chatmouth

[unkempt pier]

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.

[cursive canopy]

@pseudo bone if you can answer? This is the last question

Sorry if I am pinging too much.

[pseudo bone]

I want to nuance this a bit,

"Je parle du chat"

• I am speaking about the [specific] cat.
• I am speaking about cats (because it's singular, you're focusing not on cats as a species, but as an individual, like biology etc; rare usage)

"Je parle des chats"

• I am speaking about the [specific] cats.
• I am speaking about cats (because it's plural, you're focusing on cats as a species; this is much more common than the singular version)

"Je parle de chats"

• I am speaking about cats (cats is the subject of the conversation, but you're not speaking about cats as a species or individuals, rather you're speaking about anything within that idea for instance your cats vs your neighbours' cats or favorite cat fur color etc)

"Je parle chats"

• I am speaking cats ("chats" basically acts as an adverb tacked onto the verb; rare usage)

[cursive canopy]

Oh, I see you edited the message. I was slightly confused at first.

1.2 would be like "The cat (as an individual cat would, I suppose ) hunts at night." or is that still too much focus as a species?

and 2.2 would be more like simply as a species, all cats, etc. "[All] Cats have claws and like to hunt"

And I understand more for "Je parle de chats" so that's ok

[pseudo bone]

in both examples, singular and plural would both work actually

that said, you have the right idea

it's just that framing helps indicating what you're talking about without being very restrictive

[cursive canopy]

Okay, I see. So, the different framing or forms here would indicate one (e.g. the specific cat) or the other (the prototypical, individual cat), but it may not be necessarily the one that you meant, so you also need context of course, and like you said, the plural (2.2) form is more common, which I would say is the same in English (The cat (as an individual) is... Vs Cats are... With the latter being more common)

[pseudo bone]

yes, that's the idea

[cursive canopy]

Thank you so much Flynn ^^