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Breakdown of Quand elle se sent trop émue, elle craint de maigrir à cause du stress.
elle
she
de
of
quand
when
trop
too
se
oneself
sentir
to feel
le stress
the stress
ému
moved
craindre
to fear
maigrir
to lose weight
à cause de
because of
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).
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Questions & Answers about Quand elle se sent trop émue, elle craint de maigrir à cause du stress.
What does the reflexive verb se sentir mean in this sentence?
In this context, se sentir means “to feel” in the sense of experiencing a state or emotion. The reflexive form emphasizes that the subject (she) is experiencing the feeling herself.
What does the phrase trop émue imply here?
Trop émue means “too moved” or “overly emotional.” It suggests that she becomes excessively affected by her feelings, to a degree that has further consequences.
How is the verb craindre used with an infinitive in this sentence?
In French, when expressing fear about an action, craindre is followed by de plus an infinitive. Here, elle craint de maigrir means “she fears losing weight.” This construction is standard for indicating what action is feared.
Why is maigrir in the infinitive form after craindre de?
After verbs like craindre that express a fear or concern, the following verb is kept in its infinitive form. This is a grammatical rule in French, so maigrir correctly remains in the infinitive to indicate the action she fears.
What role does à cause du stress play in the sentence?
À cause du stress functions as an adverbial phrase providing the reason for her fear. It means “because of the stress” and explains why she is afraid of losing weight. The phrase uses du as a contraction of de le since stress is a masculine noun.
How are the clauses in the sentence structured?
The sentence is built with a subordinate clause and a main clause. Quand elle se sent trop émue is the subordinate clause (introduced by quand, meaning “when”), and elle craint de maigrir à cause du stress is the main clause. The comma separates these clauses, clarifying the relationship of time and cause.