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Why the "ce"?

  • 03-10-2015 04:09PM
    #1
    Tigger99
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,247 ✭✭✭


    I learnt French a few years ago and am brushing up on it. I find if I understand the rationale behind the sentence formation it's easier for me to remember.

    So I put the following phrase into Google translate - Can I have a bag? (in the context of supermarket shopping) and I was advised to say - Ce que je peux avoir un sac?

    Two questions.

    Would it also be correct to say Puis-je avoir un sac?

    Is there a less formal way of asking for a bag?

    Merci beaucoup!


Comments

  • #2
    ezra_pound
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,497 ✭✭✭ezra_pound


    Tigger99 wrote: »
    I learnt French a few years ago and am brushing up on it. I find if I understand the rationale behind the sentence formation it's easier for me to remember.

    So I put the following phrase into Google translate - Can I have a bag? (in the context of supermarket shopping) and I was advised to say - Ce que je peux avoir un sac?

    Two questions.

    Would it also be correct to say Puis-je avoir un sac?

    Is there a less formal way of asking for a bag?

    Merci beaucoup!

    It's not- "Ce que "
    It's "est-ce que ... ?"

    It's essentially the same construct as in Irish:

    An é go bhfuil...?

    Just think of the gardai saying "have you drink taken?"

    So you normally wouldn't use it before asking if you can do something.


  • #3
    ezra_pound
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,497 ✭✭✭ezra_pound


    Tigger99 wrote: »
    I learnt French a few years ago and am brushing up on it. I find if I understand the rationale behind the sentence formation it's easier for me to remember.

    So I put the following phrase into Google translate - Can I have a bag? (in the context of supermarket shopping) and I was advised to say - Ce que je peux avoir un sac?

    Two questions.

    Would it also be correct to say Puis-je avoir un sac?

    Is there a less formal way of asking for a bag?

    Merci beaucoup!

    It's not- "Ce que "
    It's "est-ce que ... ?"

    It's essentially the same construct as in Irish:

    An é go bhfuil...?

    Just think of the gardai saying "have you drink taken?"

    So you normally wouldn't use it before asking if you can do something.


  • #4
    ezra_pound
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,497 ✭✭✭ezra_pound


    Tigger99 wrote: »
    I learnt French a few years ago and am brushing up on it. I find if I understand the rationale behind the sentence formation it's easier for me to remember.

    So I put the following phrase into Google translate - Can I have a bag? (in the context of supermarket shopping) and I was advised to say - Ce que je peux avoir un sac?

    Two questions.

    Would it also be correct to say Puis-je avoir un sac?

    Is there a less formal way of asking for a bag?

    Merci beaucoup!

    It's not- "Ce que "
    It's "est-ce que ... ?"

    It's essentially the same construct as in Irish:

    An é go bhfuil...?

    Just think of the gardai saying "have you drink taken?"

    So you normally wouldn't use it before asking if you can do something.


  • #5
    Tigger99
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,247 ✭✭✭Tigger99


    Thanks Erza but I'm slightly confused by your post. So what would be the best way to say it?


  • #6
    Sparks15
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34 ✭Sparks15


    Tigger99 wrote: »
    I learnt French a few years ago and am brushing up on it. I find if I understand the rationale behind the sentence formation it's easier for me to remember.

    So I put the following phrase into Google translate - Can I have a bag? (in the context of supermarket shopping) and I was advised to say - Ce que je peux avoir un sac?

    Two questions.

    Would it also be correct to say Puis-je avoir un sac?

    Is there a less formal way of asking for a bag?

    Merci beaucoup!

    Yes Puis-je avoir un sac would be correct. It's quite formal.

    Another way could be Est-ce que je pourrais avoir/prendre un sac, s'il vous plait? Est-ce que is just placed in front of a sentence to turn it into a question, which can make it easier to use sometimes.

    You might get better suggestions on a translation.


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  • #7
    iusedmename
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4 ✭iusedmename


    Tigger99 wrote: »
    I learnt French a few years ago and am brushing up on it. I find if I understand the rationale behind the sentence formation it's easier for me to remember.

    So I put the following phrase into Google translate - Can I have a bag? (in the context of supermarket shopping) and I was advised to say - Ce que je peux avoir un sac?

    Two questions.

    Would it also be correct to say Puis-je avoir un sac?

    Is there a less formal way of asking for a bag?

    Merci beaucoup!

    Puis-je.... is quite formal; you'd only realy see it in old novels and the like.

    Some other ways of saying the same thing:

    est-ce que je peux avoir un sac, svp?

    Je pourrais avoir un sac svp?

    Et un sac svp.

    Je peux avoir un sac s'il vous plaît?

    Je pourrais avoir un sac, svp?

    Et un sac, également, svp.


    Honestly, the most important part of the phrase is the "S'il vous plaît", once you say that, the grammaire is largely irrelevant.


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