Question 1

Since the current lesson is about 'soi', how would I change this sentence to say 'Anyone can seek justice for oneself'?

Accepted Answer

You would add pour soi. Because the subject n'importe qui (anyone) is an indefinite pronoun, you must use the indefinite stressed pronoun soi (oneself) rather than lui or elle to refer back to it.

Question 2

Could I use quelqu'un instead of n'importe qui here?

Accepted Answer

Not if you want to say 'anyone.' Quelqu'un specifically means 'someone.' N'importe qui literally means 'no matter who' and is used to mean 'anyone at all' or 'any random person.'

Question 3

Why doesn't the verb chercher have a word for 'for' after it?

Accepted Answer

Because the French verb chercher already means 'to look for' or 'to seek.' Adding a preposition like pour is a common mistake for English speakers. You just connect the verb directly to the object: chercher la justice.

Question 4

Why is 'do good' translated as faire le bien instead of using the word bon?

Accepted Answer

Le bien is a noun that means 'the good' in a moral sense. Bon is an adjective used to describe nouns (like a 'good' meal or a 'good' book). When talking about the abstract concept of doing good deeds, you always use the noun phrase faire le bien.

Question 5

Why do we say la justice instead of just justice?

Accepted Answer

In French, abstract concepts and general categories (like justice, love, or time) always require a definite article (le, la, or les). Since the word is feminine, it becomes la justice.

N'importe qui peut chercher la justice et faire le bien.

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