Breakdown of L'historien se doute qu'il a attribué ce tableau à un autre peintre.
un
a / an (masculine)
il
he
avoir
to have
ce
this (before a noun)
autre
other
le tableau
the painting
le peintre
the painter
l'historien
the historian (m)
se douter que
to suspect that
attribuer à
to attribute to
Questions & Answers about L'historien se doute qu'il a attribué ce tableau à un autre peintre.
Why is a attribué in the indicative rather than the subjunctive?
The verb se douter que means 'to suspect' or 'to have a strong feeling that'. Because it expresses a probability or a strong belief rather than uncertainty, it is followed by the indicative. This contrasts directly with douter que (to doubt), which expresses doubt and requires the subjunctive.
Does se douter have anything to do with doubting?
Why use qu'il a attribué instead of using an infinitive construction like d'avoir attribué, since the subject is the same in both clauses?
With many verbs, like vouloir or regretter, you usually must use an infinitive when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence. However, se douter que is typically followed by a full clause with a conjugated verb, even when the subject is the same.
Why is the preposition à used after attribué?
In French, you attribute something to someone using the structure attribuer quelque chose à quelqu'un. The preposition à introduces the indirect object receiving the attribution, which in this case is the other painter (un autre peintre).
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