#oliviajane

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

gusty inletBOT
#
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.

verbal delta
#

theyre very similar but devoir is more like must
its less common

reef raven
#

falloir is an impersonal verb that uses il as a default pronoun

#

the "il" doesn't really mean anything as much as it serves a grammatical placeholder role

viral pawn
#

Thanks!

reef raven
#

while with devoir, it is "personal", so the il actually refers to someone

#

it's why with falloir, you'll always see "Il faut que X + verbe"

#

the subject is specified after

#

with devoir, since the subject is already specified, you skip right the infinitive

#

Je dois parler/Il faut que je parle

viral pawn
#

Thanks for the explanation. So either can be used?

maiden cipher
#

Yes though there’s a slight difference in that « devoir » concerns something subjective/internal whereas « falloir » is more objective/external.

« Je dois étudier » implies that there is something within you that’s forcing you to study. Maybe a big test is coming soon and you wanna do great on that test.

« Il faut que j’étudie » implies that something outside of you is forcing you to study. Your parents are telling you to do your homework at a specific time, and so out of fear of being grounded or punished, you study

viral pawn
arctic anvil
#

Could be a positive or a negative motivation, can also be "external" if there are constraints
Falloir also often sounds less committal or less urgent, just softer in general
There's a lot of overlap though and in most contexts they're quite interchangeable, just change the tone a bit

#

Falloir is also more common for general truths