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Questions & Answers about Paul promet de venir demain.
Why is the preposition de used before the infinitive venir in this sentence?
In French, many verbs—promettre included—require the preposition de before an infinitive when the subject of the main verb and the infinitive is the same. Here, Paul promet de venir demain follows that rule, linking the act of promising with the action that is promised.
Could this sentence be rephrased using a clause introduced by que instead of the infinitive construction?
While French sometimes allows a clause with que, when the subject remains identical between the two verbs, the de-infinitive construction is preferred. Using que, as in Paul promet qu'il viendra demain, is less common and can subtly change the nuance, so the original structure is more natural in this context.
What is the structure of the sentence Paul promet de venir demain?
The sentence is built with the subject Paul and the present indicative form promet of the verb promettre. It is then followed by an infinitive phrase de venir demain, where de acts as a connector and demain serves as an adverb of time, specifying when Paul is expected to come.
Why is the verb promet conjugated in the present tense even though the promised action is set for tomorrow?
The present tense is used because Paul is making the promise now. In French, it is common to use the present tense to express a current state or action (the promise) that refers to a future event, which is clearly indicated by the adverb demain.
Why doesn’t the infinitive clause include a repeated subject like a pronoun?
In French, when the subject of the main clause is also the agent of the action in the infinitive clause, there is no need to repeat it. Since Paul is both the one who promises and the one who will come, the sentence efficiently omits any redundant subject in the infinitive phrase.