ELONIO
Log inSign up

Le client est mécontent parce que le produit ne fonctionne pas.

Le client est mécontent parce que le produit ne fonctionne pas.
The customer is dissatisfied because the product does not function.
From Lesson 177:Reported wh- questions (il demande où, quand)·French

Questions & Answers about Le client est mécontent parce que le produit ne fonctionne pas.

Why do we use parce que here instead of à cause de to say "because"?
Parce que is used to introduce a full clause with a subject and a conjugated verb (here, le produit ne fonctionne pas). You would use à cause de if you were only following it with a noun phrase, like à cause du produit (because of the product).
Is mécontent just content with a negative prefix?
Exactly! The prefix mé- often gives a word a negative or opposite meaning, similar to "dis-" or "mis-" in English. So content (happy or satisfied) becomes mécontent (unhappy or dissatisfied).
Could I use marche instead of fonctionne in this sentence?
Yes, you could say le produit ne marche pas. When talking about devices, machines, or systems, marcher and fonctionner both mean "to work." Fonctionner sounds slightly more formal, while marcher is very common in everyday spoken French.
The customer is feeling an emotion (dissatisfaction). Doesn't that mean we should use the subjunctive mood?
Not here! It's true that expressing emotions often triggers the subjunctive in clauses introduced by que (like Il est mécontent que...). However, parce que (because) is a conjunction of cause that states a fact. It always takes the normal indicative mood, even if the main sentence describes a feeling.

Learn Le client est mécontent parce que le produit ne fonctionne pas and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →