Question 1

Why does nous-mêmes have an -s at the end?

Accepted Answer

The suffix -même agrees in number with the pronoun it is attached to. Since nous refers to multiple people here, même becomes plural and takes an -s. If you were using nous formally to refer to a single person, like the 'royal we' or in some formal business writing, it would be nous-même without the -s.

Question 2

Is the hyphen mandatory in nous-mêmes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Whenever you attach -même or -mêmes to a stressed pronoun (like moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) to mean 'oneself' or 'ourselves', the hyphen is strictly required in French.

Question 3

Could we put nous-mêmes at the beginning of the sentence instead?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but it creates a much stronger contrast. Placing it at the end of the clause is the standard way to say 'We clean the workshop ourselves.' Saying Nous-mêmes, nous nettoyons l'atelier sounds highly emphatic, translating closer to 'As for us, we clean the workshop' (implying that others might not).

Question 4

How do I know when même means 'even' versus 'oneself'?

Accepted Answer

It depends entirely on placement and what it attaches to. When placed before a noun or at the start of a phrase, it acts as an adverb meaning 'even' (for example, même l'atelier means 'even the workshop'). When appended to a stressed pronoun with a hyphen, it becomes an emphatic pronoun suffix.

Nous nettoyons l'atelier nous-mêmes.

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