Learn French: Je regarde par la fenêtre. - I look through the window.

Je regarde par la fenêtre.

I look through the window.

Breakdown of Je regarde par la fenêtre.

by, through / out of (motive)

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Questions & Answers about Je regarde par la fenêtre.

Why do we use par here to mean "through" or "out"?

In French, the preposition par can mean "by," but when talking about physical movement or looking across a space, it translates to "through" or "out of." So, par la fenêtre is the standard way to say "out the window" or "through the window."

Since this lesson is about pour, could I use pour la fenêtre instead?

No, you must use par here. While pour means "for" or "in order to" (showing purpose or a goal), par is used for physical routes, like going "through" a door or looking "out" a window. Mixing them up is a common beginner mistake, so seeing par in action helps you tell them apart!

Why use regarde instead of vois?

It is the exact same difference as "look" vs "see" in English. regarder means "to look (at)" which is an active choice you make. voir means "to see," which is just the ability to process images with your eyes. Since you are choosing to gaze out the window, je regarde is the correct choice.

Why does fenêtre have a little hat accent over the "e"?

That accent is called a circumflex. In many French words, it shows that there used to be an "s" after that vowel a long time ago. If you think of the English word "defenestrate" (to throw someone out a window), you can spot that hidden "s" and see how the words are historically related!