Breakdown of Nous allons voir la transformation de ce vieux bâtiment.
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
ce
this (before a noun)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
voir
to see
vieux
old
aller
to go
le bâtiment
the building
la transformation
the transformation
Questions & Answers about Nous allons voir la transformation de ce vieux bâtiment.
How is nominalization used in this sentence?
The noun phrase la transformation replaces a full verbal clause. Instead of saying Nous allons voir comment ce vieux bâtiment a été transformé (We are going to see how this old building was transformed), French uses the noun form of the verb transformer. This makes the sentence more elegant and concise, which is a common use of nominalization at this level.
Why is the preposition de used before ce vieux bâtiment?
When a verb that normally takes a direct object (like transformer) is turned into a noun (la transformation), its original direct object must now be linked by the preposition de. While you would say transformer ce vieux bâtiment without a preposition, the noun form requires it: la transformation de ce vieux bâtiment.
Quick refresher: why do we use ce vieux and not cet vieil here?
Both the demonstrative adjective (ce) and the descriptive adjective vieux have special forms used exclusively before vowel sounds or a mute h (cet and vieil). Because bâtiment is masculine singular and starts with a consonant, both words remain in their standard masculine consonant forms to give us ce vieux bâtiment.
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