Breakdown of Il n'y a pas de feu, mais elle voit la fumée sortir du conteneur.
elle
she
mais
but
il y a
there is / there are
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
voir
to see
du
of the / from the (masculine singular, with plural des)
sortir
to go out
le feu
the traffic light / the fire
le conteneur
the container
la fumée
the smoke
Questions & Answers about Il n'y a pas de feu, mais elle voit la fumée sortir du conteneur.
Why is sortir in the infinitive here? English says "coming out" instead of "to come out".
Why is it pas de feu instead of pas un feu or pas du feu?
Where does the du in du conteneur come from?
The verb sortir is followed by the preposition de when it means "to come out of". Since conteneur is masculine (le conteneur), the preposition de and the definite article le combine to form the mandatory contraction du.
The English translation just says "smoke". Why does the French use la fumée instead of de la fumée (some smoke)?
You could actually use de la fumée here, and it would be perfectly correct. However, using la fumée treats the smoke as a specific, defined entity (the specific smoke belonging to that container) rather than an undefined quantity. Both are natural, but la fumée paints a clearer picture of a specific scene.
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