Learn French: Pour sauver l'environnement, il y a moins de pollution dans l'air qu'hier. - To save the environment, there is less pollution in the air than yesterday.

Pour sauver l'environnement, il y a moins de pollution dans l'air qu'hier.

To save the environment, there is less pollution in the air than yesterday.

Breakdown of Pour sauver l'environnement, il y a moins de pollution dans l'air qu'hier.

of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)

Questions & Answers about Pour sauver l'environnement, il y a moins de pollution dans l'air qu'hier.

Why is it moins de pollution and not moins de la pollution?

When comparing quantities of nouns, you use moins de (less/fewer), plus de (more), or autant de (as much/as many) followed directly by the noun. You drop the definite article (le, la, les). So it is just moins de pollution.

Why is the 'e' dropped in qu'hier?

In comparisons, que is used for "than". Because hier starts with a mute 'h' (which acts like a vowel sound), que must drop its 'e' and combine with the word to become qu'hier.

Why do we use the infinitive sauver right after pour?

In French, when you want to express purpose, meaning "in order to", you use pour followed by an infinitive verb. Here, pour sauver translates to "to save" or "in order to save".

How can I tell if environnement is masculine or feminine since it uses l'?

It is masculine (un environnement). A helpful trick is that almost all French nouns ending in -ment are masculine.