# French grammar question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2009, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-question/514180 "2009-10-18T00:09:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-question/514180/1 "2009-10-18T00:09:58Z")
I’ve been wondering this for years. If you have a compound subject, how do you conjugate the verb? For instance, how would you say, “John and I are hungry”? Would you conjugate it for nous, ie “Jean et moi avons faim”? What about if you say, “toi et moi”? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-question/514180/2 "2009-10-18T00:17:04Z")
The most idiomatic would be to say “toi et moi, nous avons faim.” ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-question/514180/3 "2009-10-18T00:17:44Z")
I think most commonly you would see “Jean et moi, on a faim” Though I think the nous conjugation isn’t incorrect, it isn’t used often I dont think. ---
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-question/514180/4 "2009-10-18T02:30:52Z")
Well that makes sense. Mystery solved.