Question 1

Why do we use ce qui here instead of ce que?

Accepted Answer

Ce qui means 'what' when it is the subject of the verb that follows it. In this sentence, 'what' is doing the action of pleasing (plaît). If 'what' were the object of the verb—for example, 'what I am eating'—you would use ce que instead (ce que je mange).

Question 2

Why does the sentence use me plaît instead of j'aime for 'I like'?

Accepted Answer

The verb plaire literally means 'to please.' So, Ce qui me plaît literally translates to 'That which pleases me.' While you could say Ce que j'aime (What I like), using plaire is a very natural and common way to express this idea in French.

Question 3

Why do we need the c' in c'est? Couldn't we just say Ce qui me plaît est le goût amer?

Accepted Answer

In French, when you start a sentence with a ce qui or ce que phrase and follow it with the verb être (to be), you usually have to add an extra ce (which becomes c' before a vowel). The structure literally translates to 'What pleases me, it is the bitter taste.'

Question 4

Is there a specific reason amer comes after goût?

Accepted Answer

Yes, most descriptive adjectives in French go after the noun. Adjectives describing physical properties like taste, such as amer (bitter) or sucré (sweet), almost always follow the noun they describe.

Ce qui me plaît, c'est le goût amer.

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