Breakdown of Les deux chemins sont identiques, je ne peux pas me repérer.
je
I
être
to be
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
le chemin
the path
deux
two
pouvoir
to be able to / can
identique
identical
se repérer
to get one's bearings
Questions & Answers about Les deux chemins sont identiques, je ne peux pas me repérer.
Why is me placed after pas instead of before peux?
In French, when you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (like peux repérer), object and reflexive pronouns almost always go right before the infinitive they belong to. So it is je ne peux pas me repérer, not je ne me peux pas repérer.
What exactly does se repérer mean here?
Se repérer literally means "to locate oneself" or "to get one's bearings." You use this reflexive verb when talking about finding your way, figuring out where you are in a physical space, or orienting yourself on a map.
How would I say "I can't get my bearings anywhere" using the grammar from this lesson?
You would use ne... nulle part (nowhere / not anywhere) instead of ne... pas. However, unlike pas, the phrase nulle part must be placed at the very end of the sentence, after the infinitive. It becomes: Je ne peux me repérer nulle part.
Could I say Tous les deux chemins to mean "Both paths"?
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