Question 1

Why is it qu'elle instead of que elle?

Accepted Answer

In French, when the conjunction que (that) is followed by a word starting with a vowel, like elle, the e is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe. This makes it flow better when spoken.

Question 2

In English, we often drop the word 'that' and just say 'Are you sure she had a promotion?'. Can I drop qu' in French?

Accepted Answer

No, you can never drop que (or qu') in French. Even though 'that' is optional in English, you must always use que to connect the two clauses together in French.

Question 3

How does a eu translate to 'had'?

Accepted Answer

This is the past tense (passé composé) of the verb avoir (to have). It uses avoir as its own helper verb (a) followed by its irregular past participle, which is eu (had).

Question 4

Would the word sûr change if I were asking a woman?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The spelling sûr is masculine. If you are asking a woman 'Are you sure?', you need to add an e to make it feminine: Tu es sûre qu'elle a eu une promotion ? The pronunciation stays exactly the same.

Tu es sûr qu'elle a eu une promotion ?

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