bikachuu

[edgy owl]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[lucid canopy]

The gérondif (en + participe présent) is used to describe an action that happens at the same time as another action.

The problem with "passer les vacances en étudiant" is that it means "spend the holidays while studying", as if those were two different activities happening at the same time.

You're going for "spend the holiday studying" - the way to say that is "passer les vacances à étudier".

[shy current]

well, alright

i kind of hate having to link verbs

quand je dis qqch comme "passer la plupart des vacances ..." with the intention of putting some verb after to say "i spend the majority of the vacation doing this or that" i never know which preposition to use

to me it appears entirely arbitrary that we use à

are there rules about this

is it the verb étudier that necessitates à here or is it passer

i assume probably passer

[ashen wigeon]

It kinda is

[shy current]

That's fine I guess

English isn't a lot better

I'm sure I'll pick it up

[ashen wigeon]

Prepositions always depend on the verb before.
-> « aider » uses « à »
« Je t'aide à apprendre le français. »
-> « décider » uses « de »
« J'ai décidé d'apprendre le français. »
-> « espérer » doesn't use any
« J'espère pouvoir apprendre le français. »

[shy current]

De really gets me

[ashen wigeon]

It is what it is

but it happens everywhere like in English there's no reason why we say, 'I'm preventing him from doing that'