Breakdown of Est-ce que nous prenons le train ?
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
prendre
to have (a meal/drink) / to take
est-ce que
is it that / do / does (question marker)
le train
the train
Questions & Answers about Est-ce que nous prenons le train ?
What exactly does Est-ce que mean at the start of this sentence?
Literally, it means 'Is it that'. However, you should not translate it word-for-word. In French, putting Est-ce que at the beginning of a statement is just a standard way to turn it into a yes/no question. The phrase nous prenons le train means 'we take the train', and adding Est-ce que turns it into 'Are we taking the train?'.
Do I need to swap the order of the subject and verb after Est-ce que?
No! That is the great thing about using Est-ce que. You just put it right in front of a normal sentence. The word order stays exactly the same: subject (nous) and then verb (prenons).
The translation says 'Are we taking', but where is the French word for 'are'?
Is the verb prenons a regular verb?
Do I pronounce the 's' at the end of prenons?