Breakdown of Les spectateurs que j'ai vus danser ont aimé la mélodie que j'ai entendu chanter.
je
I
avoir
to have
aimer
to like, to love
danser
to dance
voir
to see
entendre
to hear
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
chanter
to sing
que
that (introducing a clause)
la mélodie
the melody
le spectateur
the spectator
Questions & Answers about Les spectateurs que j'ai vus danser ont aimé la mélodie que j'ai entendu chanter.
Why does vus agree with its object (adding an s) while entendu doesn't (no e added)?
This is the rule for verbs of perception followed by an infinitive. The past participle only agrees if the preceding direct object is the one performing the action of the infinitive. The spectators (que) were doing the dancing, so vus agrees with them. The melody (que) wasn't singing itself, so entendu stays invariable.
Why do we use the active verb chanter (to sing) when the English translation says "being sung"?
In French, when a verb of perception like entendre is followed by another action, you always use the active infinitive. You don't need a passive construction like "being sung" because the lack of agreement on entendu already signals that the melody is receiving the action, not doing it.
Why doesn't aimé agree with la mélodie?
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