi is the past participle of the regular -ir verb choisir (to choose). For -ir verbs, you form the past participle by simply dropping the -r from the infinitive, leaving choisi. You do not add a -t at the end, which is something that only happens with certain irregular verbs.
Why is the adjective élégant placed after restaurant?
In French, most adjectives are placed after the noun they describe. Only a specific group of common adjectives related to Beauty, Age, Goodness, or Size (often memorized as the 'BAGS' rule) come before the noun. Because élégant does not fit into those basic categories, it follows the normal rule and goes after restaurant.
Since this lesson is about the imperative of avoir and être, how would I command a friend to 'Have an elegant restaurant!'?
To give a command using avoir, you must use its irregular imperative form. For the tu (informal 'you') form, the imperative of avoir is aie. So, to tell a friend 'Have an elegant restaurant!' you would say Aie un restaurant élégant !

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