Question 1

Since the lesson is about the subjunctive and expressions of will, does exigeant trigger the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

The verb this adjective comes from, exiger (to demand), is a strong expression of will and does trigger the subjunctive when followed by que (for example, il exige que nous venions - he demands that we come). However, in this sentence, exigeant is simply acting as a descriptive adjective meaning 'demanding'. Because there is no que clause, no subjunctive is needed here.

Question 2

Why is nouveau placed before professeur instead of after it?

Accepted Answer

While most French adjectives go after the noun, nouveau is one of the common exceptions that go before it. You might remember the acronym BANGS (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size) from earlier lessons. Nouveau falls under the 'Age' category, so it always precedes the noun.

Question 3

Why do we use nouveau here instead of nouvel?

Accepted Answer

Both mean 'new' and are masculine singular. We only use nouvel when the following noun starts with a vowel or a mute H (like un nouvel ami). Since professeur starts with a consonant, we use the standard masculine form, nouveau.

Question 4

If the teacher were female, how would nouveau and honnête change?

Accepted Answer

Nouveau would change to its feminine form, nouvelle (notre nouvelle professeure). However, honnête would stay exactly the same. Adjectives that already end in a silent -e in their masculine form do not get an extra -e when they become feminine.

Notre nouveau professeur est très exigeant, mais honnête.

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