Questions & Answers about Elle assure que le train part à huit heures.
Why is there a que in the French sentence, but no "that" in the English translation?
In English, we can often drop "that" in reported speech ("She assures us [that] the train leaves..."). In French, you must always include que (or qu' before a vowel) to connect the introductory verb to the statement. Why is part in the present tense? Doesn't reported speech usually change tenses?
Because the introductory verb (assure) is in the present tense. In French, when the introductory verb is in the present or future, the tenses inside the reported statement do not change. You only shift tenses backwards if the introductory verb is in a past tense (like Elle a assuré que...). The translation says "She assures us", but there is no word for "us" in the French sentence. Why?
Elle assure literally just means "She assures". In English, the verb "to assure" almost always needs a direct object (assure someone), so "us" was added to make the translation sound natural. If you specifically wanted to say "assures us" in French, you would write Elle nous assure que.... Can the verb assurer also mean "to insure" something, like a car?
Yes! Assurer is a very useful verb. It can mean "to assure" or "to guarantee" a fact, as it does in this sentence, but it is also the standard verb for "to insure" against risk, like assurer une voiture (to insure a car). Learn Elle assure que le train part à huit heures and more in French
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