Question 1

Why is quand même placed at the very end of the sentence here?

Accepted Answer

In French, the concession connector quand même (anyway / all the same) is typically placed directly after the conjugated verb. Because finis is the verb and there are no other words following it in this clause, quand même naturally lands at the end. Unlike English, which often floats 'anyway' at the very end of a long thought, French prefers to tie it closely to the verb.

Question 2

Why does the sentence use Il est difficile de instead of C'est difficile à?

Accepted Answer

This is a strict rule for impersonal expressions. Because you are introducing the specific action (tricoter ce pull) right after the adjective, you must use the impersonal or 'dummy' subject il and the preposition de. You would only use c'est ... à if the object was the actual subject of the sentence, like this: Ce pull est difficile à tricoter.

Question 3

Could I use tout de même instead of quand même in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, tout de même means the exact same thing and can be used interchangeably here. You would place it in the exact same spot: je le finis tout de même. Tout de même sounds just slightly more formal or literary, but both perfectly express 'anyway' in this context.

Question 4

Why is the pronoun le placed before the verb in je le finis?

Accepted Answer

The direct object pronoun le refers back to ce pull (this sweater). As a quick reminder of earlier lessons, object pronouns in French must go immediately before the conjugated verb they belong to. You cannot say je finis le, even though that perfectly mirrors the English word order 'I finish it'.

Il est difficile de tricoter ce pull, mais je le finis quand même.

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