Breakdown of Le porte-parole dément formellement la spéculation infondée.
le porte-parole
the spokesperson
démentir
to deny (a statement, rumor)
formellement
formally
la spéculation
the speculation
infondé
unfounded
Questions & Answers about Le porte-parole dément formellement la spéculation infondée.
What is the infinitive of dément, and how does it conjugate?
It comes from the verb démentir, meaning "to deny" or "to refute." It conjugates just like mentir or sentir (e.g., je démens, il dément, nous démentons). Be careful not to confuse it with the adjective dément (meaning insane or wild), even though they look identical!
Can porte-parole be feminine if the spokesperson is a woman?
Does formellement just mean "in a formal setting" here?
It carries a much stronger meaning than the English "formally." In French, formellement is often used to mean "categorically," "strictly," or "expressly." Démentir formellement is a very common phrase meaning "to categorically deny." You will also often see interdire formellement (to strictly forbid).
How could we express a similar strong denial using this lesson's grammar point (ne... aucunement or ne... nullement)?
Since this sentence doesn't contain a negative structure, you would need to swap the verb to mean the opposite, such as confirmer (to confirm) or soutenir (to support), and then apply the emphatic negation. For example: Le porte-parole ne confirme aucunement la spéculation infondée (The spokesperson in no way confirms the unfounded speculation) or ...ne confirme nullement....
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