Breakdown of C'est la région où ils veulent rompre l'alliance.
ils
they (masculine/mixed)
la région
the region
où
where
vouloir
to want
c'est
it is, that is
l'alliance
the alliance (f)
rompre
to break (relationships, contracts)
Questions & Answers about C'est la région où ils veulent rompre l'alliance.
If someone asked me Ils ne veulent pas rompre l'alliance ? (Don't they want to break the alliance?), how would I use the facts in this sentence to say 'Yes, they do'?
Because you are contradicting a negative question, you must use si instead of oui. You would answer Si, ils veulent rompre l'alliance.
Why is it C'est la région and not Elle est la région?
When you identify a specific noun that has a determiner (like la, un, or ma) in front of it, you must use c'est. You only use il est or elle est with unmodified nouns (like professions) or standalone adjectives.
Could I use que instead of où here, since we sometimes say 'the region that they want to break the alliance in' in English?
No, because où represents a place (meaning 'where' or 'in which'). In French, you cannot end a clause with a dangling preposition like 'in' or 'at'. Since the action happens in the region, you must use où to link the two ideas.
Why use rompre for 'to break' instead of casser?
Casser is generally used for physically breaking an object, like a glass or a bone. Rompre is used for severing abstract or intangible things, like an alliance, a contract, a spell, or a romantic relationship.
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