Breakdown of La trottinette est écologique, alors que la voiture est polluante.
être
to be
la voiture
the car
écologique
eco-friendly
alors que
whereas
la trottinette
the kick-scooter
polluant
polluting
Questions & Answers about La trottinette est écologique, alors que la voiture est polluante.
The lesson focuses on au lieu de (instead of). Could we use it in this sentence instead of alors que?
Not quite. Alors que means "whereas" and is used to contrast two facts. Au lieu de means "instead of" and is used for substitution. To use au lieu de, you would have to change the sentence structure entirely to show an action, such as: Prends la trottinette au lieu de la voiture (Take the scooter instead of the car).
Is une trottinette just a child's toy, or does it include electric scooters?
It includes electric standing scooters! While it traditionally meant a manual kick-scooter, today la trottinette (or la trottinette électrique) is the everyday word for the standing electric scooters you see in cities. Note that a seated, moped-style motor scooter uses a different, masculine word: le scooter.
Why does polluante end with an e?
Could I use pendant que instead of alors que here?
No, because they serve different purposes even though both can sometimes translate to "while" in English. Alors que is used to show contrast or opposition ("whereas"), which fits perfectly here. Pendant que is used strictly for time, meaning two actions are happening simultaneously.
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