Breakdown of Je te conseille de gronder ton enfant après la garderie.
je
I
l'enfant
the child
ton
your (ton, ta, tes)
te
you, yourself (object pronoun)
conseiller
to advise
après
after
de
to (introducing an infinitive after a verb)
la garderie
the daycare (childcare center, before or after school)
gronder
to scold
Questions & Answers about Je te conseille de gronder ton enfant après la garderie.
Why do we need the word de before gronder?
This sentence uses an indirect command! Verbs that give orders or advice, like conseiller (to advise), dire (to tell), and demander (to ask), are followed by de plus the infinitive verb. The exact structure is conseiller à quelqu'un de faire quelque chose (to advise someone to do something).
Is the pronoun te a direct or indirect object in this sentence?
It is an indirect object. Because the underlying structure is conseiller à quelqu'un (to advise someone), the 'you' translates to the indirect object pronoun te. As usual, this pronoun is placed right in front of the conjugated verb.
Could I say Je te conseille que tu grondes instead?
Grammatically yes, but the sentence shown here is much more natural. Using que would force you to use the subjunctive mood. When the person receiving the advice is already clear from the pronoun (te), French strongly prefers the simpler de + infinitive structure.
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