Breakdown of Il y a toujours un risque quand on oublie de regarder l’heure sur sa montre.
être
to be
sur
on
de
of
quand
when
toujours
always
oublier
to forget
l'heure
the time
on
one
la montre
the watch
le risque
the risk
regarder
to check
sa
one's
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Questions & Answers about Il y a toujours un risque quand on oublie de regarder l’heure sur sa montre.
What does il y a mean and how is it used here?
il y a is an impersonal expression that literally means “there is” or “there are.” In this sentence, il y a toujours un risque translates to “there is always a risk.” It’s fixed: il (dummy subject) + y (dummy locative pronoun) + a (third-person singular of avoir).
What is the function of on in this sentence?
Here on is the general (“impersonal”) pronoun, equivalent to English “one,” “you,” or even “we” in casual speech. It makes a general statement: “when one forgets” / “when you forget” / “when we forget.”
Why do we use oublie de regarder instead of oublier regarder or oublier à regarder?
Certain French verbs require the preposition de before an infinitive. oublier is one of them, so you must say oublier de + infinitive. Hence on oublie de regarder (“one forgets to look”). There is never oublier regarder or oublier à regarder.
Can toujours move to another position in the sentence?
toujours is an adverb of frequency and typically comes right after the conjugated verb or just before the thing it modifies. In il y a toujours un risque, it sits between the verb a and the noun un risque. You could place it elsewhere for emphasis (e.g. toujours il y a un risque, poetic), but in neutral speech, the standard position is where it is.
Why is it sa montre and not son montre?
In French, possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, not with the possessor. montre is feminine, so you use sa (his/her). son would be for masculine nouns (e.g. son livre, “his/her book”).
Could we say regarder l’heure à sa montre instead of sur sa montre?
No, the correct preposition is sur here, because you look at the face/surface of the watch. regarder l’heure sur sa montre literally means “to check the time on one’s watch.” à sa montre would sound unnatural in French.
Why is the article un used in un risque? Could we use le risque instead?
Using un risque (indefinite article) speaks of any risk in general: “there is always a (some) risk.” If you say le risque, you’re referring to a specific, previously mentioned risk. That would change the nuance: Il y a toujours le risque means “there is always the risk” (that particular risk).