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Par conséquent, le chef de chœur et le chanteur se regardent l'un l'autre.

Par conséquent, le chef de chœur et le chanteur se regardent l'un l'autre.
Consequently, the choirmaster and the singer look at each other.
From Lesson 249:Explicit reciprocity (l'un l'autre)·French

Questions & Answers about Par conséquent, le chef de chœur et le chanteur se regardent l'un l'autre.

Why add l'un l'autre when se regardent already translates to "look at each other"?
In French, a pronominal verb like se regardent can mean either "look at themselves" (like in a mirror) or "look at each other". Adding l'un l'autre is a helpful way to remove that ambiguity. It explicitly tells us the action is reciprocal—they are looking at one another, not at themselves.
Why is it just l'un l'autre and not l'un à l'autre?
It depends on the verb! In English, we say "look at someone", but in French, the verb regarder is direct, meaning it doesn't use a preposition (regarder quelqu'un). Because there is no preposition like à or de required by the verb, no preposition is placed between l'un and l'autre. If the verb were parler (to talk to someone), it would be se parlent l'un à l'autre.
Could I use les uns les autres here instead?
No, because there are exactly two people involved: the choirmaster and the singer. French uses the singular l'un l'autre for two subjects. You only use the plural les uns les autres when three or more people or things are involved.
Is chœur related to the word for heart (cœur)?
They look and sound almost identical, but chœur means "choir" or "chorus". The ch here is pronounced like a hard "k", and the œ makes the same vowel sound as in cœur. You pronounce chœur essentially like the English word "core".
Is Par conséquent the standard way to say "therefore"?
Par conséquent is a great, slightly formal phrase meaning "consequently", "as a result", or "therefore". It is perfect for writing or careful speech. In more casual everyday conversations, you will also hear people use donc or alors to express the same idea.

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