Breakdown of Avec moins de sel, l'assaisonnement serait exactement ce que je préfère.
je
I
être
to be
avec
with
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
préférer
to prefer
exactement
exactly
moins
less / to (time)
le sel
the salt
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
ce que
what (object)
l'assaisonnement
the seasoning (m)
Questions & Answers about Avec moins de sel, l'assaisonnement serait exactement ce que je préfère.
How does avec moins de sel replace a si clause here?
In French, prepositional phrases using words like avec (with) or sans (without) can act as an implicit condition. Instead of spelling out a full condition like S'il y avait moins de sel (If there were less salt), you can just use avec moins de sel. The conditional verb serait (would be) then shows the hypothetical result.
Why is it moins de sel rather than moins du sel?
Moins is an adverb of quantity. In French, expressions of quantity (like beaucoup, un peu, plus, and moins) are almost always followed by just de or d', without the definite article. Therefore, it is moins de sel (less salt).
Why do we need ce que here instead of just que for 'what'?
When 'what' means 'the thing that' in English, French uses an indefinite relative pronoun. You need ce to act as the 'thing' (the dummy antecedent) and que to act as the direct object of the verb préfère. If you just wrote exactement que je préfère, the sentence would be missing an object, like saying 'exactly that I prefer' in English.
Does the word assaisonnement (seasoning) come from the word for the seasons of the year?
Yes, it shares the same root as saison (season). The verb assaisonner originally meant bringing crops to maturity (bringing them to their proper season), and over time evolved to mean adding flavor or 'seasoning' to a dish.
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