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Autant il préfère l'escalade en été, autant il adore le snowboard en hiver.

Autant il préfère l'escalade en été, autant il adore le snowboard en hiver.
As much as he prefers climbing in summer, so much does he love snowboarding in winter.
From Lesson 397:Parallel comparisons (autant... autant...)·French

Questions & Answers about Autant il préfère l'escalade en été, autant il adore le snowboard en hiver.

What exactly does Autant... autant... do in this sentence?
It creates a strong, balanced contrast between two statements, meaning "As much as... so much...". Here, it emphasizes that his preference for summer climbing is exactly equal to his love for winter snowboarding.
Does the Autant... autant... structure require the subjunctive?
No, it is always followed by the indicative mood. Even though it highlights a contrast, you simply use standard indicative verb forms, which is why we see il préfère and il adore here.
Why do we use en for the seasons en été and en hiver?
In French, seasons that start with a vowel take the preposition en without any article (en été, en hiver, en automne). The only exception you need to remember is spring, which uses au printemps.
Why are the definite articles l' and le used before the sports?
Verbs expressing likes, dislikes, or preferences (like préférer, adorer, aimer, and détester) are always followed by a definite article (le, la, les, l'), even when we wouldn't use one in English.

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