Question 1

Why does this sentence start with Comme instead of Comment if it means 'how'?

Accepted Answer

Comment is used for asking questions (meaning 'in what way?'), while Comme, Que, and Ce que are used for exclamations to express intensity or surprise, translating to 'How...!' or 'So much...!' in English.

Question 2

In English we say 'How loud...', putting the adverb right after 'How'. Why is fort at the end of the French sentence?

Accepted Answer

In French exclamations with Comme, the word order stays exactly the same as a standard statement: subject (le bruit), verb (retentit), and finally the adverb (fort). You simply place Comme at the very beginning of the sentence.

Question 3

Could I use Que or Ce que instead of Comme here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, they are completely interchangeable in this context! You could say Que le bruit retentit fort ! or Ce que le bruit retentit fort ! with no change in meaning. Comme and Que are slightly more formal or written, while Ce que is extremely common in everyday spoken French.

Question 4

Is fort an adjective or an adverb in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

It is an adjective acting as an adverb to modify the verb retentit (describing how it rings out). Some French adjectives like fort (loud), cher (expensive), or dur (hard) can be used as adverbs. When they do, they are invariable, meaning they never add an '-e' or '-s' for gender or number.

Comme le bruit retentit fort !

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