Breakdown of Tu as oublié de serrer le boulon.
tu
you (informal singular)
avoir
to have
oublier
to forget
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
de
to (introducing an infinitive after a verb)
serrer
to tighten (general)
le boulon
the bolt
Questions & Answers about Tu as oublié de serrer le boulon.
How could I use the target phrase n'importe lequel to reply to this statement if I don't care which bolt gets tightened?
Why is it oublié de serrer and not just oublié serrer?
In French, the verb oublier (to forget) requires the preposition de before a following infinitive. It is a set pattern you have to memorize, much like how décider also takes de, but réussir takes à.
Does serrer only mean to tighten in the context of tools and hardware?
What is the difference between un boulon and une vis, and how does it affect our current lesson's grammar?
Un boulon is a bolt (which typically pairs with a nut, un écrou), whereas une vis is a screw. Because boulon is masculine, you would refer to it with n'importe lequel (any bolt). If you were talking about a screw instead, the sentence would be Tu as oublié de serrer la vis, and any of them would change to the feminine n'importe laquelle.
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