Question 1

Why is there an apostrophe in aujourd’hui?

Accepted Answer

Aujourd’hui is spelled with an apostrophe because it historically comes from older words meaning "on the day of this day" (in Old French, au jour de hui). Over time, this phrase merged into a single word, which retained the apostrophe for clarity.

Question 2

Why do we say ne fonctionne pas instead of ne marche pas?

Accepted Answer

Fonctionner is often used to talk about the way a mechanical or electronic device operates, whereas marcher is more colloquial and can apply to just about anything that "works" or "doesn’t work." In practice, French speakers may use either form, but ne fonctionne pas emphasizes that the machine (in this case, the elevator) is not functioning as intended.

Question 3

What does donc mean in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Donc is a conjunction that means "so," "therefore," or "thus." It links the first part of the sentence (the elevator is out of order) with the consequence (we are taking the stairs).

Question 4

Why do we use nous in nous prenons l’escalier instead of on?

Accepted Answer

Nous is the standard pronoun for "we" in written and more formal French. On is commonly used in everyday speech to mean "we," but it’s considered less formal. Here, either word could work, but nous is more traditional and formal in style.

Aujourd’hui, l’ascenseur ne fonctionne pas, donc nous prenons l’escalier.

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