Question 1

The lesson is about au lieu de (instead of). Why did we use tandis que (whereas) here?

Accepted Answer

Au lieu de is followed by a noun or an infinitive (like au lieu de payer, meaning instead of paying). Because this sentence connects two complete clauses, each with its own subject and verb (Le péage est and le covoiturage ne coûte), we need a conjunction like tandis que to show the contrast between the two facts.

Question 2

Could I use pendant que instead of tandis que here, since both can translate to "while"?

Accepted Answer

It is much better to use tandis que. Pendant que focuses heavily on time (two things happening at the exact same moment). Tandis que highlights a contrast or opposition, much like "whereas" in English. Since we are directly opposing a high cost with a zero cost, tandis que is the perfect choice.

Question 3

Why is there no pas in ne coûte rien?

Accepted Answer

In French, specific negative words like rien (nothing), jamais (never), and personne (nobody) replace pas. The structure is simply ne + verb + rien. Adding pas (as in ne coûte pas rien) is incorrect, similar to how we avoid double negatives in standard English.

Question 4

Is there a trick to remembering the word covoiturage?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can easily guess it by breaking it into parts! It combines the prefix co- (shared or together), the root voiture (car), and the suffix -age (the action of). So le covoiturage is literally the act of sharing a car. As a bonus, le péage (the toll) comes from the verb payer (to pay).

Le péage est cher, tandis que le covoiturage ne coûte rien.

Breakdown of Le péage est cher, tandis que le covoiturage ne coûte rien.

Questions & Answers about Le péage est cher, tandis que le covoiturage ne coûte rien.

Learn Le péage est cher, tandis que le covoiturage ne coûte rien and more in French