Learn French: L'orateur a expliqué son argument éloquemment. - The speaker explained his argument eloquently.

L'orateur a expliqué son argument éloquemment.

The speaker explained his argument eloquently.

Breakdown of L'orateur a expliqué son argument éloquemment.

avoir

to have

son

his/her/its (son, sa, ses)

Questions & Answers about L'orateur a expliqué son argument éloquemment.

How is the adverb éloquemment formed here?

It comes from the adjective éloquent (eloquent). Because the masculine adjective ends in -ent, you drop the -nt and add -mment to form the adverb.

How do you pronounce the -emment ending?

Even though it is spelled with an 'e', the -emment ending is pronounced exactly the same as the -amment ending. Both sound like 'ah-mahn' (with a nasal sound at the end).

Does the word argument mean the speaker was in a fight?

Not necessarily! While an 'argument' in English often implies an angry dispute, the French word un argument usually means a point, reason, or piece of evidence used to make a case. If you want to talk about a verbal fight, you would use une dispute.

Why is éloquemment placed at the very end of the sentence?

In the past tense (passé composé), short adverbs usually go between the helping verb (a) and the past participle (expliqué). However, longer adverbs like éloquemment are usually placed after the past participle, or even after the direct object (son argument) at the end of the sentence.

If the speaker were a woman (l'oratrice), would it be ?