# FR: I like X because it's + adjective



## frognsausage

Salut.

Exemple:

J'aime *les* sciences parce que *c'est* super
J'aime *les *maths parce que *c'est*......

This is the contruction given is a lot of textbooks. 

A French teacher friend of mine says it should be "parce qu*'elles sont* super" because maths and science are plural in French.

Qui a raison?

Merci d'avance


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## Juan Jacob Vilalta

_C'est super _est une expression toute faite. Ne pas mettre au pluriel, à mon avis.


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## diamon

Hello , 
for me , when you say "parce qu*'elles sont*  super" you mean that every mathematics are "super" , all mathematic  fields are "super". When you say "c'est super" , you consider  mathematics as only one thing  , only one set
Sorry if my english is bad 
most people would say "*les *maths parce que *c'est*." because people don't know that there is not only one mathematic and only mathematic teachers would say "parce qu*'elles sont* super" 
J'ai du mal à expliquer désolé


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## Marie3933

"Qui a raison?" Both. Ça dépend de l'intention.
Il s'agit de deux fonctions du langage différentes.

Si vous dites _"... parce que *c'est* super / intéressant / fabuleux..."_, vous émettez un jugement personnel.
Si vous dites _"*elles sont* passionnantes"_, vous caractérisez (description ≠  jugement personnel).


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## thedov

If you think about it as like the English:
 I like mathematics because *they are *super
compared to:
I like mathematics because* it is *super.
Hope that helps


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## Tim~!

thedov said:


> If you think about it as like the English:
> I like mathematics because *they are *super
> compared to:
> I like mathematics because* it is *super.


Sorry, that doesn't appear relevant to me. The choice of singular in English isn't done for the same reasons as people are stating for the French. They're not converting _mathematics_ to a singular form in French, but are instead using the neutral pronoun _ce_. They'd do the same for a singular subject too: J'aime bien mon cours d'anglais parce que *c*'est amusant. The question then is whether to use a regular pronoun (reflecting gender and number) or the neutral pronoun _ce_.

Your example in English isn't the same. Rather, it's that _mathematics_, like _politics _and _news_, is a singular word which happens to end in an -s. (Though, of course, we can consider branches of mathematics, which we would then conjugate in the plural.) Does that make sense?


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## frognsausage

Merci de vos réponses.

Are "les sciences" and "les maths" special? 

In English, I would always use a singular verb with maths, and "science" covers all the "sciences". With French, they clearly take a plural article; *"Les* maths"



diamon said:


> most people would say "*les *maths parce que *c'est*." because people don't know that there is not only one mathematic and only mathematic teachers would say "parce qu*'elles sont* super"
> 
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> J'ai du mal à expliquer désolé



I assume you couldn't say "Les maths *est* interessant(es)" even if you are not a teacher of maths.



Tim~! said:


> The question then is whether to use a regular pronoun (reflecting gender and number) or the neutral pronoun _ce_.



Oui, c'est ça!

Although these are rubbish sentences, would these be correct grammatically, based on the responses (as these are the simple _style_ of sentences pupils are encouraged to write):

"J'aime *les pommes* parce que *c'est* super" ?

"J'aime *les sports* parce que *c'est* bon pour la santé"

"J'aime *les livres* parce que *c'est* interessant"


Can you stick "ce" anywhere and use a singular verb?


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## Mag88

Hi,

We would say:
'J'aime les pommes parce-que c'est bon/sucré/...' but we wouldn't say 'super' for apples
'j'aime* le* sport parce que c'est super' ou 'j'aime tous les sports parce qu'ils sont tous supers'
'j'aime les livres parce que c'est intéressant' is OK but one would rather say 'j'aime lire parce que c'est intéressant'.


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## frognsausage

Mag88 said:


> Hi,
> 
> We would say:
> 'J'aime les pommes parce-que c'est bon/sucré/...' but we wouldn't say 'super' for apples
> 'j'aime* le* sport parce que c'est super' ou 'j'aime tous les sports parce qu'ils sont tous supers'
> 'j'aime les livres parce que c'est intéressant' is OK but one would rather say 'j'aime lire parce que c'est intéressant'.



