Learn French: Vous devriez éviter cette crevasse parce que la neige est glissante. - You should avoid this crevasse because the snow is slippery.

Word

Vous devriez éviter cette crevasse parce que la neige est glissante.

Meaning

You should avoid this crevasse because the snow is slippery.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

French

Lesson

However (si... que)

Breakdown of Vous devriez éviter cette crevasse parce que la neige est glissante.

Questions & Answers about Vous devriez éviter cette crevasse parce que la neige est glissante.

How can I rewrite this sentence to use the lesson's structure: "However slippery the snow is, you should avoid this crevasse"?

You would say: Si glissante que soit la neige, vous devriez éviter cette crevasse. In this structure, si is followed immediately by the adjective glissante, then que, and finally the subjunctive verb soit.

Why use the conditional devriez instead of the present tense devez?

The conditional form of devoir translates to "should" or "ought to" and is the standard way to give advice in French. If you used the present tense (vous devez), it would mean "you must," which changes the tone from a helpful recommendation to a strict command.

Could I use car instead of parce que in this sentence?

Yes, car also means "because" and fits perfectly here (car la neige est glissante). However, parce que is the most standard choice for everyday speech. Car is slightly more formal and is often used in writing to justify the statement you just made.

The adjective glissante looks like a verb form. Where does it come from?