Dash vs. no dash

Brian E.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Dash vs. no dash

Hi, the options “assoyez-vous” & “asseyez-vous” have hyphens, but the two instances of “veuillez vous asseoir” do not have one between “veuillez” & “vous”. It looks like these are all “short reversed-form questions”, so is there a reason for this difference?

Asked 3 years ago
CélineNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Bonjour Brian,

That's an excellent question! 

There is no hyphen between 'veuillez' and 'vous' because 'vous' is linked to the reflexive verb s'asseoir -> m' / t'... / vous asseoir (object pronoun)

Voulez-vous vous asseoir ? = do you want to sit down? 

Veux-tu t'asseoir ? = do you want to sit down?

Veuillez vous asseoir please sit down 

Asseyez-vous = sit down

Assieds-toi = sit down

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Brian E.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Ahhh, I see. Thanks for your answer Céline, it’s very helpful. 

Brian E. asked:

Dash vs. no dash

Hi, the options “assoyez-vous” & “asseyez-vous” have hyphens, but the two instances of “veuillez vous asseoir” do not have one between “veuillez” & “vous”. It looks like these are all “short reversed-form questions”, so is there a reason for this difference?

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