"Nous aimons que tu sois à l'heure."

L. E.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

"Nous aimons que tu sois à l'heure."

Asked 7 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Lisa,

Nous aimerions que tu sois à l'heure =  We'd like you to be on time

is the correct answer .

Nous t'aimerions être à l'heure is incorrect and a literal translation of the English which doesn't work in this case.

L. E.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Sorry, my question didn't actually come through, only the title. Trying again: If "Nous aimons que tu sois à l'heure." is "We like that you're on time." Would it be correct to say "Nous t'aimerions être à l'heure." for "We would like you to be on time." ? Merci beaucoup.
Ron T.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Lisa, There are two verbs that could be used to say this: Nous aimerions que vous soyez à l'heure. Nous souhaitons que vous soyez à l’heure. Note that the first phrase the verb aimer is in le conditionnel; while the second phrase souhaiter is in l'indicatif. However, être is conjugated in le subjonctif in the clause of both sentences. J'espère que ma réponse vous aiderait. Bonne chance et bonne continuation dans vos études en français, la langue de Molière et qui a été utilisé par le monde français depuis l’époque d’Hugues Capet
L. E.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Merci pour l'aide, Ron. J'ai réalisé ce soir que je devrais utiliser "que" dans la phrase. C'est bon que je ne parle pas souvent avec ceux qui parlent français, parce que suis lente à me souvenir de bons mots!
Ron T.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
I fully understand. One thing to keep in mind is that speaking French is not a race or a competition. You sound like me in that respect. I finally realized that the only pressure I was sensing to speak quicker was coming from inside me. Since you do not say where you live, I don't know what resources in the community you have, but the single best thing that you can do to augment your speaking ability is to find and join a French conversation class. If there is an Alliance Française in your area, they have great classes. If not, perhaps a college or university close at hand has non-credit courses that offer such a thing. Alternatively, private lessons with a native french-speaking person would do the trick too; however, this option may be the most expensive. Bonne chance et je suis très ravi que j'avais pu de vous aider.
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
"Nous t'aimerions être à l'heure" would be a literal translation of the English way to say this. It would, however, be wrong in French. Ron already explained the correct form to express this. I just wanted to respond specifically to the example you gave. -- Chris (not a native speaker).
Ron T.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Chris, I really enjoy reading your input too. You have given me a lot more knowledge that I was unaware of. SVP, keep up the good work. Ron
L. E. asked:View original

"Nous aimons que tu sois à l'heure."

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