French language Q&A Forum

I saw that there was more than one correct answer to this question, but the format was such that I could only choose one answer, and therefore only got it partially correct. 

Is it right that you don't pronounce the 'S' at the end of 'suis' when it's followed by 'à'?

I had thought anytime a vowel sound follows a word ending in 's', you pronounce that s. Like with 'Je dine dans une...'

As a note, this is very poorly written for English speaking people to translate. "Happy as a clam" = "heureux comme un poisson dans l'eau" uh, sure. Why not just write "happy like a fish in water" so we could actually translate it? "Don't be pigheaded" = "ne sois pas têtue comme une mule" again, why not just say "don't be stubborn like a mule". "I could eat a horse" = "j'ai une faim de loup" - why not just say "hungry like a wolf". Made this exercise unnecessarily hard. 

The above quote I think, should have AFTER replaced with BEFORE.

Cela m'a pris 2 heures mais j'en ai tiré beaucoup de belles phrases, et je a été surprise par le suite quand j’ai regardé mon horloge. Bien écrit. Amusant. Merci. : )

In “Je me suis donc retrouvée dans une cabine relativement spacieuse dans laquelle pouvaient coucher jusqu'à six voyageurs.” why is it pouvaient as opposed to pouvait? As the subject (une cabine) is singular I was expecting pouvait. 

All of this is in the present (with the exception of one other passe compose (a dish that i've tasted) & one subjunctive).   Why is the sentence "I really feel like I am travelling to the Roaring Twenties" translated using passe compose?

My first thought was that the narrator in this sentence moved into a memory, hence the past--that is, she once HAD that impression when in Paris.  But, the same could be said for other sentences: "What I like above all, (it) is the relaxed atmosphere . . "   It seems all of these sentences relate an ongoing feeling or attitude toward La brasserie La Coupole, so I don't understand why the passe compose is used in this sentence.

Can someone explain why the first verb in the extract is in the perfect, while the second (and subsequent) are in the imperfect? They all seem to be describing the continuing circumstances, which calls for the imperfect as I read this: Expressing opinions and describing with the imperfect tense in French (L'Imparfait)

What is the 1st conjugation for?

Just a question concerning the reference to Finir as the Regular 2nd group of -ir verbs; and Partir as Irregular 3rd group of -ir verbs.

Is there an explanation somewhere of the groups of verbs that are being referred to here? What is the Regular 1st group -ir verbs, etc.?