Question 1

I learned that tenter means 'to try' or 'attempt.' Why does it mean 'tempts' here?

Accepted Answer

This is a great example of a verb changing meaning based on its transitivity! When you use tenter with the preposition de (tenter de faire quelque chose), it means 'to attempt' or 'to try.' However, when you use it directly with a person as the object (like me in this sentence), the meaning shifts to 'to tempt' or 'to appeal to.'

Question 2

Is the pronoun me a direct or an indirect object in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

It is a direct object because the structure is tenter quelqu'un (to tempt someone), which takes its object directly without the preposition à. While me looks the same either way, you can see the difference if you change it to the third person. To say 'This trip tempts him', you must use the direct object pronoun le: Ce voyage le tente.

Question 3

If tenter means 'to tempt' here, how would I say 'I am tempted to go on this trip'?

Accepted Answer

To express being tempted to do an action, you use the passive voice followed by the preposition de. For example: Je suis tenté de faire ce voyage. The preposition de acts as the bridge between the feeling of being tempted and the action itself.

Question 4

Could I put beaucoup before the verb, like we do in English?

Accepted Answer

No, and this is a common trap! In English, we often put adverbs before the verb (like 'really tempts me'), but in French, adverbs like beaucoup generally must come after the conjugated verb (tente).

Ce voyage me tente beaucoup.

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