Breakdown of Le client demande si être bilingue est un grand atout pour le projet.
être
to be
un
a / an (masculine)
grand
big / tall
pour
for
le projet
the project
le client
the client / the customer
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
si
if
demander
to ask (for) / to require / demand
bilingue
bilingual
l'atout
the asset (m)
Questions & Answers about Le client demande si être bilingue est un grand atout pour le projet.
How does the reported speech work in this sentence?
The phrase demande si means "asks if" or "asks whether". It introduces an indirect yes/no question. Because the main verb demande is in the present tense, the verb inside the reported question (est) stays in the present tense, just as the client originally asked it.
Why is it être when the English translation says "being"?
In English, we use the "-ing" form (a gerund) when an action is the subject of a sentence, like "being bilingual". In French, you must use the infinitive (the unconjugated dictionary form) instead. So, it translates literally as "to be bilingual".
Why doesn't si drop its "i" to become s' before the vowel in être?
Why is the adjective grand placed before the noun atout?
While most French adjectives come after the noun, grand is one of the exceptions. It belongs to a small group of short, common adjectives describing Beauty, Age, Goodness, or Size (often remembered by the acronym BAGS) that are placed before the noun.
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