Breakdown of Autant tu es censé pratiquer le patinage, autant l'athlétisme te passionne.
tu
you (informal singular)
pratiquer
to practice
te
you, yourself (object pronoun)
autant
as much, as many
être censé
to be supposed to
passionner
to fascinate
le patinage
the skating
l'athlétisme
the track and field (m)
Questions & Answers about Autant tu es censé pratiquer le patinage, autant l'athlétisme te passionne.
Why do we use the indicative mood rather than the subjunctive after autant... autant...?
The construction autant... autant... is used to contrast two parallel facts or realities. Because it states objective facts rather than expressing doubt, emotion, or subjectivity, it always takes the indicative mood.
Is it wrong to use supposé instead of censé for 'supposed to'?
While you will sometimes hear supposé, être censé followed by an infinitive is the standard and most natural way to express 'to be supposed to' do something in French. Note the spelling: censé means 'supposed to', whereas sensé means 'sensible'.
The English translation says 'does track and field fascinate you', but the French uses te passionne. Why this structure?
In English, we often use the passive voice or an adjective to say 'you are fascinated by track and field'. In French, it is much more natural to use the active verb passionner (to fascinate or impassion) with the activity as the subject and the person as the direct object (te). Literally, it says 'track and field fascinates you'.
Could I use faire instead of pratiquer for the skating part?
Yes, but the grammar changes slightly. You would say faire du patinage (using the partitive article). The verb pratiquer is a bit more formal, takes the definite article (le patinage), and is often used when discussing sports or hobbies as a dedicated discipline.
Learn Autant tu es censé pratiquer le patinage, autant l'athlétisme te passionne and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free