Breakdown of Le groupe se demande quoi faire dans cette caverne sombre.
dans
in, inside
ce
this (before a noun)
faire
to do, to make
quoi
what
Questions & Answers about Le groupe se demande quoi faire dans cette caverne sombre.
Why do we use quoi faire for 'what to do' instead of ce que?
When 'what' is followed directly by an infinitive verb in an indirect question, French uses quoi plus the infinitive. You would only use ce que if there were a subject and a conjugated verb instead, such as ce qu'ils doivent faire (what they must do).
Why does the sentence use the reflexive se demande instead of just demande?
Since a group is made of multiple people, why isn't the verb plural?
Even though le groupe represents many people, it is grammatically a singular noun (a collective noun). Because the noun is singular, the verb must also be conjugated in the third-person singular form, just like how we say 'the group wonders' in English.
Why does the adjective sombre come after caverne?
Most descriptive adjectives in French, including physical qualities like sombre (dark), are placed after the noun they modify. Only a specific short list of common adjectives (often remembered by the acronym BANGS for Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, Size) generally go before the noun.