Breakdown of Tu renforceras ton dos à condition de faire de la musculation.
tu
you (informal singular)
faire
to do, to make
ton
your (ton, ta, tes)
de la
some (partitive, feminine)
Questions & Answers about Tu renforceras ton dos à condition de faire de la musculation.
Why do we use à condition de followed by an infinitive here instead of à condition que?
Because the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence: tu is the one getting a stronger back, and tu is the one doing the weight training. Whenever the subject remains the same, French prefers à condition de + infinitive. If the subjects were different, you would have to use à condition que followed by the subjunctive.
Does à condition de mean the exact same thing as si?
They are very similar, but à condition de is stronger and more specific. While si just sets up a general condition, à condition de translates more closely to 'provided that' or 'on the condition that'. It emphasizes that doing weight training is an absolute requirement to strengthen your back.
Why is there no cedilla on the letter 'c' in renforceras?
The verb renforcer only needs a cedilla when the 'c' is followed by an 'a' or an 'o' to maintain the soft 's' sound, as in nous renforçons. In the future tense, we add the endings to the infinitive, so the 'c' is directly followed by an 'e'. A 'c' before an 'e' naturally makes a soft 's' sound, so the cedilla is dropped.
Why do we say faire de la musculation instead of just faire la musculation?