Question 1

Why is fatiguant spelled with a "u" here, and why doesn't it have an "s" to agree with les loups?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, fatiguant is a present participle (acting as a verb), not a verbal adjective. Present participles of verbs ending in -guer (like fatiguer) keep the "u". Also, present participles are invariable, meaning they never change their endings to agree with the noun they relate to.

Question 2

How can I tell that fatiguant is acting as a verb (present participle) rather than an adjective here?

Accepted Answer

The biggest clue is that it has a direct object. The wolves are actively doing an action to something else: they are tiring the herd (le troupeau). If an -ant word is followed by a direct object, it is a present participle.

Question 3

How would the sentence change if we just wanted to say "We observe the tiring wolves" without mentioning the herd?

Accepted Answer

You would write Nous observons les loups fatigants. Without a direct object, it becomes a verbal adjective describing the wolves. Notice that it drops the "u" (a special spelling rule for adjectives derived from -guer verbs) and adds an "s" to agree with the plural noun les loups.

Question 4

Could we use qui instead of fatiguant in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You could say Nous observons les loups qui fatiguent le troupeau. Using a relative clause with qui is actually much more common in everyday spoken French than using the present participle, which can sound a bit formal or literary.

Nous observons les loups fatiguant le troupeau.

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