Learn French: Il gratte le pansement tout le temps. - He scratches the bandage all the time.

Il gratte le pansement tout le temps.

He scratches the bandage all the time.

Breakdown of Il gratte le pansement tout le temps.

Questions & Answers about Il gratte le pansement tout le temps.

How would I use this lesson's expression to say 'It is better not to scratch the bandage'?

You would use il vaut mieux (it is better) followed by the infinitive. Remember that when negating an infinitive verb, both ne and pas go together before the verb. The sentence would be: Il vaut mieux ne pas gratter le pansement.

Why isn't the verb reflexive here, like il se gratte?

You use the reflexive se gratter when someone scratches a part of their own body (like il se gratte le bras for 'he scratches his arm'). Because a bandage (un pansement) is a physical object and not a body part, you use the standard, non-reflexive verb gratter.

Could I say toujours instead of tout le temps?

Yes, Il gratte toujours le pansement is grammatically correct and means essentially the same thing. However, tout le temps strongly emphasizes the annoying, repetitive nature of the habit ('all the time' rather than just 'always'), which fits perfectly here.

Is the -ent at the end of pansement silent?

No! While the -ent ending is silent on plural conjugated verbs (like ils grattent), le pansement is a noun. Here, -ent is pronounced as a nasal vowel, making the same sound as in the words comment or souvent.