# FR: Ask three before me



## malintzinx

Hello!

I'm making a posted for my classroom to remind students of the 'Ask 3 before Me' rule. (Ask three other students your questions before you ask the teacher)

Am I right that that the correct translation would be:

<< Demandez 3 avant moi >>

or

<< Demande à 3 avant moi >>.

Are they both right? And is there one that would be better, or does it not really matter? 

Thanks!

Stephanie


----------



## janpol

Je n'emploierais pas "3" sans un nom après
Je pense que je dirais : "interroge(z) (toujours) trois camarades / étudiants avant moi"


----------



## malintzinx

Merci..j'aimerais garder le 'demandez trois avant moi' parce que c'est déjà mars et je l'ai dit depuis tous ce temps. Ça ne vaut pas le peine de le changer maintenant. Mais peut-être l’année qui vient!


----------



## pointvirgule

malintzinx said:


> Merci..j'aimerais garder le 'demandez trois avant moi' parce que c'est déjà mars et je l'ai dit depuis tous ce temps. Ça ne vaut pas le peine de le changer maintenant.


For the sake of the children, I beg to differ. Follow janpol's advice.


----------



## OLN

Pour répondre à la question de grammaire pure : Demande(z) *à* trois élèves avant de me poser la question.


----------



## malintzinx

pointvirgule said:


> For the sake of the children, I beg to differ. Follow janpol's advice.




Unfortunately I am just one new teacher. I can't change my whole school's policy. But thanks for your advice. 
I tried to post a link to the site but if you google 'Demande a trois avant moi' it's now the third post after this thread. 


Merci OLN!!


----------



## Oddmania

Hi,

The verb _demander _requires the preposition_ à _(if what follows is a person) and requires no preposition if what follows is an object, or a piece of information. Exactly as in English : you *ask somebody*, but you *ask for something*, and *you pay somebody* but you *pay for something*.

_Demandez trois _amounts to saying _Ask for three_. Now, keep in mind that saying _trois _to mean _trois personnes_ is unusual in French. Even with the preposition _à_, _"Demandez à trois"_ sounds very weird.

Note that that method probably arose in an English-speaking country, thus no French equivalent really exists, but you can found some pretty good translation and explainations if you look it up.


----------



## pointvirgule

malintzinx said:


> I can't change my whole school's policy.


I'm not saying that you should change the "Ask 3" policy, only that you correct the non-French formula that you intend to use on your poster. 

To answer the grammar question, we say _demander à quelqu'un_ because the complement is an indirect object. (Just like _somebody _is an indirect object in _to ask somebody_ _something_.)


----------



## malintzinx

Thanks Oddmania! Yes, that is why I chose Demander, because the only information in French that I could find online used Demander. A collegue told me if I wrote 'Demandez' I didn't need the a because it was an exception... (?) so I wanted to come and check before putting the poster I made on the wall. (Everyone else wrote 'Demande' instead of Demandez', and I had already finished the poster before I realized... otherwise I would have just copied them!)

I do realize it sounds weird, but it also sounds a little weird in English I suppose... it's moreso a reminder than a full sentence. 

Thanks so much for your help! ^^ I really appreciate it!


----------



## Annalees

I'm sorry Malintzinx, but I have  to agree with the other members. "Demandez à trois" just won't do... it doesn't mean anything in French. By keeping on using it, you're teaching your students something incorrect...

Now, to get back to your question, instead of "demandez à ...", I think I would say "Interrogez 3 élèves avant moi"

"Everyone else wrote 'Demande' instead of Demandez'":
Whether you use "Demande" or "Demandez" (or "Interroge" / "Interrogez") doesn't really matter; in one case, you're addressing the students individually, and in the other you're addressing all the students.


----------



## janpol

"demander" exige l'emploi de la préposition "à" et il est préférable de l'employer avec un cod : "demander quelque chose à quelqu'un".
"interroger" (proposé le 03/03, post 2) évite ces deux "inconvénients". 
"questionner" conviendrait également et présenterait en outre l'avantage d'être "transparent" pour un anglophone.


----------



## Annalees

""interroger" (proposé le 03/03, post 2) évite ces deux "inconvénients"."

Oops, sorry Janpol - I hadn't seen your post.


----------



## AlistairCookie

I've been saying "Demande à trois, puis à moi" for a few years now, and never realized it was wrong. I think that Malintzink has been trying to keep the rhyme, as I have as a pneumonic for learning and remembering the rule.

Serait-il possible de formuler la phrase comme cela:  "Demandez-en à trois, puis à moi." ou "Demande-t-en à 3, puis à moi."  ?

In any event, I can live with their hearing a small error in the grand scheme of things if they learn to work together. I probably wouldn't put an incorrect poster on the wall however. Perhaps if my attempts don't work, you could put a picture of 3 people after the word "trois"


----------



## Annalees

I'm afraid the 2 options you suggest are also incorrect.. sorry...
"Demandez-en à 3, puis moi", means "ask for (what?) to 3, then me"
The second one is actually gramatically wrong. You cannot put a T there.

The picture of 3 students on the poster is a very good idea. You keep the rhythm, and have a correct sentence.


----------



## pointvirgule

AlistairCookie said:


> I have as a pneumonic for learning and remembering the rule.


Off-topic, but do you mean _mnemonic_?


----------



## janpol

Retiens bien ce refrain :
"Demande à tes copains
(A un, à deux, à trois)
Et puis, demande-moi !"


----------



## Annalees

Oh Janpol - you're a poet!


----------



## Maître Capello

> Off-topic, but do you mean _mnemonic_?


Nah! Some people have brains in their lungs… 

More seriously, I think the most natural way to put it—at least for me—would be:

_Posez d'abord votre question *à* 3 camarades avant de la poser à un professeur._
_Posez d'abord votre question *à* 3 camarades avant de me la poser._ (if the professor is talking)

Note that _poser une question_ also requires the preposition _à_:

_demander (qqch) *à* qqn_
_poser une question *à* qqn_

_interroger qqn_
_questionner qqn_


----------



## Annalees

Maître Capello said:


> Nah! Some people have brains in their lungs…  ahahahaha!



I think the problem is it is supposed to be short 'n' sweet, and follow the English version: "Ask 3 before me"... hence the difficulty.


----------



## sensa

wow hot topic!
I searched "ask 3 before me" because I am also going to use this in my French classroom. I want to use the verb "demander" because student use this verb to say "ask" (I cannot overwhelm them by using even more verbs - keep it simple for FSL students). I don't want to say "demander à trois *élèves* avant moi" because I want the 3 to mean "ask 3 people/books/notes/posters on the wall etc.", not just people.

Could I say "Demandez à trois choses avant moi"?


----------



## Maître Capello

No, you cannot "ask" a thing – just like in English. As _demander_ is not appropriate, I'm afraid you will need to teach your students a new verb. You could say:

_Consultez-en trois._

Note that you may use _consulter_ with either people or things.


----------



## Lly4n4

To keep the rhyme and the sentence short (but I'm not sure if students have to raise a hand before asking the teacher) :
_Pose ta question à 3 copains _(or) _Demande à 3 copains_
_Avant de lever la main._

More complex (and Yoda-style):
_À trois amis tu demanderas
Avant de t'adresser à moi._


----------

