La candidate parle calmement avec le responsable.

The candidate speaks calmly with the manager.

Breakdown of La candidate parle calmement avec le responsable.

• avec: with
• parler: to speak
• calmement: calmly
• le responsable: the manager
• la candidate: the candidate

Questions & Answers about La candidate parle calmement avec le responsable.

Why is it la candidate and not le candidate or la candidatte?

In French, candidate is a feminine noun and candidat is the masculine form.

• la candidate = the female candidate
• le candidat = the male candidate

French often forms the feminine by adding -e to the masculine form:

• candidat → candidate
• étudiant → étudiante
• ami → amie

You almost never add a double t here. So candidatte is incorrect spelling.

Why is the verb parle and not something like parles or parlent?

Parle is the present tense (présent de l’indicatif) form of parler for je, il, elle, and on:

• je parle – I speak
• il/elle/on parle – he/she/one speaks

In the sentence, the subject is la candidate. This is third person singular (she), so it uses:

• la candidate parle

Other forms would be:

• tu parles – you speak (singular, informal)
• ils/elles parlent – they speak

So parles or parlent would not agree with la candidate.

How is the subject shown in French? There is no separate word for she.

In French, the subject can be:

1. A noun phrase, like la candidate
2. A pronoun, like elle

You don’t use both together, so you say either:

• La candidate parle calmement. – The candidate speaks calmly.
  or
• Elle parle calmement. – She speaks calmly.

The noun la candidate itself functions as the subject. French does not need an extra elle in front of it.

What is calmement exactly, and how is it formed?

Calmement is an adverb, meaning calmly.

It is formed from the adjective calme (calm) + the adverb ending -ment.

Common pattern:

• feminine adjective (or masculine ending in a vowel) + -ment
  
  • calme → calmement
  • lent, lente → lentement (from the feminine lente)
  • heureux, heureuse → heureusement

Adverbs in -ment usually answer how? (manner):

• Elle parle calmement. – She speaks calmly.
• Il conduit prudemment. – He drives carefully.

Why does calmement come after parle? Could it go somewhere else?

The neutral position for an adverb of manner (calmement, lentement, bien, etc.) is after the verb:

• Elle parle calmement. – She speaks calmly.
• Il travaille sérieusement.

In compound tenses it usually goes between the auxiliary and the past participle:

• Elle a parlé calmement. – She spoke calmly.

You can sometimes move an adverb for emphasis or style, but putting calmement right after parle is the most natural and standard word order here.

What does avec mean exactly here, and why not à?

Avec means with in the sense of together with / in the company of / in interaction with:

• parler avec quelqu’un – to talk with someone
• travailler avec quelqu’un – to work with someone

À after parler usually introduces:

• a language: parler à quelqu’un en français – speak to someone in French
• an indirect object meaning to someone: parler à quelqu’un – speak to someone

Difference:

• Elle parle au responsable. – She speaks to the manager. (direction)
• Elle parle avec le responsable. – She speaks with the manager. (interaction / together)

What does le responsable mean here, and how do we know if it’s masculine or feminine?

Responsable is a noun here meaning something like the manager / the supervisor / the person in charge.

• le responsable = masculine: the (male or unspecified) person in charge
• la responsable = feminine: the (female) person in charge

The form responsable does not change; the article (le / la) tells you the gender:

• le responsable de l’équipe – the team manager (male or neutral)
• la responsable du projet – the project manager (female)

In your sentence, le responsable is grammatically masculine.

Why is it le responsable and not just responsable without an article?

In French, a specific person is normally introduced with a definite article:

• le professeur – the teacher
• la directrice – the director
• le responsable – the person in charge

Leaving out the article is rare and usually limited to:

• headlines
• labels / lists
• some set expressions (Madame la Directrice, Monsieur le Président, etc. where other rules apply)

So in a normal sentence, you say:

• La candidate parle calmement avec le responsable.

not just …avec responsable.

Is the word order subject + verb + adverb + prepositional phrase typical in French?

Yes. The basic pattern here is very typical:

• La candidate (subject)
• parle (verb)
• calmement (adverb of manner)
• avec le responsable (prepositional phrase giving the person involved)

Other examples:

• L’enfant dort tranquillement dans sa chambre.
• Le client discute calmement avec le vendeur.

French generally prefers relatively fixed S–V–O word order, with manner adverbs near the verb and complements like avec X following.

How do you pronounce parle and calmement? Are all the letters pronounced?

parle

• Pronounced roughly like parl in English.
• The e at the end is silent.
• The r is a French guttural r, produced at the back of the throat.

calmement
Approximate breakdown: cal-me-man (but smoother in real speech)

• calm-: the l and m are pronounced; ca like kal.
• -e-: a weak e, often very reduced or almost disappeared in fast speech.
• -ment: pronounced man (nasal an sound, final t silent).

IPA (approximate):

• parle: /paʁl/
• calmement: /kalməmɑ̃/