Learn French: Ce fromage se mange quand il arrête de fermenter. - This cheese is eaten when it stops fermenting.

Ce fromage se mange quand il arrête de fermenter.

This cheese is eaten when it stops fermenting.

Breakdown of Ce fromage se mange quand il arrête de fermenter.

Questions & Answers about Ce fromage se mange quand il arrête de fermenter.

Why is se mange used instead of est mangé for "is eaten"?

In French, this reflexive structure (called the passive pronominal) is frequently used to express a general truth about how a product is typically used, sold, or consumed. While est mangé is grammatically correct, se mange is the much more natural and common way to state a general rule like this.

Why do we need the word de before fermenter?

The verb arrêter (to stop) requires the preposition de when it is followed by an infinitive verb. Memorizing verb-preposition pairs is essential at the B2 level: "to stop doing something" is always arrêter de faire quelque chose.

Since "when it stops" implies a future event, shouldn't it be quand il arrêtera?

You would use the future tense (quand il arrêtera) if you were talking about one specific wheel of cheese that will stop fermenting later. However, because this sentence describes a general fact or habit, the present tense is used in both halves of the sentence.

How would I use the progressive change structure (aller + gérondif) from this lesson with this cheese?

You could use it to describe the ongoing fermentation process itself! For example, you could say Ce fromage va en fermentant (This cheese gets more and more fermented). But since our specific sentence focuses on the exact moment that process stops (arrête de), the progressive form isn't used here.