Learn French: La canicule est terrible, à tel point de faire fuir les gens. - The heatwave is terrible, to such a point of making people flee.

La canicule est terrible, à tel point de faire fuir les gens.

The heatwave is terrible, to such a point of making people flee.

Breakdown of La canicule est terrible, à tel point de faire fuir les gens.

Questions & Answers about La canicule est terrible, à tel point de faire fuir les gens.

What is the difference between à tel point de and au point de?

Both express consequence, but à tel point de adds more emphasis. While au point de means 'to the point of', adding tel makes it 'to such a point of', highlighting the extreme nature of the heatwave.

Could I use à tel point que instead of à tel point de here?

Yes, but you would have to change the grammar. The phrase à tel point de must be followed by an infinitive like faire. If you use que, you must follow it with a subject and a conjugated verb, such as à tel point qu'elle fait fuir les gens.

Why do we need the verb faire before fuir?

This uses the causative construction. The heatwave isn't running away itself; it is making the people run away. In French, when a subject causes an action to happen rather than doing it directly, you use faire followed by the infinitive of the action verb, which is fuir here.

Is la canicule just a normal hot day?

No, la canicule specifically refers to a severe, prolonged heatwave where temperatures stay dangerously high both day and night. It carries a much stronger sense of emergency than a standard hot spell or general heat, which is la chaleur.