Les voitures ne peuvent pas se garer ici.

Questions & Answers about Les voitures ne peuvent pas se garer ici.

Why is it peuvent and not peut?
Because the subject is Les voitures (The cars), which is plural. You must use the "they" (ils/elles) form of the verb pouvoir, which is peuvent. If it were just one car, it would be La voiture ne peut pas.
Why are ne and pas placed around peuvent?
In French, the negative parts ne and pas act like a sandwich around the conjugated verb. Here, that's peuvent. The second verb in the sentence (se garer) stays outside the negation sandwich.
Why is garer in its infinitive (dictionary) form here?
When two verbs are used together to express a single idea (like "cannot park"), only the first verb is conjugated (peuvent). The second verb always stays in its infinitive form (se garer).
What is the se doing in se garer?
In French, the verb for "to park" is often reflexive, meaning it literally translates to "to park oneself." So, se garer is the full phrase you need to use here for the cars parking.
Do I pronounce the -ent at the end of peuvent?
No! When a conjugated French verb ends in -ent for the "they" form, those last three letters are completely silent. You just pronounce the first part of the word.

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