Breakdown of Marie n'est pas jalouse; elle fait confiance à Paul.
Questions & Answers about Marie n'est pas jalouse; elle fait confiance à Paul.
Why do we say n'est pas instead of just est pas?
In standard French, the basic way to make a verb negative is ne … pas around the conjugated verb:
- Marie est jalouse. → Marie n’est pas jalouse.
You cannot say Marie est pas jalouse in correct written French; you must include ne (which becomes n’ here) and pas.
(Spoken, informal French often drops ne, but learners should keep ne … pas for now.)
Where do ne and pas go in relation to the subject and the verb?
Why do we write n’est and not ne est?
Why is it jalouse and not jaloux here?
How would the adjective change with masculine or plural subjects?
Why does French say elle fait confiance à Paul to mean she trusts Paul?
What is the grammatical structure of elle fait confiance à Paul?
Why is the preposition à used before Paul? Could we use en?
With faire confiance, the standard construction is:
- faire confiance à quelqu’un
So you must use à: elle fait confiance à Paul.
There is another expression:
Example:
- Elle a confiance en Paul.
So:
- faire confiance à Paul
- avoir confiance en Paul
Both are correct, but the preposition changes with the verb: à goes with faire confiance, en goes with avoir confiance.
Can we replace à Paul with a pronoun? Which pronoun do we use?
How would we make the second clause negative: she does not trust Paul?
Why is there a semicolon ; instead of a comma or a word like mais (but) or parce que (because)?
In French, a semicolon ; is used between two closely related but independent clauses:
- Marie n’est pas jalouse = complete sentence
- elle fait confiance à Paul = complete sentence
Using ; shows a clear link between the two ideas without adding an explicit connector.
Other acceptable options (with slightly different style):
- Marie n’est pas jalouse, elle fait confiance à Paul. (comma; common, but heavier style guides often prefer ; or a conjunction)
- Marie n’est pas jalouse, car elle fait confiance à Paul.
- Marie n’est pas jalouse parce qu’elle fait confiance à Paul.
- Marie n’est pas jalouse : elle fait confiance à Paul. (colon; also common)
Can we drop the subject pronoun in the second clause, and say …; fait confiance à Paul?
No. In French, the subject pronoun is normally required; you cannot drop it as in some languages.
So:
- …; elle fait confiance à Paul. ✅
- …; fait confiance à Paul. ❌ (sounds like an imperative or an incomplete sentence)
Each clause needs its own explicit subject (unless it is a special case like an imperative command).
Is it possible to say Marie est pas jalouse in spoken French?
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