Breakdown of Pourquoi est-ce que tu vas les jeter ? Parce que ces jouets sont vieux.
être
to be
tu
you (informal singular)
ce
this (before a noun)
est-ce que
is it that / do / does (question marker)
pourquoi
why
parce que
because
vieux
old
aller
to go
les
them (direct object pronoun)
le jouet
the toy
jeter
to throw away
Questions & Answers about Pourquoi est-ce que tu vas les jeter ? Parce que ces jouets sont vieux.
Why is les placed right before jeter instead of after it?
In French, direct object pronouns like les (them) almost always go before the verb, unlike in English. So instead of "throw them", you say "them throw" (les jeter).
Why is les placed after vas rather than at the very beginning of the sentence?
What is the difference between Pourquoi and Parce que?
Why doesn't vieux get an extra "s" at the end since ces jouets is plural?
Why do we need est-ce que in this question?
Est-ce que (literally "is it that") is a very common tool used to turn a statement into a question in French. By putting Pourquoi in front of it, you get a built-in question phrase meaning "Why is it that...".
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