D'ailleurs, ce compromis évite l'isolement.

Questions & Answers about D'ailleurs, ce compromis évite l'isolement.

How does d'ailleurs function in this sentence, and what else can it mean?
D'ailleurs is a discourse marker used to introduce an additional piece of information or an afterthought to whatever was just being discussed. While translated here as "by the way", it is also frequently used to mean "moreover", "besides", or "incidentally".
Why do we use ce here instead of cet for "this"?
Ce is the standard masculine singular word for "this" or "that". You only switch to cet when the masculine noun starts with a vowel or a mute H (like cet ami). Because compromis starts with a consonant, it just takes ce.
The word compromis ends in an "s". Does that mean it is plural?
Not in this case! The singular masculine noun un compromis naturally ends in an "s", so its spelling remains exactly the same in the plural. We know it is singular here because the sentence uses the singular word ce (this) rather than the plural ces (these).
Can I use the French word isolation instead of l'isolement here?
Not quite! While they look like exact translations, French generally uses isolement for the state of being separated from others or lonely (social or emotional isolation). The French word isolation usually refers to physical insulation, like the material used to keep a house warm or soundproofed.

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