Word
Autant les tournois nationaux de golf sont ennuyeux, autant le snowboard me passionne.
Meaning
As much as national golf tournaments are boring, so much does snowboarding fascinate me.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Autant les tournois nationaux de golf sont ennuyeux, autant le snowboard me passionne.
être
to be
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
me
me, myself (object pronoun)
national
national
Questions & Answers about Autant les tournois nationaux de golf sont ennuyeux, autant le snowboard me passionne.
Why doesn't the autant... autant... structure require the subjunctive mood here?
Because autant... autant... (as much as... so much...) states two parallel facts that are actually happening or true. Since it deals with certainty and reality rather than doubt or emotion, it is always followed by the indicative mood. That is why we see the standard present tense sont and passionne.
Why is the plural of national spelled nationaux here?
Instead of me passionne, could I say je suis passionné par le snowboard?
Yes, you can! Both are grammatically correct and mean the same thing. However, using the active verb passionner (to fascinate) with the direct object pronoun me is a very natural phrasing in French. It also creates a nice structural contrast with the state of being described in the first half (sont ennuyeux).
Does autant... autant... always have to be translated literally as 'As much as... so much...'?
Not always. While the literal translation helps you understand the parallel grammar, in everyday English you might translate it simply as 'While national golf tournaments are boring, snowboarding fascinates me.' The French structure is just a very elegant way to balance two contrasting strong opinions!