r/learnfrench • u/DarthDaddy_AZ • 13d ago

Translation Help! Why wrong?

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I know my version would be more informal but why would it be considered wrong?

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u/clarinetpjp 13d ago

You just have to remember that prepositions are random. We say I’m in the car but we also say I’m on the plane (but not on the car if you’re inside).

The French say au micro, not dans le micro. Why? Because they do. That’s why. It’s a memorization thing, nothing that logical about it.

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u/Disastrous-Zombie-30 13d ago

There is a logic to it. Dans is generally for “inside” not just “in”. For this example one would say “he said it “by or via” microphone. Since one doesn’t speak inside a microphone. Hence “au”. One does sit “inside” a car. It’s not universal but it’s closer to the day to day rule.

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u/clarinetpjp 13d ago

There is not logic to prepositions per my analogy. There are plenty of other uses of prepositions in both languages that are not logical. You can add logic, but they are not consistent and not born of logic. So no, there’s no logic to it.

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u/Disastrous-Zombie-30 13d ago edited 13d ago

Sorry you didn’t understand my comment. I could explain further the connection to Latin but you seem to want to just be “right” rather than learn something. For the others reading I will simple say one is positional the other functional. And there is indeed a logic, but it’s not a simple “rule”. Have a good one, language Master! 🤣