Breakdown of La facture est élevée, mais je ne dépense que ce qui est nécessaire.
je
I
être
to be
mais
but
nécessaire
necessary
élevé
high
dépenser
to spend
ne ... que
only
la facture
the bill
ce qui
what
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Questions & Answers about La facture est élevée, mais je ne dépense que ce qui est nécessaire.
What does la facture mean in this sentence?
La facture means “the bill” or “invoice” (for example, an electricity bill, a restaurant bill, etc.).
Why is élevée spelled with -ée instead of -é?
Élevée is an adjective that must agree in gender and number with its noun. Since facture is feminine singular, we add -e to the masculine form élevé, giving élevée.
Could I use chère instead of élevée? What’s the difference?
You can say la facture est chère, which means “the bill is expensive.” Élevée literally means “high” (the amount is high) while chère means “expensive” or “dear.” Both work, but élevée focuses on the level/height of the cost.
What does the construction ne … que express here?
Ne … que is a restrictive negation that means “only.” So je ne dépense que … translates as “I only spend ….” It’s not a full negation (“I don’t spend anything”), but a limitation.
Why use ce qui est nécessaire instead of ce que?
In French relative clauses:
- ce qui is used when the pronoun is the subject of the verb that follows (here est).
- ce que is used when the pronoun is the direct object of the verb.
Since ce is doing the action “is necessary,” we use ce qui.
Could I shorten je ne dépense que ce qui est nécessaire to je ne dépense que le nécessaire?
Yes. Je ne dépense que le nécessaire is a more concise way to say “I only spend what is necessary.” Here le nécessaire acts as a noun meaning “the necessary amount.”
How would I say “I only spend what I need” instead of “what is necessary”?
You can say je ne dépense que ce dont j’ai besoin.
- dont replaces de ce
- verb, so ce dont j’ai besoin means “what I need.”
Could you explain why there’s no ne in the first clause La facture est élevée?
That clause is affirmative (just a statement). The restrictive negation ne … que appears only in the second clause: je ne dépense que …. There’s no negative meaning in “La facture est élevée.”