Question 1

Why does the French sentence use qui nettoie (who cleans) when the English translation says 'cleaning'?

Accepted Answer

In French, after verbs of perception like regarder (to watch), voir (to see), or entendre (to hear), it is very common to use the relative pronoun qui followed by a conjugated verb to describe an action in progress. It literally translates to 'who is cleaning', which is the most natural way French expresses the English '-ing' form in this specific context.

Question 2

Could I use the infinitive nettoyer instead of qui nettoie here?

Accepted Answer

Yes! With perception verbs, you can also use the infinitive: Tu regardes le marchand nettoyer la balance ? The meaning is almost identical. The qui structure emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action in that exact moment, while the infinitive can imply you are watching the action as a whole, but they are often used interchangeably.

Question 3

Could I use the present participle nettoyant to perfectly match the English 'cleaning'?

Accepted Answer

You should avoid it here. While nettoyant exists, using a present participle right after an object to describe what they are doing sounds very unnatural and overly literary in everyday spoken French. The qui clause or the infinitive are your go-to structures.

Question 4

Wait, doesn't balance just mean 'balance' (like equilibrium)?

Accepted Answer

It can, but une balance is also the standard everyday French word for a weighing scale. In the context of a merchant (un marchand), they are cleaning the physical scales used to weigh produce or goods.

Tu regardes le marchand qui nettoie la balance ?

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