French Questions: The Sequel

[dash_zero]

More queries I have that can hopefully be wrapped up. Thanks again for all help.

1. Would 'vous' fill the following gap?

Je ______ presente sophie 

+ Isn't there another way this can be said?      

2. 'Le mauvais cors' -What does this mean? When I put it in a translater, it came up with 'the bad horns'.  

3. What is the difference between 'fris�'  + 'boucles'? 

4� What would complete the following: ' _______ elle est blonde'?. NB: it's not 'est-ce que'.

5. '_______ italienne ou espagnole'. NB: it's not 'c'est'. 

6. Ok, I'm confused on the following issue: when using the negative, the indefinite (un, une, les) all become 'de'. Are my responses to the following correct?

Q: J'ai des crayons mais... (I have the crayons but..)  
Je n'ai pas un stylo.           (I don't have a pen).                             

Q: J'ai un livre mais�  (I have a book but...)

Je n'ai pas de cahier. (I don't have an exercise book)  

Q. Ce n'est pas _____ f�netre. (It is not ___ window).

     ______ =une or de 

7. 'Combien de minutes'. Why isn't it 'des', minutes being a plural? 

Merci beaucoup for any answers. Ciao!

[jno]

les is the (plural), des is some or just untranslated. So j'ai des crayons is I have some pencils [rather than crayons I think]  or just I have pencils; both should be followed by je n'ai pas de stylo.

'pas de fenetre' sort of implies that there isn't a window rather than that this isn't one; so ce n'est pas une fenetre sounds better in this case.

Je vous presente... is fine.

Caution: I learnt French in the days of William the Conqueror. If anyone who speaks more current colloquial French disagrees with me, they're right and I'm wrong.

[SteveD]

1. Je vous pr�sente Sophie is correct.  A literal translation would be "I to you present (= introduce) Sophie". The subject of pr�sente is je.

2. Cor has several meanings (Horn - musical instrument; Bunion and a Tine of a stag's antlers). Le mauvais cors is gramatically incorrect because le is singular and cors is plural.  There is the word corps meaning body (and pronounced the same as cor / cors).

3. Cheveux fris�s = curly hair and cheveux boucl�s means more or less the same.  In this sense, une boucle means a curl or a lock of hair.  In Belgium we say cheveux croll�s and une crolle.

[SteveD]

4. Est-ce qu'elle est blonde? is OK.

5. Depending on what is meant, it will be c'est italien or c'est espagnol or elle est italienne or elle est espagnole.

6. J'ai un crayon; j'ai des crayons (I have a pencil; I have some pencils.  You could say J'ai les crayons mais je n'ai pas d'effaceur = I have the (specific) pencils but I don't have a rubber.  Note: pencil = crayon; crayon = crayon de couleur.

Ce n'est pas une fen�tre, c'est une porte = it is not a window, it's a door.  Il n'y a pas de fen�tre, mais il y a une porte = there is no window but there is a door.

7. I think that this is because the way to say "how many?" is combien de?.  However, if you wanted to say "how many of the apples are red?", it would be combien des pommes sont rouges?

[SteveD]

Sorry, I had to post the above in two parts because it was too long and the formatting (colours) seem to have been lost in the second pert.  I hope you can understand it.

[dash_zero]

Thank you very much SteveD, thanks jno.