Question 1

Why use alors que here instead of tandis que?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, alors que and tandis que both mean "whereas" or "while" to show contrast between the dog and the cat, and they are completely interchangeable. alors que is slightly more common in everyday spoken French, while tandis que can sound a bit more formal.

Question 2

What does ne fait que mean, and why is there no pas?

Accepted Answer

The structure ne faire que followed by an infinitive verb (like dormir) means "to do nothing but" or "to only do" that action. It is a special restrictive phrase, similar to ne ... que (only), which is why you drop the pas.

Question 3

Is obéissant a verb or an adjective here?

Accepted Answer

It is an adjective meaning "obedient," but it is formed from the present participle of the verb obéir (to obey). Because it acts as an adjective here, it must agree with the noun it describes, so it would take an extra "e" if we were talking about a female dog (la chienne est obéissante).

Question 4

Could I put alors que at the beginning of the sentence instead?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You could say Alors que le chien est obéissant, le chat ne fait que dormir (Whereas the dog is obedient, the cat only sleeps). Both alors que and tandis que can be placed in the middle or at the beginning of a sentence to contrast two ideas.

Le chien est obéissant, alors que le chat ne fait que dormir.

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