Log inSign up

Nous travaillons et vous étudiez.

Nous travaillons et vous étudiez.
We are working and you are studying.
From Lesson 18:Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)·French

Questions & Answers about Nous travaillons et vous étudiez.

Why do travaillons and étudiez end differently?
They are both regular verbs that end in -er in their dictionary form (travailler and étudier). In French, the ending of the verb changes depending on who is doing the action. For nous (we), you drop the -er and add -ons. For vous (you), you drop the -er and add -ez.
Does vous mean 'you' (singular) or 'you all' (plural) here?
It can be either! The word vous is used for a group of people (you all), but it is also used as the polite, formal way to address just one person. Without more context, vous étudiez could mean either 'you (formal) are studying' or 'you all are studying'.
The English translation says 'are working' and 'are studying'. Where is the verb 'to be' in the French sentence?
French does not use a separate verb to say someone 'is doing' something right now. Nous travaillons translates to both 'we work' and 'we are working'. You never add the French word for 'are' to these sentences because that meaning is already built right into the verb.
How do I pronounce étudiez? Do I say the 'z' at the end?
No, the -ez ending is pronounced like the 'ay' in the English word 'play'. So, étudiez ends with an 'ay' sound and the 'z' is completely silent.

Learn Nous travaillons et vous étudiez and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →