Grammar: "C'est les youpins qui font qu'il y a la guerre"

generalebriety

16

Quote from "Un sac de billes".

Why is it "il y a", and not "il y ait"?

Reply 1

brimstone

7

Erm, typo? :p:

No, seriously. Even the French don't get the subjunctive right sometimes; could be an accidental error not picked up by an author or publisher.

Or there may be some special rule which I'm too stupid to know about. :redface:

Reply 2

generalebriety

OP

16

brimstone

Erm, typo? :p:

No, seriously. Even the French don't get the subjunctive right sometimes; could be an accidental error not picked up by an author or publisher.

Or there may be some special rule which I'm too stupid to know about. :redface:

I think there is a rule, but the way my teacher explained it, I didn't understand the difference between when you were meant to use subjunctive and when you weren't. :s-smilie:

I thought maybe because this was a child speaking (in the novel), they could've got it wrong - but I'd also have thought that, by the age of 10, you'd know to use 'ait' there. :s-smilie:

Reply 3

generalebriety

OP

16

wesetters

It could just be for emphasis ; grammatically incorrect perhaps, but it makes it slightly more real.