Un couple et leur enfant or un couple et son enfant?
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Jean W.Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Un couple et leur enfant or un couple et son enfant?
Which is correct? In other words, is "couple" considered two people or a single unit ?
Asked 7 years ago
Hi Jean,
Indeed Chris is right and
Un couple et leur enfant is the correct answer.
With collective nouns the rules are a bit elastic but in this case the couple is clearly composed of two people so their child, leur enfant is correct.
Hope this helps!
Ron T. Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonsoir Jean,
Actually, «un couple et son enfant» --> is best translated as «a couple and his infant», for example, a friend of the couple and the friend's infant is with the couple.
«Un couple et leur enfant» --> is best translated as «a couple and their child».
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
Ron (also a non-native speaker)
Ron T. Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
One other thought for an example:
«un couple et son enfant» the inference could also be a couple and the son of one of the persons comprising the couple.
Jean W.Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Thanks Ron,
However I guess I didn't make my question clear. It's not the translation I needed. I have seen both sentences written in cases where it is a married couple with their own child, child of both parents, and I wanted to know which form was correct. Maybe they are both correct, maybe one is pre-1990 and one is post-1990 French perhaps ? Maybe one is Belgian or Canadian French ? But in any case, the real question is whether the word couple is treated as a unit or as two in this case. It seems clear when one doesn't have to use a possessive pronoun. One say " Un couple chante " and not " un couple chantent" for example, but it gets a bit fuzzy when the son or leur is in play.
Chris W. Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
The spontaneous answer of a French native speaker was "leur". Apparently one tends to focus more on the two people forming the couple than the couple as an independent entity.
-- Chris.
Jean W.Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Thanks Chris. "Leur" sounds more natural to me too as an anglophone, although I know that is not the best way to determine correct usage in French!
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