Learn French: Je réponds à ton e-mail maintenant.

Je réponds à ton e-mail maintenant.

I am answering your email now.

Breakdown of Je réponds à ton e-mail maintenant.

maintenant

now

at / to / in (general locations) / about (what one thinks about / reacts to)

ton

your (ton, ta, tes)

Questions & Answers about Je réponds à ton e-mail maintenant.

Why does réponds end in an s here?

Réponds comes from the regular -re verb répondre (to answer). For the je (I) and tu (you) forms of regular -re verbs, you drop the -re from the end and add an -s.

Why is there an à after réponds? In English we just say "answer your email".

In French, the verb répondre is almost always followed by the preposition à when you mention what or who you are answering. It helps to think of it as saying "I am replying to" your email.

The English translation says "I am answering", but there is no French word for "am" here. Why?

French does not have a separate tense for things happening right now (like "am answering"). The simple present tense je réponds translates to both "I answer" and "I am answering". The word maintenant (now) makes it clear that it is happening at this very moment.

Do I pronounce the d or the s at the end of réponds?