Breakdown of J’essaie d’enlever le pli de mon chemisier.
Questions & Answers about J’essaie d’enlever le pli de mon chemisier.
Why is it J’essaie and not Je essaie?
What form is essaie here?
Essaie is the 1st person singular present tense form of essayer (to try).
So:
- j’essaie = I try / I’m trying
- tu essaies
- il/elle essaie
With essayer, you may also see spellings like j’essaye. Both are accepted in many contexts, but j’essaie is very common.
Why is there a d’ before enlever?
Because essayer is commonly followed by de + infinitive.
So the pattern is:
- essayer de faire quelque chose = to try to do something
In this sentence:
- j’essaie d’enlever = I’m trying to remove
The de becomes d’ before enlever because enlever begins with a vowel.
Could you also say j’essaie enlever without de?
In standard French, essayer de + infinitive is the safer and more common structure.
So:
- j’essaie d’enlever = standard and natural
You may sometimes encounter essayer + infinitive without de, especially in informal usage or in some modern contexts, but learners should generally use essayer de.
What does enlever mean here?
What exactly does le pli mean?
Le pli literally means the fold or the crease.
With clothing, it often refers to:
- a crease
- a wrinkle
- a fold line in the fabric
So in this sentence, le pli is the wrinkle or crease in the blouse.
Why is it le pli and not un pli?
Both could be possible, but they mean slightly different things.
Using le suggests the speaker has a specific crease in mind, probably one already visible on the blouse.
French often uses the definite article when referring to something specific in the situation, even if English might sometimes choose a.
Why do we say de mon chemisier?
Why not say sur mon chemisier instead of de mon chemisier?
Because with enlever, French usually uses de to mark the source or place something is removed from.
So:
French is thinking more like:
- remove the crease from the blouse
not:
- remove the crease on the blouse
Even though English might use either wording depending on style.
Why is it mon chemisier? Is chemisier masculine?
Is chemisier the usual word for blouse?
Yes, chemisier is a common word for a blouse, especially a blouse in a somewhat classic or standard sense.
Depending on context, French can also use other clothing words, but chemisier is perfectly normal here.
It is worth remembering that:
- une chemise = a shirt
- un chemisier = a blouse
Even though those words look related, they are different nouns with different genders.
How would this sentence sound in more natural English: I try to remove the crease from my blouse or I’m trying to remove the crease from my blouse?
Both are possible translations of the French present tense, but in this context I’m trying to remove the crease from my blouse sounds more natural.
That is because the French present tense often covers both:
- I try
- I am trying
Here, the action feels like something happening now, so I’m trying is usually the best choice.
How is J’essaie d’enlever le pli de mon chemisier pronounced?
A simple approximate pronunciation for English speakers is:
zhess-eh dahn-luh-vay luh plee duh mohn shuh-mee-zee-ay
A few helpful points:
- j’ sounds like the s in measure
- essaie sounds roughly like eh-say
- enlever has a nasal sound in en
- pli sounds like plee
- chemisier ends with a sound like zee-ay
If you want to sound more natural, focus especially on saying it smoothly as one rhythm group rather than word by word.
Could a French speaker also say this in another way?
Yes. A French speaker might also say things like:
J’essaie d’enlever ce pli de mon chemisier.
= I’m trying to remove this crease from my blouse.J’essaie de défroisser mon chemisier.
= I’m trying to get the wrinkles out of my blouse.J’essaie de faire partir le pli de mon chemisier.
= I’m trying to get the crease out of my blouse.
Your original sentence is grammatically correct and natural. These are just alternative ways to express a similar idea.
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