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Ils prennent toujours une salade et une soupe.

Ils prennent toujours une salade et une soupe.
They always have a salad and a soup.
From Lesson 43:The verb to take or have (prendre)·French

Questions & Answers about Ils prennent toujours une salade et une soupe.

The translation says "have," so why don't we use ont (from avoir)?
While avoir means "to have" for possession, French uses prendre (literally "to take") when talking about consuming food or drinks. So Ils prennent means "They are having" or "They have" in the context of a meal.
Why is prennent spelled with a double 'n' and no 'd'?
The verb prendre is irregular. While the singular forms keep the 'd' (like il prend), the plural forms drop it. For the ils and elles forms, the 'n' is also doubled, making it prennent.
How do you pronounce prennent? Do I say the -ent at the end?
No, the -ent ending on conjugated French verbs is always silent. You just pronounce the letters before it, so prennent sounds like "pren." The double 'n' makes sure you pronounce that 'n' sound clearly.
Why is toujours after the verb instead of before it?
In English, we put "always" before the verb ("They always have"). But in French, adverbs like toujours almost always go directly after the conjugated verb. That is why it is Ils prennent toujours and never Ils toujours prennent.

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