# FR: I was given - Je me suis vu offrir



## mdjackessex

Hello there,


Firstly, I know this may seem quite elementry, but the phrase 'I was given', is that the pluperfect or the perfect and could you explain it to me please so that I can get it clear in my head.


Secondly, in the phrase, 'I was given a gold watch for my twentieth birthday', I have seen a construction with 'se voir' used (which I understand), e.g.


'Je me suis vu offrir une montre en or...', instead of 'on m'a donné une montre en or...'

Does 'se voir' always have to be used in a past tense e.g.

Je me suis vu offrir - I was given
Je m'étais vu offrir - I had been given

Or can it be in the present or imperfect e.g.

Je me vois offrir - I am being given
Je me voyais offrir - I was being given (this one is the one which I am really not sure about)

I think that because I am doing quite a high level of French before I have a solid understanding of the basic french that it is confusing sometimes,

Hopefully someone can explain whether you can use the last two constructions.

Best

Matt



Je me voyais offrir à


----------



## hunternet

With present or imperfect, it's not usual. grammatically correct, but not usual.


----------



## mdjackessex

Yes, I understand that in conversation this would never be said, e.g.

A: Hé, qu'est t'a fais la wknd dernière,

B: Je me suis vu offrir par l'agence de voyage une vacance gratuite  

...because you would sound ridiculously huppé  

But I'm writing a dissertation and trying to use very elevated, dare I say, 'le monde' language


----------



## ymc

je me voyais offrir, je m'étais vu offrir, je me suis vu offrir etc are all correct. It sounds unusual in this specific example but may sound more common with a phrase like "je me suis vu faire"...


----------



## mysteriouscreep

Also, _I was given_ is the passive past tense with an adjective ... _J'étais donné ..._ conversely, one could say _Quelqu'un m'a donné(e)_


----------



## mdjackessex

Yes, mysterious, I was aware of this, but in order to avoid any bad grammer I stick well away from that sort of conjugation. I've always been taught that the french don't really like the passive voice.

Am I right to think that you can't say,

J'ai été donner

...because it must be 'donner qqch à qqn'?


----------



## mdjackessex

What would 'je me suis faire' mean literally,

I was doing...?


----------



## mysteriouscreep

_ J'ai été donné qqch par qqn_


----------



## ymc

J'ai été donné means that I was - literally - given to someone.
So you can't say it for "I was given" - I was given is "on m'a donné"


----------



## archijacq

mysteriouscreep said:


> _ J'ai été donné qqch par qqn_



cette traduction littérale est incorrecte, car elle suppose 2 compléments d'objet direct (j' - qqch).
Il est possible de dire: 
Quelqu'un m'a donné qq chose (m' = à moi = complément d'objet indirect = "to me").

- "J'ai été donné à quelqu'un" (où "j'" serait un complément d'objet direct) est envisageable quand on parle d'un esclave qui "a été donné à quelqu'un"...
-"J'ai été donné" est une expression idiomatique qui signifie "j'ai été trahi/dénoncé"


----------



## mdjackessex

yes, that's what I thought...Could you clarify what these would mean and what tense they are:

Je me voyais donner (I was being given?? Is that not the present??)
Je me suis faire

Thanks for all your help here. Stayed up till quite late last night questioning my knowledge. Nice to know I'm not going crazy


----------



## ymc

Je me voyais donner, because there is the infinitive form in donner, means "I could see myself give....(sth to s.o.)

Je me suis vu faire (not je me suis faire), means I saw myself do sth.


----------



## mdjackessex

Ah ok, so if 'je me voyais donner qqch à qqn' means I could see myself give sth to s.o...

...to say, I was offered a free holiday by the travel agents it's

'Je me suis vu offrir par l'agence de voyage une vacance gratuite'?

FINALLY lol,

When saying 'Je me vois offrir par mon chef 30 euro pour la journée', would that translate to, 'I am being offered 30 euros a day by my boss', therefore, present tense


----------



## ymc

mdjackessex said:


> Ah ok, so if 'je me voyais donner qqch à qqn' means I could see myself give sth to s.o...
> 
> ...to say, I was offered a free holiday by the travel agents it's
> 
> 'Je me suis vu offrir par l'agence de voyage une vacance gratuite'?
> 
> FINALLY lol,
> 
> When saying 'Je me vois offrir par mon chef 30 euro pour la journée', would that translate to, 'I am being offered 30 euros a day by my boss', therefore, present tense


 
1) Je me suis vu offrir des vacances gratuites par l'agence de voyage
2) yes you're right, but it sounds so unusual that it sounds a bit strange, but because of the example, the idea of a boss "offrant" de l'argent doesn't fit. Also the order would be different : je me vois offrir 30 euros par jour par mon patron


----------



## mdjackessex

Superb, merci pour toutes des vos aides très, très utiles. 

A+


----------

