Log inSign up

Les enfants ne regardent jamais les oiseaux.

Les enfants ne regardent jamais les oiseaux.
The children never watch the birds.
From Lesson 80:Irregular plurals (-x)·French

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.

Learn Les enfants ne regardent jamais les oiseaux and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →