What's the difference? (Quelle est la différence?)
Soyez = to be ?
Être = to be ?
Soyez vs. Être
roxypalooza
March 8, 2014
lancish
March 8, 2014
Isn't "soyez" an imperative (2nd person plural) form of etre, as in "Soyez calme!" Stay calm. I think also it is subjunctive, as - and I'm not sure -
"C'est importante que vous soyez calme", but I'm less sure about the subjunctive.
toru e
March 8, 2014
Exactly as Lance M5 said: 'soyez' is the (vous) imperatíf of 'être' and the (vous) subjonctif présent. [Both examples, imperatíf and subjonctif présent, are correct.]
lancish
March 8, 2014
Is the subjunctive presented in the first level (Premium) of Rocket French? I'm hearing it around me, I think, but I don't know when or how to use it.
toru e
March 8, 2014
I don't remember it being "officially" presented in RF Premium (maybe as part of a dialogue, but not in the "Language and Culture" section as a grammar lesson).
It's presented as part of RF Premium Plus where you get two modules under "Language and Culture" dedicated to it (13.6-13.7) and another three modules in RF Platinum (22.7-22.9).
roxypalooza
March 8, 2014
Imperatíf et subjonctif... yikes! Je vais attendre pour ces leçons.
Merci pour l'information, toru25.
lancish
March 9, 2014
Thanks toru25, I'm glad it's soon. We are thinking of buying in Paris, and therefore are writing various Imobiliers, and their responses are a bit flowery and tend to include the subjonctif - or the conditional, or both! So I need help soon!
toru e
March 9, 2014
Ha! That makes complete sense because it would be the structure you would use for hypothetical scenarios (if you have pets, do major demolition, etc.) :)
Bon courage ! Les appartements à Paris sont plus chers que les mêmes à (la ville de) New York où j'habite.
lancish
March 9, 2014
Oui, très cher et aussi il n'y a pas de "multiple listing" - il y a des centaines d'agents immobiliers, chacun avec leur propre ensemble d'annonces.