Question 1

Why is there a que after et in the middle of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

This is a stylish way to avoid repeating the conjunction comme. Instead of saying Comme le gaspillage... et comme nous voulons..., French uses que for the second clause. This rule works for avoiding the repetition of many conjunctions, including quand, lorsque, and si.

Question 2

Does the que here trigger the subjunctive mood?

Accepted Answer

No, voulons remains in the indicative mood here. When que replaces a conjunction, it generally keeps the same mood as the original conjunction. Since comme takes the indicative, its replacement que also takes the indicative. The major exception you will learn is when que replaces si (if), which does force the following verb into the subjunctive.

Question 3

Could I start this sentence with Parce que instead of Comme?

Accepted Answer

It is much better to use Comme (or Puisque) here. In French, parce que is rarely used at the very beginning of a sentence unless you are directly answering a question. When you want to state a cause before the consequence at the start of a sentence, Comme is the natural and most common choice.

Question 4

Why is it coûte cher instead of coûte chèrement?

Accepted Answer

In the expression coûter cher (to cost a lot), the word cher acts as an adverb modifying the verb coûter. Because it is functioning as an adverb, it is invariable. This means you do not add -ment to it, and it never changes form to match gender or number.

Comme le gaspillage coûte cher et que nous voulons une alternative, nous changeons ce système.

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