Il est patient avec tous les invités, même quand il doit résoudre un petit conflit.

to be

Breakdown of Il est patient avec tous les invités, même quand il doit résoudre un petit conflit.

• il: he
• petit: small
• avec: with
• quand: when
• même: even
• patient: patient
• tous: all
• l'invité: the guest
• résoudre: to solve
• le conflit: the conflict

Questions & Answers about Il est patient avec tous les invités, même quand il doit résoudre un petit conflit.

What does the phrase même quand mean in this sentence, and how does it differ from même si?

Même quand translates to "even when" and is used to introduce a specific, actual circumstance—in this case, when he has to resolve a small conflict. While même si (meaning "even if") is typically used for hypothetical or counterfactual situations, même quand emphasizes that the condition really occurs.

Why does the adjective patient remain unchanged, and what would change if the subject were feminine?

In French, adjectives must agree with the noun or pronoun they describe in gender and number. Here, patient describes il (a masculine singular subject), so it remains in its base form. If the subject were feminine (for example, elle), the adjective would change to patiente to reflect feminine agreement.

What role does the modal verb doit play in this sentence?

Doit is the third-person singular present form of devoir, which means "has to" or "must". Its use indicates an obligation or necessity—he is required to resolve a small conflict when it arises. Despite this duty, his inherent quality of being patient remains unaltered.

How is the sentence organized in terms of its main and subordinate clauses?

The sentence is structured with a main clause and a subordinate clause. The main clause, "Il est patient avec tous les invités," states that he is patient with all the guests. The subordinate clause, "même quand il doit résoudre un petit conflit," specifies a condition under which this patience still holds true. The subordinate clause is introduced by même quand, setting a real situation that tests his patience.

Why is the adjective petit placed before the noun conflit in the phrase un petit conflit?

In French, many descriptive adjectives—especially those related to size or quality like petit—typically come before the noun they modify. Thus, un petit conflit follows the common word order, emphasizing that the conflict is minor or not very significant.

What does tous les invités mean, and how does its structure compare to the English phrase "all the guests"?

Tous les invités directly translates to "all the guests." Here, tous means "all," les is the plural definite article "the," and invités means "guests." The structure is quite similar to English—though in French, the quantifier tous is essential and always placed before the article and noun to express totality.