Mardi, il joue au tennis.

Questions & Answers about Mardi, il joue au tennis.

Why doesn't it say "le mardi" if this lesson is about using "le" with days of the week?
Adding le before a day of the week makes it a recurring habit, meaning "every Tuesday" or "on Tuesdays". Because this sentence just says Mardi without the le, it refers specifically to this upcoming Tuesday instead of a habit.
Where is the word for "on"? How do we know it means "On Tuesday"?
In French, you don't use a preposition like "on" before days of the week. You simply state the day. So, Mardi alone translates naturally to "On Tuesday" or just "Tuesday".
Why is it "au tennis" instead of just "tennis"?
When talking about playing a sport or a game, French uses the verb jouer followed by à. Because tennis is a masculine word (le tennis), the words à and le combine to make au. You will always use jouer au for masculine sports!
Does "il joue" mean "he plays" or "he is playing"?
It can mean both! French doesn't have a separate "-ing" tense like English does. Il joue can mean "he plays" in general, "he is playing" right now, or "he is playing" for a planned future event, which is exactly how it is used in this sentence.

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