Learn French: Les enfants ne regardent jamais les oiseaux.

Les enfants ne regardent jamais les oiseaux.

The children never watch the birds.

Breakdown of Les enfants ne regardent jamais les oiseaux.

l'enfant

the child

not (used before the verb)

Questions & Answers about Les enfants ne regardent jamais les oiseaux.

Why does oiseaux end with an -x instead of an -s?

In French, most nouns form their plural by adding an -s. However, words that end in -eau (like oiseau, meaning "bird") are irregular. They add an -x instead to become plural. The ending -x is completely silent, so oiseau and oiseaux sound exactly the same!

Why is there no French word for "at" in this sentence?

In English, we say "look at" something, using a preposition. But the French verb regarder directly translates to "to look at" or "to watch". It takes a direct object, meaning you don't need to add any extra words between the verb and what is being watched (les oiseaux).

How does the negative phrase "ne ... jamais" work here?

To say "never", French uses the two-part phrase ne ... jamais. Just like the basic ne ... pas (not), it forms a sandwich around the conjugated verb. Here, it wraps around regardent to make ne regardent jamais (never watch).

Do you pronounce the -s in "les" before "enfants" and "oiseaux"?

Yes, it makes a "z" sound! Normally, the -s at the end of les is silent. But because both enfants and oiseaux begin with vowel sounds, you make a liaison (a linked sound). You pronounce them as "lez-enfants" and "lez-oiseaux" to make the words flow smoothly together.