Breakdown of Le gobelin est là, mais je ne sais pas comment le tuer.
je
I
être
to be
là
there
mais
but
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
comment
how
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
savoir
to know (a fact), to know how to
tuer
to kill
le gobelin
the goblin
Questions & Answers about Le gobelin est là, mais je ne sais pas comment le tuer.
Why do we use the infinitive tuer here instead of conjugating it?
This sentence uses an indirect question with an infinitive. When you want to express "how to do something," "where to go," or "what to eat," French pairs the question word (like comment) directly with the infinitive verb (tuer). You do not need to conjugate the second verb if the person doing the action is the same as the subject of the sentence (I don't know how I should kill it).
Do I need a preposition like à or de before the infinitive to mean "how to kill"?
No, you don't need one! The infinitive tuer already means "to kill." When you use a question word plus an infinitive, they link together directly without any extra prepositions. It is simply comment tuer.
Why is the pronoun le placed right before tuer?
Le is the direct object pronoun meaning "it" (referring to the masculine noun le gobelin). In French, object pronouns must go directly in front of the verb they are logically tied to. Since "it" is the thing being killed, le goes right before the infinitive tuer, giving us comment le tuer.
Why use savoir (je ne sais pas) here instead of connaître?
Both verbs mean "to know," but they are used differently. Savoir is used for knowing facts, knowing how to do a skill, or whenever you use a question word (like comment, pourquoi, où). Connaître is strictly used for being familiar with a noun, such as a person, place, or thing. Because this sentence is followed by the question word comment, we must use savoir.
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