Faire des enfants

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Frank on October 17, 2009 at 2:01pm

Elle lui a fait deux enfants (passé composé)

If you put it that way, it sounds derogatory, though.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Crack1 on October 17, 2009 at 3:10pm

So the sentence ' She has two children with him' should be in the form of passé composé in French.
If the children and mother is still alive, it would be better to write either present tense or present perfect.

The verb is bear and the past participle is born.
She has born two children.

She has two children with him.
OR
She bore him two children.
........................................................................................

She bore him two children. I think your sentence represents even the simple past form.
Please tell me.
Elle lui a fait deux enfants.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Frank on October 17, 2009 at 3:27pm

So the sentence ' She has two children with him' should be in the form of passé composé in French.

"Elle lui a fait deux enfants" literrally means "she has made two children with him", thus the passé composé. Talking about both parents ("Ils ont deux enfants") would be more above the belt and less derogatory, because you would talk about the children themselves, not about how they were "made".

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Crack1 on October 17, 2009 at 3:37pm

Thanks Frank
Elle/Il fait un enfant.
She/He has a child.
I hope my French sentence is fine.

I know ' faire un enfant' means to have a child

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Frank on October 17, 2009 at 3:41pm

Crack,

"Elle/Il fait un enfant" means that he/she is having sex.

"Il lui a fait un enfant" means that they had sex and she got pregnant. Yes, the end result is that they have children, but said that way, this is derogatory.

She/He has a child - keep it literal: Elle / Il a un enfant

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Crack1 on October 17, 2009 at 3:51pm

Thanks for teaching me these things.
How do I know these things!

▶ Reply to This