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Le moniteur est ravi de surfer avec nous.

Le moniteur est ravi de surfer avec nous.
The instructor is thrilled to surf with us.
From Lesson 276:Adjectives followed by an infinitive (à, de)·French

Questions & Answers about Le moniteur est ravi de surfer avec nous.

Why do we use de before surfer instead of à?
The adjective ravi (thrilled or delighted) requires the preposition de when it is followed by an infinitive. Adjectives that express feelings or emotions, such as content (happy), triste (sad), or fier (proud), almost always take de before a verb.
Does moniteur mean the same thing as professeur?
Not exactly. A professeur is typically an academic teacher, like in a school or university. A moniteur (or monitrice) is an instructor or coach for practical, recreational, or sports activities, like surfing, skiing, or even driving.
How would this sentence change if the instructor were female?
Both the noun and the adjective would need to agree in the feminine form. The sentence would be: La monitrice est ravie de surfer avec nous. Note the spelling changes: moniteur becomes monitrice, and ravi takes an extra e to become ravie.
Is surfer just the English word turned into a French verb?
Yes! French has adopted the word and turned it into a regular -er verb. It is used both for riding waves on a surfboard and for browsing the internet (surfer sur internet).

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