ELONIO
Log inSign up

On trouve aussi de la mousse sous le chêne ; j'y vais pour ramasser des champignons.

On trouve aussi de la mousse sous le chêne ; j'y vais pour ramasser des champignons.
We also find moss under the oak; I go there to gather mushrooms.
From Lesson 271:Demonstrative pronouns with relatives (celui qui, celle que)·French

Questions & Answers about On trouve aussi de la mousse sous le chêne ; j'y vais pour ramasser des champignons.

If I wanted to add to this sentence and say 'I am going to gather mushrooms, the ones that are under the oak', how would I use this lesson's grammar?
You would use the masculine plural demonstrative pronoun ceux (the ones) because champignons is masculine plural, followed by the relative pronoun qui (that / which): j'y vais pour ramasser des champignons, ceux qui sont sous le chêne.
What does the y refer to in j'y vais, and why is it placed before the verb?
The pronoun y means 'there' and replaces a place introduced by a preposition. Here, it refers back to the location just mentioned: sous le chêne (under the oak). In French, object and place pronouns like y must go directly before the conjugated verb, giving us j'y vais instead of putting it at the end like in English.
Why does the sentence use de la before mousse but des before champignons?
These are partitive articles used to express an unspecified quantity, similar to saying 'some' in English. We use de la because mousse is an uncountable feminine noun. We use des because champignons is a plural noun.
Why is ramasser left in its infinitive (unconjugated) form here?
In French, to express purpose or 'in order to', you use the preposition pour followed immediately by an infinitive verb. While English might sometimes use an '-ing' form like 'for gathering', French strictly requires the infinitive here: pour ramasser.
How do I know if On trouve means 'We find' or 'One finds'?
The pronoun on literally translates to the impersonal 'one' or 'people in general'. However, in everyday spoken French, it is the most common way to say 'we'. You have to rely on context. Here, stating a general fact about what grows under the oak tree makes 'One finds' perfectly valid, but translating it as 'We find' is equally natural in a casual context.

Learn On trouve aussi de la mousse sous le chêne ; j'y vais pour ramasser des champignons and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →