Les chanteurs s'écoutent les uns les autres pour l'harmonie.

Questions & Answers about Les chanteurs s'écoutent les uns les autres pour l'harmonie.

If s'écoutent can already mean "listen to each other," why do we add les uns les autres?
The pronoun s' can be reflexive ("themselves") or reciprocal ("each other"). Without extra context, Les chanteurs s'écoutent could mean "The singers listen to themselves." Adding les uns les autres removes the ambiguity and makes it completely clear that they are listening to one another.
Why is it les uns les autres instead of l'un l'autre?
l'un l'autre is generally used when exactly two people are involved (each other). les uns les autres is used when there are three or more people (one another). Since a group of singers is usually more than two, the plural form is used here.
Why isn't there a preposition like à inside les uns les autres?
The reciprocity phrase has to match the verb's normal grammar. In French, you "listen to someone" directly (écouter quelqu'un), with no preposition. If we used a verb that requires à, like parler à (to speak to), the phrase would merge with it and become les uns aux autres.
Could I drop the s' and just say Les chanteurs écoutent les uns les autres?
No, you always need the reciprocal pronoun (se/s', nous, or vous) before the verb when expressing "each other" or "one another." The phrase les uns les autres is just an add-on to clarify the meaning; it cannot replace the required s'.

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