Votre voiture est petite. - Oui, mais c'est petit dans mon garage.

Question

It's a bit weird...Votre voiture est petite. - Oui, mais c'est petit dans mon garage. translated to: Your car is small. - Yes, but my garage is smallhmm... having the first part of the dialogue: 'Votre voiture est petite.'the given correct answer: 'Oui, mais c'est petit dans mon garage.'  sounds to me as: Yes, but it (the car) is small in my garage.now, the English 'Yes, but my garage is small' I would rather say in French: 'Oui, mais mon garage est petit.'I might be wrong but this french statement / opinion example is somewhat not the best one here anyone to explain this ?

Accepted Answer

Votre voiture est petite. - Oui, mais c'est petit dans mon garage.
The misunderstanding arises because c'est doesn't relate to la voiture but rather to an impersonal "it": it is small in my garage. In English, this means that there's little room in the garage, i.e., that the garage is small.

Answer

Hi Bozena,I think that you have got it correct in the sense that the car being small is of no real consequence because the garage is also small.I think your proposal for the French is valid "Oui, mais mon garage est petit"Jim

Answer

If you keep thinking that French should just follow English rules, you are going to struggle indefinitely. French is not a replacement for English, it is its own language - and English grammar (and thinking) often sound very weird in French !