The biggest difference is that you would say “J’ai été accueilli” in a conversation but you would never say “Je fus accueilli” except in a (posh) book. I think there is a slight difference in meaning or emphasis. “Je fus” ...
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What is the difference between “le repas était délicieux” and “le repas a été délicieux”?
Business EditorsThe first sentence is correct. For the second you say rather “Le poisson était délicieux.”; you might still say “a été” and it is not incorrect, but it is not usual to hear French people say it. Let’s see about ...
How do I interpret the perfect tense in “Qu’as tu-fait”?
Associations Editors“List all the things”, definitely. With an undertone of ‘if anything’ thrown in. And of course it’s not clear whether you’re talking about the last 7 days, or the last calendar week, context would be everything there. Also, it’s not ...
Passé composé de « arriver »
Associations EditorsOui. Par exemple, « j’y suis arrivé » veut à la fois dire je suis arrivé à destination et j’ai réussi à faire quelque chose.
“J’ai” or “j’ai eu”—is there a difference in meaning?
Business EditorsThe assertion is the same — You have a driving license —, since you can’t have it without having got it, but the focus is different : « J’ai eu mon permis de conduire » puts emphasis on the obtainment of the driving license ...
Auxiliary for the verb “passer”
Business EditorsPasser can have many different meanings and denote different types of movements, which will dictate what is the auxiliary and preposition to use. The most common usage would be passer as “to go/walk/drive” (in a street). Then you will use ...
Imparfait or Passé Composé: “j’étais absent” or “j’ai été absent”?
Business EditorsI don’t think my comment is as valuable as an answer but here it is. As a French native, I would rather use the imparfait “j’étais absent” since this event is over. However, you could also say “j’ai été absent ...
composition avec le passé composé
Associations EditorsJe suis à Paris où j’ai fait beaucoup de choses. D’abord je suis monté à la Tour Eiffel. Ensuite j’ai pris le bateau mouche. Aprés je suis allé à la Place de la Concorde et puis (not depuis) j’ai vu ...
Can the pronoun ‘en’ replace the verb ‘voyager’ to express quantity?
Associations EditorsWhen you haven’t done something enough, you can basically translate it by ‘pas assez’ and ‘trop peu’. So we can answer your question by : Non je n’ai pas assez voyagé. J’ai trop peu voyagé. For me, the first sounds ...
Tense in “I had a cold (for three days) last week.”
Business EditorsSorry I cannot comment since reputation is not high enough for that but my answer to your question might not be perfect. “I had a cold last week.” Should this be translated using the imparfait “J’avais un rhume la semaine ...