Question 1

If I wanted to say "We had this coat lengthened" in the past tense, how would that work with the causative "faire" rule?

Accepted Answer

You would say Nous avons fait rallonger ce manteau. Even if the direct object were replaced by a preceding pronoun (for example, Nous l'avons fait rallonger), the past participle fait never agrees in gender or number when it is immediately followed by an infinitive. It remains completely invariable.

Question 2

What is the exact difference between using "allonger" and "rallonger" for this coat?

Accepted Answer

While both mean to lengthen, allonger is the general base verb. Adding the r- prefix (a variation of re-) often means to do something again, but in the context of clothing alterations, rallonger specifically means to add length to something that is currently too short. It is the standard verb for letting down a hem.

Question 3

If we already knew we were talking about the coat, how would we replace "ce manteau" with a pronoun here?

Accepted Answer

You would say Nous avons besoin de le rallonger. The direct object pronoun le replaces ce manteau. Remember that when a pronoun is the direct object of an infinitive verb (like rallonger), it must be placed directly in front of that infinitive, not before the conjugated verb.

Question 4

Is there any situation where the "de" in "avoir besoin de" disappears before an infinitive?

Accepted Answer

No, the de is structurally locked into the phrase avoir besoin de (to have need of). Whenever an infinitive follows this expression to state what action is needed, the de must remain as the bridge between the noun besoin and the verb.

Nous avons besoin de rallonger ce manteau.

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