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French Phrase

Comment as‑tu motivé les autres ?

/kɔ.mɑ̃ a.ty mɔ.ti.ve le zo.tʁ/
Meaning"How did you motivate the others?"
💡

Meaning

Literally “How did you motivate the others?” It asks the listener to describe the methods or actions they used to inspire or encourage other people in the past.

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When to use

Use this question after a team project, a sports match, a classroom activity, or any situation where someone took a leadership role and you’re curious about their approach. It works well in both professional and informal settings, provided you keep the inversion for a polite tone.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Commentas‑tumotivélesautres?

1

Comment

Interrogative adverb meaning “how”. It starts a question and is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

2

as‑tu (inversion)

Inversion of the auxiliary verb ‘avoir’ with the subject pronoun ‘tu’ to form a formal question. Equivalent to ‘tu as’ in spoken French.

3

motivé (past participle)

Past participle of the verb ‘motiver’. With ‘avoir’, it does not agree with the subject, but it would agree with a preceding direct object (none here).

4

les autres

A plural noun phrase meaning “the others”. Used after the verb to indicate the people who were motivated.

🗨In Conversation

A

Comment as‑tu motivé les autres ?

How did you motivate the others?

J’ai organisé une réunion où chacun a pu partager ses idées, et j’ai souligné les réussites de chacun.

I organized a meeting where everyone could share their ideas, and I highlighted each person’s successes.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Comment tu as motivé les autres ?

    The inversion ‘as‑tu’ is the standard form for a polite question; ‘tu as’ sounds too informal in written French.

  • Comment as‑tu motiver les autres ?

    After ‘as‑tu’, you need the past participle ‘motivé’, not the infinitive ‘motiver’. Using the infinitive changes the meaning to a present‑tense suggestion.

↔Alternatives

  • Comment as‑tu encouragé les autres ?

    How did you encourage the others?

  • De quelle façon as‑tu motivé les autres ?

    In what way did you motivate the others?

  • Qu’est‑ce qui a aidé à motiver les autres ?

    What helped to motivate the others?

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Cultural Tip

The inversion ‘as‑tu’ is considered formal or written French. In casual conversation many speakers prefer ‘Comment tu as motivé les autres ?’, which is perfectly understandable but less polished. Also, French speakers often appreciate concrete examples (e.g., “j’ai donné des objectifs clairs”) rather than abstract praise when answering this question.