Question 1

Why use C'est la société qui instead of just saying La société exige?

Accepted Answer

This structure is called la mise en relief (highlighting). It's used to emphasize a specific part of the sentence. Wrapping la société in C'est ... qui heavily stresses that society is the one demanding it, rather than the government or another group. It directly matches the English emphasizing structure "It is society that...".

Question 2

Why does the French sentence use de la transparence instead of just transparence or la transparence?

Accepted Answer

English often uses zero article for abstract, uncountable concepts (just "transparency"). French, however, almost always requires an article. Because society is demanding an unspecified amount of an uncountable concept here, we use the partitive article de la (meaning "some"). If you were referring to a specific instance, like "the transparency of the government", you would use the definite article la.

Question 3

Is exiger a false friend here?

Accepted Answer

It can be! While it shares a root with the English word "exact", exiger is the standard French verb for "to demand" or "to require." Be careful not to translate "demand" as demander, which usually just means "to ask." Exiger carries a much stronger, non-negotiable tone.

Question 4

Does la société always translate to "society"?

Accepted Answer

Not always. While it means "society" in a broad cultural or social sense here, une société is also the standard everyday word for a "company," "business," or "corporation." You have to rely on context to tell them apart.

C'est la société qui exige de la transparence.

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