Xue❄ping/corrigez moi svp

[solid forge]

Please be patient

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

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[limber ingot]

Qu'ai-je fait ?
Qu'avais-je fait ?
Qu'aie- je fait?
Qu fasse- je?
Que fais- je?

En théorie, la plupart je comprend 1, 2, et 5.
C’est utile.

3&4 c’est le subjonctif?

These express different sentiments of rhetorical or literal asking questions. « What have I done!? » Almost like a sense of regret. (I think?)

Are 3&4 less commonly used? Or is it too formal?

[brisk loom]

3-4 would be incredibly rare, since it needs to be in a subordinate clause to trigger the subjunctive

[exotic tree]

I could be wrong, but not only have I never seen three and four, but I also cannot find anything about them. I'm going to assume they barely exist.

[tough vault]

I don't think it's possible, at least in a vacuum

[brisk loom]

There might be literary cases where this works, but it would be rare

[limber ingot]

I could have invented it too accidentally. I was looking a different ways of Avoir and Faire.

[limber ingot]

Ah. So something similar to passé simple?

[brisk loom]

Like way fancier

and way rarer

poetry level stuff

[tough vault]

yeah, like passé simple is something you'll come across if you read a bit

even assuming it exists (which I don't think it does in modern French), you'll never come across that

[exotic tree]

Sentences beginning with 'Aussi' often lead to inversion; I'm wondering if it'd be possible then.

[brisk loom]

Even in cases where you'd end up with the subjunctive after a stylistic inversion, you can't do those inversions with pronouns

[exotic tree]

Though I still doubt it.
-# Nothing I try sounds right.

Ah, no, that can't work.

Ignore my comments on 'Aussi'.

[limber ingot]

It could just be me making up nonexistent words!

[limber ingot]

When do stylistic inversions happen?

[exotic tree]

I can only see it making 'sense' in a song lyric or poem that relies on altered syntax.

But that's artistic licence.

[limber ingot]

Ah. So 3&4 would be strictly poetry or music or literature.

[tough vault]

just consider it doesn't exist

[limber ingot]

Works for me!

Qu'ai-je fait ?
Qu'avais-je fait ?
Que fais- je?
Qu'aie- je fait?
Qu fasse- je?

[brisk loom]

there's a few cases, you probably don't need to worry about them all that much right now. many are optional/fancy, some are required but they comme up in more edge cases

• https://www.madbeppo.com/french-language/que-etc-and-inversion/
• https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/inversion/

[limber ingot]

Thank you! I didn’t know about the first link. A new website to explore.

Ta everyone!

[brisk loom]

you'll mostly pick them up interacting with the language, tbh

[limber ingot]

The common ones I understand. Puis-je, avez vous, as tu…
Then sometimes I come across new ones and it makes me curious.

[tough vault]

those are not stylistic
they convey an interrogative meaning

stylistic inversions are optional inversions that don't convey any interrogative meaning

[limber ingot]

Ohhh.

[tough vault]

la souris que le chat a mangé = la souris qu'a mangé le chat

[limber ingot]

The mouse that the cat ate?

[tough vault]

ye

[exotic tree]

I'm personally fond of it when talking about what someone said:

Ce qu'a dit <personne>
instead of
Ce que <personne> a dit
depending on if I want to emphasise what was said or who said it.

[brisk loom]

"skadi" just flows out of the mouth better

[limber ingot]

…that which was said by (person)
…that (person) said…

[brisk loom]

there's no real english analogue of this construction

[tough vault]

yeah both would translate to "what <person> said"

[exotic tree]

[limber ingot]

Some thing I will learn with time. 💪

[tough vault]

it's not like there's a big difference in message either, they're the same thing for the most part

[exotic tree]

'That which <person> said' and 'That which was said by <person>' is as close as I can think of on the spot.

[brisk loom]

that's active vs passive voice though

[exotic tree]

Good enough. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[brisk loom]

lol

[limber ingot]

I’m trying to increase variety in my sentences. 🫠

I have a great vocabulary I just don’t know how to use it. 🥲

[brisk loom]

just keep chatting, you'll get there

[tough vault]

the main thing is to not get confused when you see one or the other
for instance, I see some people say "qui is followed by a a verb, que is followed by a noun"
even though "la souris qu'a mangé le chat" exists and means something way different compared to "la souris qui a mangé le chat"

[limber ingot]

Good to know! Ta!

the mouse that ate the cat!
Oh la!

[scarlet elm]

Puissé-je does exist, butO can't think of a reasonable use case for "fassé-je" or for an inverted past subjunctive

[craggy holly]

qu’a mangée ?

[limber ingot]

Puissé-je is more poetic and found mainly in books- I think I understand correct- a little bit hopeful or nostalgic. Less of a request/permission.

[limber ingot]

« That (a person specified) had (has) eaten »
🤔

[brisk loom]

No, that's a correction of the past participle agreement, since the direct object is feminine and placed before the verb

[craggy holly]

yeah...