Breakdown of L'air n'est pas encore purifié par l'écosystème.
être
to be
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
par
by, through / out of (motive)
encore
still, again
l'air
the air (m)
purifier
to purify
l'écosystème
the ecosystem (m)
Questions & Answers about L'air n'est pas encore purifié par l'écosystème.
Where exactly does pas encore go in a passive sentence like this one?
In French, negative adverbs like pas encore (not yet) always surround the conjugated verb. Because this sentence is in the passive voice, the conjugated verb is the auxiliary est. Therefore, ne... pas encore wraps around est, placing it immediately before the past participle purifié.
Why is the agent of the passive voice introduced by par here instead of de?
In the passive voice, par introduces the doer of a specific, active, or physical action (the ecosystem is actively doing the purifying). You would use de instead of par only with verbs describing states, conditions, or emotions, such as aimé de tous (loved by all) or couvert de neige (covered in snow).
How can we tell the gender of air just by looking at the rest of this sentence?
We know l'air is masculine because the past participle purifié agrees with it and does not have an extra feminine -e at the end. Be careful not to confuse it with the feminine noun une aire, which sounds identical but means a surface area or geographical zone.
Is écosystème masculine or feminine, given that it ends in -e?
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