Question 1

How would this look as a direct question?

Accepted Answer

The direct question would be: « Est-ce que le poste exige une nouvelle compétence ? » When we turn a direct yes/no question (using est-ce que or inversion) into an indirect question, we drop the question structure and use si (if/whether) followed by a normal statement.

Question 2

Because she is asking a question, could I use poser une question instead of demander here?

Accepted Answer

No, you must use demander when introducing an indirect question. Poser une question just means to ask a question generally (for example, elle pose une question au professeur - she asks the teacher a question), but it cannot be followed by si to report what was asked.

Question 3

I thought post office was la poste. Why is it le poste here?

Accepted Answer

The meaning of this word changes completely based on its gender! La poste means the post office or the mail system. Le poste, however, means the position, the job, or a station (like a police station or a radio set).

Question 4

Why is nouvelle placed before compétence?

Accepted Answer

Nouveau or nouvelle (new) is one of the common adjectives that go before the noun. You might remember these with the acronym BANGS (Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, Size). New falls under the Age category!

Question 5

Does compétence translate exactly to the English word competence?

Accepted Answer

It can, but in a professional or educational context like this one, une compétence usually means a skill. So une nouvelle compétence is a new skill.

Elle demande si le poste exige une nouvelle compétence.

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