Breakdown of Elles se maquillent devant un miroir.
elles
they (feminine)
devant
in front of
le miroir
the mirror
se maquiller
to put on makeup
Questions & Answers about Elles se maquillent devant un miroir.
Why is there a se before maquillent?
Do I pronounce the "-ent" at the end of maquillent?
In English, "makeup" is a noun. Is it just one verb in French?
Yes! While English uses a verb phrase ("putting on makeup"), French uses a single reflexive verb: se maquiller. You don't need a separate word for "putting on" or "makeup" here because the verb covers the whole action.
I thought "before" was avant. Why use devant here?
Both can translate to "before" in English, but they have different uses. Devant is about physical location, meaning "in front of" (like a mirror or a building). Avant is about time, meaning "before" an event happens.
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