Question 1

Why do we use "où" here to connect the two parts of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

In this lesson, où acts as a relative pronoun meaning "where". It points back to the place (le magasin) so we don't have to start a new sentence. It seamlessly links "This is the store" with what happens inside that store. Notice that où has a grave accent; without it, ou just means "or"!

Question 2

Why does achètent have a grave accent (è) when the dictionary form acheter doesn't?

Accepted Answer

Acheter (to buy) is a stem-changing verb. Because the -ent ending for the "they" form is completely silent, the spoken emphasis falls on the previous syllable. To make that vowel sound right, French adds an accent: ils achètent. You will see this same spelling change in the je, tu, and il/elle forms too.

Question 3

Why is des repeated before both costumes and masques?

Accepted Answer

In English, you can easily say "costumes and masks" without repeating any words. But in French, you cannot skip the article. You must put an article (in this case, the plural word des) in front of every single noun in a list.

Question 4

Could I say Il est le magasin instead of C'est le magasin?

Accepted Answer

No, you have to use c'est here. When you are identifying a thing or a person using a noun that has an article (like le magasin or un chien), you always use c'est. You would only use il est if it were followed by just an adjective, like Il est grand (It is big).

C'est le magasin où ils achètent des costumes et des masques.

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