Breakdown of Elles se sont parlé avec une affection franche.
être
to be
une
a / an (feminine)
elles
they (feminine)
avec
with
parler
to speak
se
himself, herself, themselves (reflexive)
franc
frank
l'affection
the affection (f)
Questions & Answers about Elles se sont parlé avec une affection franche.
Why is there no feminine plural agreement on parlé, since the subject Elles uses the auxiliary verb être?
Normally, verbs conjugated with être agree with the subject. However, for pronominal verbs, the past participle only agrees if the reflexive pronoun (here, se) is a direct object. Because you say parler à quelqu'un (to speak to someone), the se here acts as an indirect object meaning "to each other". Therefore, parlé does not agree and remains unchanged.
How can I tell if a reflexive pronoun like se is direct or indirect in other sentences?
You check the standard, non-reflexive version of the verb. If it takes the preposition à before a person (like téléphoner à or sourire à), the reflexive pronoun acts as an indirect object, and there is no past participle agreement. If it takes no preposition (like regarder quelqu'un), the pronoun is a direct object, and you must make the agreement.
What is the masculine form of the adjective franche, and why does it change so much?
The masculine singular form is franc (meaning frank, candid, or honest). Adjectives ending in -c often have irregular feminine forms because simply adding an -e would change the hard "k" sound to a soft "s" sound. Adding -che is a common pattern for these adjectives, seen here with franche and also in words like blanc (becoming blanche).
Could Elles se sont parlé also mean "They spoke to themselves"?
Grammatically, yes, it could be reflexive ("to themselves") rather than reciprocal ("to each other"). However, context usually makes the meaning obvious. Here, having a conversation with "affection" strongly implies two or more women speaking to each other. If you ever need to specifically clarify "to each other" in an ambiguous sentence, you can add l'une à l'autre or les unes aux autres at the end.
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