Question 1

Why do we use the infinitive bouger instead of an '-ing' equivalent like bougeant?

Accepted Answer

In French, when you use a verb of perception like sentir (to feel), voir (to see), or entendre (to hear) followed by an action, that second action must be in the infinitive. While English says 'feel the ship moving', French expresses this as 'feel the ship to move' (sens le navire bouger).

Question 2

Why is it sens and not te sens here?

Accepted Answer

We use the non-reflexive sentir when perceiving an external object or physical sensation, like feeling a ship move. You only use the reflexive se sentir when describing your own physical state or emotions, such as tu te sens malade (you feel sick).

Question 3

If I wanted to say 'You feel it moving,' where would the pronoun 'it' go?

Accepted Answer

The direct object pronoun le (it) would go right before the main verb of perception (sens), not before the infinitive. You would say Tu le sens bouger.

Question 4

Does n'est-ce pas change depending on the verb in the sentence?

Accepted Answer

No, n'est-ce pas is a fixed tag question. While English changes the tag to match the sentence ('don't you?', 'aren't we?', 'did they?'), French simply sticks n'est-ce pas at the end of the statement to ask for confirmation, meaning 'right?' or 'isn't that so?'.

Tu sens le navire bouger, n'est-ce pas ?

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