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Nous buvons un jus et l'addition est sur la table.

Nous buvons un jus et l'addition est sur la table.
We are drinking a juice and the bill is on the table.
From Lesson 44:The verb to drink (boire)·French

Questions & Answers about Nous buvons un jus et l'addition est sur la table.

Why is the verb buvons when the dictionary form is boire?
Boire (to drink) is a very irregular verb. In the present tense, the base of the word changes depending on who is acting. For je, tu, il/elle, and ils/elles, it uses a boi- base (like je bois). But for nous and vous, it switches to a buv- base: nous buvons (we drink) and vous buvez (you drink).
The translation says "are drinking", but I don't see a word for "are" in the French sentence. Why is that?
French doesn't have a separate tense for actions happening right now (like "we are drinking" or "I am eating"). The single verb buvons covers both "we drink" and "we are drinking". You never translate the "are" or "am" separately in these cases!
Does un jus end with an "s" because it's plural?
No, un jus is singular here (meaning "a juice"). Some French words naturally end in an "s" in their basic singular form. When you make it plural (des jus), the spelling stays exactly the same.
Why is it l'addition instead of la addition?
Addition (bill) is a feminine word, so you would normally use la for "the". However, because addition starts with a vowel sound, the "a" in la gets dropped and replaced with an apostrophe to make pronunciation smoother. Also, note that l'addition is specifically used for a restaurant or café bill!

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