Breakdown of Nous nous voyons accorder le crédit.
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
se voir
to see oneself
accorder
to grant
le crédit
the credit
Questions & Answers about Nous nous voyons accorder le crédit.
Why use se voir accorder instead of a direct translation like nous sommes accordés?
In French, you cannot make an indirect object (the receiver of the credit) the subject of a normal passive sentence. Because you grant a loan 'to' someone, you cannot say nous sommes accordés. Instead, using se voir followed by an infinitive is a natural, slightly formal way to express this indirect passive meaning.
Why are there two nous at the beginning of the sentence?
The first nous is the subject of the sentence (We). The second nous is the reflexive pronoun (ourselves) required by the verb se voir. Literally, the sentence translates to 'We see ourselves being granted the credit'.
Who is actually granting the credit in this sentence?
The beauty of the se voir + infinitive structure is that it allows you to hide the agent (the person doing the action), exactly like the English passive voice. The bank or institution granting the credit is intentionally left unsaid.
Where would the negation go if we wanted to say 'We are not granted the credit'?
The negative words ne and pas wrap around the reflexive pronoun and the conjugated verb together. You would say: Nous ne nous voyons pas accorder le crédit.
Could we use s'entendre instead of se voir here?
No, s'entendre + infinitive is used as an alternative passive for verbs of speaking or communicating, like dire, reprocher, or demander. For an action like accorder (to grant), you must use se voir.
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