FR: autant / autant de

[Eddie]

When I was a French student, I was taught that autant was accompanied by de when followed by a substantive: autant d'argent que, autant de véhicules que, etc.

Then I come across these sentences, and now I'm confused. What happened to de?

Reste à savoir si, à l'avenir, le consommateur fera autant confiance au pavillon européen.

LES QUÉBÉCOIS FONT AUTANT CONFIANCE AU GOUVERNEMENT FÉDÉRAL QU’À LEUR GOUVERNEMENT
PROVINCIAL.

Dans l’ensemble, 72% des personnes interrogées font autant confiance qu’avant aux avis des spécialistes.

Aujourd’hui, les Suisses restent fiers de leur pays mais ils n’ont plus autant confiance en l’avenir.

 

[Starcreator]

Autant just means "as much as", no? I have as much confidence in him as I do in my being able to lift a piano. Etc...

 

[Eddie]

It sounds right to me Starcreator, but you've answered only the second part of my question. Why isn't it autant de confiance?

 

[Isotta]

The difference between autant que/de is nicely spelled out here.

Hope this is the answer to your question.

Isotta.

 

[Eddie]

Thank you, Isotta; but I learned all of that as a high school student.
You also have failed to see the question I'm asking.
Look at the 2 examples. It's not a question of autant ... de or autant ... que.

 

[beri]

I think it is because here, it is "faire confiance" as a block, so no "de"
Elle ne me fait pas autant confiance que toi (faire ø confiance)
Elle n'accorde pas autant d'importance à cette oeuvre que ses pairs (accorder de l'attention)
Il n'a pas fait autant attention qu'il l'aurait dû (faire ø attention)

 

[Eddie]

Hello, Beri.

I think I understand what you're saying. The placement of de after autant depends on the idiom being used.

Faire confiance is the idiom in question. There is no partitive form being used; whereas accorder de l'attention has a partitive, and keeps the partitive when used with autant.

Did I understand you correctly?

 

[beri]

I didn't check that with all idioms, but it is apparently the case, yup!

 

[Eddie]

In that case, I thank you for taking the time to respond to my persistent questions.

 

[gliamo]

I think it is because here, it is "faire confiance" as a block, so no "de"
Elle ne me fait pas autant confiance que toi (faire ø confiance)
Elle n'accorde pas autant d'importance à cette oeuvre que ses pairs (accorder de l'attention)
Il n'a pas fait autant attention qu'il l'aurait dû (faire ø attention)

What about the following: Elle ne me fait pas aussi peur que toi (faire ø peur)
Not sure why but autant wouldn't sound as good here...

G.

 

[beri]

Ed, you are so very welcome, glad to be helpful
gliamo: you're right, I can't find an explanation on the top of my head, but there has to be one

 

[Cath.S.]

Personnellement, elle ne me fait pas autant peur que toi. ne me choque pas du tout.

Beri, je crois que l'idiome que tu voulais employer en fait c'est off the top of my head. On the top of my head signifie simplement au sommet de ma tête.

 

[Eddie]

So then, Egueule; you agree with Beri that when the partitive de is absent in an idiomatic expression such as, faire confiance or faire peur, it isn't needed when used with autant?

 

[beri]

guegue: exact

j'y ai repensé et "ça ne me fait pas autant peur que quand j'ai passé le bac" is correct, but I like "ça ne me fait pas aussi peur que..." much more ("much better" correct?).

 

[Cath.S.]

So then, Egueule; you agree with Beri that when the partitive de is absent in an idiomatic expression such as, faire confiance or faire peur, it isn't needed when used with autant?

Tout à fait, Doudou.

 

[Eddie]

Beri,

C'est quoi guegue?

 

[Gil]

J'ai faim.
Je n'ai jamais eu autant faim.
J'ai du pain
Je n'ai jamais eu autant de pain.
Hope this helps.

 

[Eddie]

Thanks, Gil. After all this expert help, including yours, I understand completely now.