Breakdown of Nous décidons de restaurer une voiture ancienne.
une
a / an (feminine)
la voiture
the car
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
ancien
old / ancient (former, antique)
décider de
to decide to
restaurer
to restore
Questions & Answers about Nous décidons de restaurer une voiture ancienne.
Why do we use de between décidons and restaurer?
In French, many verbs require a specific preposition before a following action. The verb décider (to decide) always uses de before an infinitive verb. You cannot just translate the English 'to' directly; you have to memorize that décider pairs with de.
Why is restaurer in the infinitive (unconjugated) form?
When a verb immediately follows a preposition like de (as it does here), that second verb must be in the infinitive form. You only conjugate the first verb in the chain (nous décidons).
Why is ancienne placed after voiture?
Ancien (and its feminine form ancienne) is an adjective that changes meaning depending on where it is placed! When placed after the noun (une voiture ancienne), it means 'old,' 'antique,' or 'vintage.' If placed before the noun (une ancienne voiture), it would mean a 'former' car (one you used to own).
Learn Nous décidons de restaurer une voiture ancienne 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