# FR: continue-t-il, a-t-il, etc. - "t" euphonique/analogique dans l'inversion sujet-verbe



## Whodunit

*Moderator note*: multiple threads merged to create this one

I’ve got so many questions, because I started learning French in school and we doesn’t learn it fast enough to me, so here’re my questions:

1st Do you have to put a “-t-” between “continue” and “il”?
        e.g.: “Comment continue-(t-)il?”
    and in the preterit ?
        e.g.: “Comment continuait-(t-)il?”

[...]


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## ishatar

1. Yes, because continue-il would sound very ugly (and is simply incorrect).

[...]


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## Focalist

1. 
_Continue-t-il_, but _Continuait-il_.
You have to put a linking -t whenever -il follows a verb that does not end in t (or d). "Continuait" already has that t.

[...]


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## Aoyama

[...]

Here are some food for thought :
the -t-il /-t-elle form (question or inverted ) is called a _euphonic T_ , used as a kind of _liaison_ (analogical liaison) because of the phonetical hiatus caused by two vowels (here *e* and *i* ).


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## CélineK.

Il y a des textes du niveau avancé qui présentent l'inversion des verbes
-er comme ça.  Le problème c'est que, quand le dernier son du verbe est un "t", il semble superflu d'ajouter un autre "t".  Peut-on écrire: "écoute il...?"  "chante il?"  etc.


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## timpeac

Non - on met "chante-t-il" etc parce que ça se prononce "chanteh til".


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## tiwika

I don't quite know how to use the t you put in between... And this doesn't feel quite right..

Why did she start with the singing?
my attempt:
Pourquoi a-t-elle commencé avec la chanson ?


When and why did she start to sing alone?
my attempt
Quand et pourquoi a-t-elle commencé à chanter seule?

Merci d'avance


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## pieanne

The 't' is inserted to make the pronounciation easier... You use it whenthe verb ends with a vowel, and the following pronoun begins with a vowel:
quand a-t-il/a-t-elle/a-t-on commencé...


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## tie-break

tiwika said:


> Pourquoi a-t-elle commencé avec la chanson ? […]
> Quand et pourquoi a-t-elle commencé à chanter seule?


Tes phrases me semblent correctes


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## Jfoe

What is the reason for a "t" instead of just "il" (besides better flow, if there is one)?


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## bloomiegirl

I believe that it is strictly for the sake of pronunciation. See this Wiki article.


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## CapnPrep

This is not really a case of liaison (anymore), but the information in the Wikipedia article is correct. The "t" is an analogical extension of the 3rd person verb ending of certain verbs in older stages of French.

According to linguists, the explanation for _modern_ French is that when there is subject-verb inversion, the 3rd person pronouns are pronounced [*t*il] (_il_ and _ils_), [*t*ɛl] (_elle_ and _elles_), and [*t*ɔ̃] (_on_). But orthographically, the [t] is represented either as part of the verb or as a disconnected letter, as in _appelle-t-il_.


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## Maurice92

A "t" is added when the verb ends with a vowel "e " or " non stressed a" as in  " mange-t-il ?
This is called a " t euphonique" , that is to say " for good pronunciation", for avoiding the sequence of two oral consonants.
The "t euphonique" has nothing to do with the normal ending of the 3rd person of the verb.
There is no need for a "t euphonique" when the verb end with a "t" or with any consonant.


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## MaybeLater

I don't think the "-t-" rule has been explained very clearly yet.

It is used in inversion when the subject begins with a vowel and the verb ends with a vowel. 

"A-t-il une voiture?" simply means "Does he have a car?", but "a-il" wouldn't sound very fluid so the French add in a "t" just to make it sound better. 

Some more examples: 
a-t-elle
commence-t-il
joue-t-il

At least, I think my examples are correct.  I'd ask a French native to just double check.


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## cougargirl07

In all of the books I've used, a sentence such as "does she invite" would be "invite-t-elle" because of the euphony rule. But a prof told me once that when the verb ends in *t* such as the example I gave, it's not strictly necessary to add another *t* back in. What is the official rule?
Thanks so much!


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## Missrapunzel

The rule is that when the verb ends with a vowel, it needs an additional t. 
a-t-on
invite-t-on
parle-t-on
mange-t-on
etc.


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## Grop

Hi, we wouldn't add a t if the verb actually ended with a t, as in _Que fait-elle ?_


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## cougargirl07

Thanks so much for your replies. Apparently that prof steered me in the wrong direction!


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## brian

It depends how your prof said it. If he said, "When the verb ends in a _t_ *sound*," then he is mistaken/not specific enough. But perhaps he meant, "When the verb, *written out*, ends in a _t_," in which case he'd be correct.


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## Fred_C

CélineK. said:


> Il y a des textes du niveau avancé qui présentent l'inversion des verbes
> -er comme ça. Le problème c'est que, quand le dernier son du verbe est un "t", il semble superflu d'ajouter un autre "t". Peut-on écrire: "écoute il...?" "chante il?" etc.


 On écrit "écoute-t-il", et on prononce [ekut@til]
(Le @ représente un petit e la tête en bas)


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## bloomiegirl

Fred_C said:


> On écrit "écoute-t-il", et on prononce [ekut@til]
> (Le @ représente un petit e la tête en bas)



As follows, in phonetic characters: [ekutətil]


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## callejeando

Hello,

For my French class I'm translating a prose from English to French, and since it's literary we have to use the passé simple.

 My question is about inversion after direct speech when a person's proper name is being used. If a person's name is being used and that name starts with a vowel, do you add a 't', the same way you would with "a-t-il dit"?

For example, I've come across the phrase " 'It will never work,' announced Emily." Would the inversion after speech be "annonca-t-Emily" or "annonca Emily"?

Thank you/Merci!


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## atcheque

Bonjour,

Le t euphonique ne s'utilise qu'avec les pronoms.


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## Lacuzon

Bonsoir et bienvenue,

You have to choose between annonça Émilie and Émilie annonça-t-elle.


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## CapnPrep

Lacuzon said:


> You have to choose between annonça Émilie and Émilie annonça-t-elle.


I don't think so… Complex inversion (_Émilie annonça-t-elle_) is not correct in quotative phrases (_incises_) — only simple pronominal inversion (_annonça-t-elle_) and stylistic inversion (_annonça Émilie_). See for example:
L’inversion dans l’incise (J. Desrosiers)


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