Breakdown of Le marché est tellement animé que je regarde les gens qui flânent.
je
I
être
to be
les gens
the people
qui
who
Questions & Answers about Le marché est tellement animé que je regarde les gens qui flânent.
Why use qui flânent instead of the infinitive flâner after the perception verb regarder?
Both are correct, but they carry a subtle nuance. Using the infinitive (je regarde les gens flâner) focuses on the action itself. Using the relative clause (qui flânent) emphasizes the people who are currently in the middle of doing the action. It frames the action almost like an ongoing state or characteristic of the people right at that moment.
Since the English translation says "strolling", why not use the French present participle flânant?
English relies heavily on "-ing" words to show ongoing actions after verbs of perception. French, however, rarely uses its present participle (-ant) for this. To translate "I watch them strolling", French naturally prefers either the relative clause (qui flânent) or the infinitive (flâner).
How does the tellement... que structure function here?