Learn French: Ce snob dépense son argent comme s'il avait une grande fortune. - This snob spends his money as if he had a large fortune.

Ce snob dépense son argent comme s'il avait une grande fortune.

This snob spends his money as if he had a large fortune.

Breakdown of Ce snob dépense son argent comme s'il avait une grande fortune.

Questions & Answers about Ce snob dépense son argent comme s'il avait une grande fortune.

Why do we use the imparfait (avait) after comme si here?

We use comme si (as if) followed by the imparfait to express an unreal or hypothetical situation in the present. The snob is currently spending money as if he currently has a large fortune, but in reality, he does not.

Why is comme si written as comme s' here? Does si always drop the 'i' before a vowel?

No, the word si only drops its 'i' (elides) when followed by il or ils. So, si + il becomes s'il, but if the pronoun were feminine, it would remain separate: comme si elle. It never elides before other vowels either, like in comme si on.

Is the word snob actually used in French, or is it franglais?

Snob is an English loanword that is fully integrated into French. It can be used as a noun, like here (ce snob), or as an adjective (for example, il est très snob). The pronunciation is similar to English, but with a slightly tighter, more closed 'o' sound.

Why does grande come before fortune rather than after it?