Breakdown of Comme la propriétaire est malade, elle doit reporter la visite à demain.
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Questions & Answers about Comme la propriétaire est malade, elle doit reporter la visite à demain.
In this sentence, Comme is being used as a conjunction meaning since, as, or because.
So:
Comme la propriétaire est malade
= Since/As the owner is sick
This use is especially common when the reason comes at the beginning of the sentence.
Compare:
- Comme la propriétaire est malade, elle doit reporter la visite à demain.
- Elle doit reporter la visite à demain parce que la propriétaire est malade.
Both are correct, but comme often sounds more natural when the cause is introduced first.
Also, don’t confuse it with:
- comme = like/as
- comment = how
The article la shows that the noun is feminine.
- le propriétaire = the male owner / landlord
- la propriétaire = the female owner / landlady
In this case, propriétaire keeps the same spelling for masculine and feminine. French has quite a few nouns like that, where the article tells you the gender.
So the feminine is not formed by adding a new ending here; the word itself stays propriétaire, and the article changes.
Because malade has the same form in both masculine and feminine.
- Il est malade.
- Elle est malade.
Some French adjectives change in the feminine:
- petit → petite
- fatigué → fatiguée
But others stay the same in spelling:
- malade
- jeune
- sympa (informal)
So la propriétaire est malade is correct as it is.
Because French normally requires an explicit subject for the verb.
The main clause is:
elle doit reporter la visite à demain
The verb doit needs its subject: elle.
Unlike English, where you might sometimes feel the subject is understood from the previous clause, standard French still wants it stated clearly. So after the introductory clause, you still need:
- elle doit...
Here, elle refers back to la propriétaire.
Doit comes from the verb devoir, which often means must, has to, or is supposed to.
- elle doit = she must / she has to
After devoir, French uses an infinitive:
- elle doit reporter
- literally: she has to postpone
So the pattern is:
subject + devoir + infinitive
Examples:
- Je dois partir. = I have to leave.
- Nous devons attendre. = We must wait.
No. In this sentence, reporter means to postpone, to put off, or to reschedule.
So:
reporter la visite à demain
= to postpone the visit until tomorrow
This can confuse English speakers because reporter looks like the English verb report, but here it has a different meaning.
A useful comparison:
- reporter une réunion = to postpone a meeting
- reporter un rendez-vous = to postpone an appointment
So this is a classic false friend to watch out for.
La visite suggests a specific visit already known in the context.
So it means something like:
- the visit
- the viewing
- the appointment
French often uses the definite article where English might sometimes be less explicit.
If you said une visite, it would sound more like a visit, introducing it as something less specific or not previously identified.
In context, la visite probably refers to a particular planned visit, such as:
- a property viewing
- a scheduled visit
- an appointment to see a place
With reporter, à demain is the natural way to say until tomorrow or to tomorrow in the sense of rescheduling.
So:
reporter la visite à demain
= postpone the visit until tomorrow / reschedule the visit for tomorrow
Why not pour demain?
- pour demain often means for tomorrow, focusing on the scheduled time itself
- à demain after reporter emphasizes moving something forward to tomorrow
A very common related expression is:
- remettre à demain = to put off until tomorrow
So à demain is idiomatic here.
Yes. French allows other word orders, for example:
Elle doit reporter la visite à demain parce que la propriétaire est malade.
This means the same thing.
The version with Comme puts the reason first:
- Comme la propriétaire est malade, ...
That structure can sound a bit smoother when the speaker wants to set up the cause before giving the result.
So both are correct, but the original sentence is using a very natural pattern:
- give the reason
- then give the consequence
It can mean a normal visit, but in many real-life contexts it often means a viewing or scheduled visit, especially with housing or appointments.
Because the sentence mentions la propriétaire, a native speaker might easily understand:
- a visit to a property
- an apartment or house viewing
- a scheduled appointment with the owner
So visite is broader than the English word visit sometimes feels. The exact meaning depends on context.
Yes, potentially.
Grammatically, elle refers back to la propriétaire, so the sentence naturally reads as:
Since the female owner is sick, she has to postpone the visit until tomorrow.
But if the larger context included another woman, there could be some ambiguity about who elle refers to.
In normal usage, though, French speakers usually understand it from context. If needed, French can make it clearer by repeating the noun:
Comme la propriétaire est malade, la propriétaire doit reporter la visite à demain.
That is correct, but it sounds repetitive, so speakers usually prefer elle unless there is a real risk of confusion.