Learn Hardcore French: Selon lui, cette solution est durable et réduit les factures d'électricité. - According to him, this solution is sustainable and reduces the electricity bills.

Selon lui, cette solution est durable et réduit les factures d'électricité.

According to him, this solution is sustainable and reduces the electricity bills.

Breakdown of Selon lui, cette solution est durable et réduit les factures d'électricité.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching French grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning French now

Questions & Answers about Selon lui, cette solution est durable et réduit les factures d'électricité.

Why do we say « Selon lui » and not something like « Pour lui » or « D’après lui »? Do they all mean “according to him”?

All three can translate as “according to him”, but they’re not always interchangeable:

Selon lui
- Very neutral and common.
- Often used for opinions, analyses, or statements someone makes.
- Works well in written and spoken French.
- Roughly: “according to him / in his opinion / as he sees it.”
D’après lui
- Also “according to him,” but with a nuance of based on what he says / his information.
- Can suggest you’re reporting his version, not necessarily endorsing it.
Pour lui
- Literally “for him,” often closer to “from his personal point of view / in his mind”.
- More subjective, sometimes about feelings or personal perception.
- Example: Pour lui, cette solution est injuste. = “In his eyes, this solution is unfair.”

In this sentence, « Selon lui » is the clearest neutral choice to introduce his opinion about the solution’s qualities.

Why is it « lui » after « selon » and not « il »?

French has a special set of stressed (disjunctive) pronouns used after most prepositions and in some other positions:

je → moi
tu → toi
il → lui
elle → elle
nous → nous
vous → vous
ils → eux
elles → elles

After prepositions like selon, avec, sans, pour, chez, d’après, etc., you must use these stressed forms:

selon lui (according to him)
avec elle (with her)
pour eux (for them)

So « selon il » is simply ungrammatical; it must be « selon lui ».

Can « Selon lui » appear in other positions in the sentence, or must it be at the beginning?

It’s flexible. All of these are possible, with slightly different emphasis:

Selon lui, cette solution est durable et réduit les factures d'électricité.
→ Most neutral; introduces whose opinion you’re reporting.
Cette solution, selon lui, est durable et réduit les factures d'électricité.
→ Slight pause around selon lui; still natural, often in speech or more literary style.
Cette solution est, selon lui, durable et réduit les factures d'électricité.
→ Emphasizes that the evaluation “durable and reduces bills” is specifically his opinion.

Starting with « Selon lui » is very common and sounds natural in both spoken and written French.

Why is it « cette solution » and not « ce solution »?

Because « solution » is feminine in French:

gender: la solution
demonstrative: cette solution (this solution)

Demonstrative adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun:

ce problème (masc. sing.)
cet ordinateur (masc. sing. starting with vowel/h)
cette idée (fem. sing.)
ces idées (plural, any gender)

Since solution is feminine singular, the only correct form is « cette solution ».

Is « durable » a false friend? Does it mean “durable” (physically tough) or “sustainable” (environmentally/economically)?

« Durable » in French can mean both, depending on context:

Physically lasting / hard-wearing
- Ce matériau est très durable.
  = This material is very durable.
Long‑term / sustainable (often environmental or economic)
- Une solution durable
  = A sustainable or long‑lasting solution.

In « cette solution est durable », it naturally suggests a solution that works well over time and often hints at sustainability (environmental or economic), especially given the context of reducing electricity bills.

Why doesn’t « réduit » agree with « solution » like an adjective (réduite)?

Because here « réduit » is a verb, not an adjective.

The structure is:

cette solution est durable
→ is durable (verb être
- adjective)
(cette solution) réduit les factures d'électricité
→ (it) reduces the electricity bills (verb réduire in the present tense)

The subject « cette solution » is doing two things:

est durable (is durable)
réduit les factures (reduces the bills)

So « réduit » is the 3rd person singular of the verb réduire, and it does not take feminine or plural agreement endings like an adjective would.

Why is it « réduit » and not « réduisent », since « factures » is plural?

The verb must agree with the subject, not the object.

Subject: cette solution → 3rd person singular
Verb: réduit
Direct object: les factures d'électricité (plural)

So:

Cette solution réduit les factures. ✅
Cette solution réduisent les factures. ❌ (wrong agreement)

In English it’s the same:
“You reduce the bills” vs. “He reduces the bills” – agreement is with you / he, not with “bills.”

Could we also say « Selon lui, cette solution est durable et elle réduit les factures d’électricité. »?

Yes, that sentence is correct and natural:

« Selon lui, cette solution est durable et elle réduit les factures d’électricité. »

The meaning is the same. Adding « elle »:

makes the structure slightly clearer:
→ this solution is durable and it reduces the bills.
can sound a bit more explicit or emphatic, especially in spoken French.

Both versions are fine; the original is just slightly more compact.

Why do we say « les factures d’électricité » and not just « l’électricité »?

Because in French, « une facture » means “a bill (an invoice)”. So:

les factures d’électricité
= literally “the bills of electricity”
= electricity bills in normal English.

If you said:

réduit l’électricité
→ it would sound like “reduces the electricity” (the quantity of electricity itself), not clearly the bills.

The phrase « les factures d’électricité » clearly refers to what you pay, not the physical electricity.

What exactly does the « d’ » in « d’électricité » mean? Why not « de l’électricité »?

« d’ » is just the shortened form of « de » before a vowel sound:

de + électricité → d’électricité

Here, « de » expresses a “of” / “for” relationship between the two nouns:

les factures d’électricité
= “the bills for electricity” / “the electricity bills”

Why not « de l’électricité »?

les factures de l’électricité is grammatically possible but sounds more heavy and unusual here.
In French, when you have Noun + de + Noun to show a general type (un problème de santé, une carte de crédit, une facture d’eau), you usually just use de (or d’), without an article.

So « les factures d’électricité » is the natural, idiomatic choice.

Can we say « pour l’électricité » instead of « d’électricité »?

Not in this structure.

les factures d’électricité = standard way to say “electricity bills”.
pour l’électricité would be used differently, e.g.:
- Je paie 60 euros par mois pour l’électricité.
  → “I pay 60 euros a month for electricity.”

When one noun defines the type of another (water bill, gas bill, electricity bill), French normally uses Noun + de + Noun:

une facture d’eau (water bill)
une facture de gaz (gas bill)
une facture d’électricité (electricity bill)

So here « d’électricité » is the correct pattern.

How do you pronounce « d’électricité », and why are there three é letters?

Pronunciation: [de.lek.tʁi.si.te] (simplified: day-lek-tree-see-tay).

d’ → sounds like “de” but merged with the next word: de-lec…
élec → é is like “ay” in say: ay-lek
tri → tree
ci → see
té → tay

All three é (with acute accent) signal the closed “ay” sound /e/. French uses é to mark that specific vowel sound and to distinguish it from è / ê (more open “eh” sound).

Is the present tense here talking about now, or is it more general, like a fact?

The French présent de l’indicatif has both uses, and here it’s mostly:

a general truth / characteristic of the solution:
- « est durable » = it is (by nature) a long-term solution
- « réduit les factures » = it reduces bills whenever it’s used

It’s similar to English in sentences like:

“This method saves money.”
“Solar energy reduces electricity bills.”

So it’s not just about this second in time; it states what the solution generally does.