Question 1

Is enfin always used at the beginning of the sentence like this?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when giving instructions or telling a story, enfin (finally) is usually placed at the start of the final sentence to wrap up the sequence. It is often followed by a comma, acting as the natural conclusion to d'abord (first), ensuite (next), and puis (then).

Question 2

I remember seeing nettoie before. Why does it have a 'y' here in nettoyons?

Accepted Answer

For verbs ending in -oyer like nettoyer (to clean), the 'y' changes to an 'i' for most subjects (like je nettoie or ils nettoient). However, for nous and vous, we keep the original 'y', which gives us nous nettoyons.

Question 3

How do I choose between notre and nos for 'our'?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the number of things being owned, not the number of owners! Use notre if you are talking about a single item (like notre outil for 'our tool'). Because outils (tools) is plural here, we must use the plural form nos.

Question 4

How do we pronounce nos outils together?

Accepted Answer

Because nos ends in an 's' and outils starts with a vowel, you must make a liaison. You link them together with a 'z' sound in the middle. Also, be careful with the word outils: both the 'l' and the 's' at the end are completely silent!

Enfin, nous nettoyons nos outils.

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