Question 1

Why is 'running' translated as qui court instead of using the French present participle courant?

Accepted Answer

After verbs of perception (like voir, entendre, or regarder), French typically uses a relative clause with qui followed by a conjugated verb to describe an action happening in the moment. While English uses the present participle ending in '-ing', translating this literally to courant sounds unnatural in French when describing direct observation.

Question 2

Can I use the infinitive courir instead of qui court?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can say Tu vois le chien courir ? After perception verbs, both the infinitive and a qui clause are correct. The qui clause emphasizes the action as it is unfolding right before your eyes, while the infinitive simply states the action itself. In everyday speech, they are virtually interchangeable here.

Question 3

I sometimes mix up qui and que. Why must it be qui here?

Accepted Answer

You must use qui because the dog is the subject of the action in the relative clause: the dog is the one doing the running. You use que when the noun is the direct object of the relative clause, for example if you were saying 'the dog that I see'.

Question 4

Is le stand just the English word 'stand'?

Accepted Answer

It is a borrowed English word, but its meaning in French is narrowed down to a market stall, a trade show booth, or a fairground gallery. Keep in mind that despite the English spelling, it is pronounced with a French nasal 'an' sound and a silent 'd' at the end.

Tu vois le chien qui court derrière le stand ?

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