Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.

What is the capital of Tunisia?

Please type your username.

Please type your E-Mail.

Please choose the appropriate section so the question can be searched easily.

Please choose suitable Keywords Ex: question, poll.

Type the description thoroughly and in details.

What is the capital of Tunisia?

Another way to express the idea of « Autant + infinitif »?

“Autant lui donner une figurine de serpent !” express more the irony of the answer than “Sinon, tu pourrais aussi lui donner une figurine de serpent !”, that suggests more a real alternative.

Autant lui donner … is clearly sarcastic. Tu pourrais aussi lui donner … is more context dependant. If no acceptable way has been given it would normally be interpreted the same, even if less emphatic. But it could be a possible alternative in another context (without the exclamation):

Pour Marie, j’hésite entre un porte-monnaie et un clavier

Un clavier … Tu pourrais aussi lui donner un réveil.

Without the exclamation it would sound like an acceptable gift, even if the remove the ambiguity, I would use Tu pourrais plutôt … to introduce a positive alternative.

But anyway, Autant lui donner … is much more expressive and idiomatic.

It doesn’t sound idiomatic even if it could work.

Something like:

Tu pourrais (tout) aussi bien lui donner…

… is a better alternative.

Adding “pendant que tu y es” or “tant que tu y es” to your suggestion would probably sufficiently resolve the problem of ambiguity mentioned in two other answers (i.e., are you suggesting sarcastically that a snake figurine is equally (if not more) inappropriate for a romantic gift or are you seriously suggesting it as an acceptable romantic gift?):

Un clavier ? C’est ce que tu appelles un cadeau romantique à offrir à
ton amoureuse ? Sinon, tu pourrais aussi lui donner une figurine de
serpent pendant que tu y es!

However, adding it to @SimonDéchamps’ more idiomatic version of your suggestion would be the best way to stay close to your words and remove any lingering ambiguity, imo:

Tu pourrais (tout) aussi bien lui donner une figurine de serpent
pendant que tu y es!

Personally, my second choice (after “Autant lui donner…”) would be asking sarcastically
Pourquoi pas […X…] pendant que tu y es?,”
either with the verb:

Pourquoi pas lui donner une figurine de serpent pendant que tu y es?

… or without the it (because I think “cadeau romantique à offrir” would be understood):

Pourquoi pas une figurine de serpent pendant que tu y es?


pendant que vous y êtes & pendant que tu y es ; et pourquoi pas X pendant qu’ils y sont ; tant que tu y es – locution
Formule
d’exaspération ; formule de désobéissance ; formule ironique en
réponse à un souhait excessif

(from languefrancaise.net/Bob)

I probably would use something more in that tone :

Un clavier ? C’est ce que tu appelles un cadeau romantique à offrir à
ton amoureuse ? Donne lui carrément une figurine de serpent !

“Carrément” would be used to give even more strength to the exaggeration.

 

Leave a comment

What is the capital of Tunisia?