Thanks for the reply. I was trying to stick the the same structure as used with "les maths" and "les sciences". I am interested in the c'est vs. ils/elles.
I agree "super" is a bad way to describe apples - I was focusing on the "c'est". Thanks for a more realistic adjective to practise the grammar with.

In English, I would never say "I like apple*s* because *it's* sweet" but rather "I like apples because *they're* sweet".

In French, would it be incorrect to say "J'aime les pommes parce* qu'elles sont* sucrées"? 

Is using "c'est" informal? Is it expected?


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## Mag88

If you want to sound like a native French speaker, you should say "J'aime les pommes parce que* c'est* sucré". Because that is what everybody says. But I do not know if it is grammatically correct. It does not sound correct but sometimes, when everybody uses incorrect sentences, it can be added in the dictionary.

In written language it should not be used (except if it is part of the writing style to sound informal).
First of all, in a correct written language, 'ce' is replaced with 'cela'.
Furthermore there is this singular problem that you are talking about. 
so we would rather say either 'J'aime les pommes parce* qu'elles sont* sucrées' as you mentioned above, or use 2 sentences 'J'aime les pommes. En effet, je trouve cela sucré', or something like 'j'aime les pommes pour leur goût sucré'.


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## frognsausage

Merci. Perhaps l'academie has an opinion on it.... Thanks for the reassurance that it is "normal" French to favour "c'est", although I'm sure even if I use "c'est" I'll not sound like a native speaker . All I need to say is "bonjour" and waiter knows I'm English!

Thanks for the other suggestions. The reason for questioning the "parce que c'est" construction is that is it taught in schools because pupils get extra marks in exams for giving opinions - and teaching them "c'est super", "c'est nul" etc is the easy/lazy way of getting the marks. 

Again, I think we would be encouraged to teach something like "En effet, je* les* trouve sucrées" rather than use "ce/cela". Maybe I should get out my grammar book and re-read the uses of ce...


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## Mag88

"En effet, je* les* trouve sucrées" works as well.

After a little thinking, I would add that sentences like 'J'aime les pommes parce* qu'elles sont* sucrées' or "En effet, je* les* trouve sucrées" would be used in spoken language for a certain type of apples.

For instance, 'j'aime les pommes du jardin de ma grand-mère parce que je les trouve sucrées'. this undermines 'ces pommes-là et pas d'autres'


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## Marie3933

frognsausage said:


> Merci. Perhaps l'academie has an opinion on it...


I'm not the "academie" , but there are rules. I mentioned one in post #4.
There's another one :
1) J'aime la tarte aux pommes, _c'est délicieux_.
2) J'aime ta tarte aux pommes / cette tarte aux pommes / la tarte aux pommes de chez (tel pâtissier) / la tarte aux pommes que je suis en train de déguster, _elle est délicieuse_.

1) if you consider the concept in general -> "c'est" + adj. masc. sing.
2) When the concept is actualized -> "il/elle/ils/elles".

Hope this help.


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## frognsausage

Thanks so much for all the replies - you must be fed up of me liking apples by now .

My conclusion is - "general" apples or concept. Use "c'est". Being specific requires ils/elles.

I might be back.... but I think I've got it now.

Merci!

PS. And now I've also learned that it's "grand-mère" and not "grande mère". I've had a "tall mum" since I was in high school .


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## frognsausage

thanks for all the resonses. I'd like, however, to throw another spanner into the works:

"I like French and art because they're great"

J'aime le français et le dessin parce que ______ super.

c'est? ce sont? Ils sont? I've checked other threads on ils sont/ce sont but they don't seem to answer for this contruction. (In fact, reading the other threads have confused me more saying it's "il est + adj" and not c'est - but I'll be sure to raise that in another thread!)

Merci d'avance


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## Giorgio Spizzi

Hullo, Marie.

Concerning your post #4:

Si vous dites _"... parce que *c'est* super / intéressant / fabuleux..."_, vous émettez un jugement personnel.
Si vous dites _"*elles sont* passionnantes"_, vous caractérisez (description ≠ jugement personnel).

J'ai du mal à saisir la différence entre _super / intéressant / fabuleux... et __passionnantes. 
_You sure it's not another "jugement"?

GS


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