Learn French: La chorégraphie demande des pas de plus en plus difficiles. - The choreography requires more and more difficult steps.

La chorégraphie demande des pas de plus en plus difficiles.

The choreography requires more and more difficult steps.

Breakdown of La chorégraphie demande des pas de plus en plus difficiles.

des

some (plural indefinite)

difficile

difficult

demander

to ask (for) / to require / demand

de plus en plus

more and more

Questions & Answers about La chorégraphie demande des pas de plus en plus difficiles.

Why is the word order des pas de plus en plus difficiles?

In French, the progressive comparison de plus en plus (more and more) acts like an adverb, sitting directly in front of the adjective it modifies. Because the adjective difficiles belongs after the noun pas, the entire phrase de plus en plus difficiles is placed after the noun.

Does the phrase de plus en plus change to match plural nouns?

No, de plus en plus is invariable, meaning its spelling never changes regardless of what it describes. However, the adjective it modifies (difficiles) still must agree with the noun, which is why it takes an -s to match the plural masculine noun pas.

Why do we use des pas and not de pas here?

You might remember a rule where the plural article des changes to de when an adjective comes before a noun. Because the adjective phrase de plus en plus difficiles comes after the noun in this sentence, that rule doesn't apply, and we just use the normal plural article des.

I learned that demander means "to ask". Why is it translated as "requires" here?

While demander often means "to ask" when a person is doing the action, it takes on the meaning of "to require" or "to demand" when the subject is an inanimate object, a task, or a situation (like la chorégraphie).