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J'ai fini par bouquiner tranquille sous le parasol.

J'ai fini par bouquiner tranquille sous le parasol.
I ended up reading quietly under the sun umbrella.
From Lesson 463:Informal purpose (histoire de)·French

Questions & Answers about J'ai fini par bouquiner tranquille sous le parasol.

Why is tranquille used here instead of tranquillement?
In everyday spoken French, adjectives are sometimes used as adverbs. Tranquille is frequently used this way to mean quietly, peacefully, or without rushing. It gives the sentence a more relaxed, informal tone than tranquillement would.
What is the difference between finir par and finir de?
Finir par followed by an infinitive means to end up doing something or to finally do something. If you used finir de here (J'ai fini de bouquiner), it would mean I finished reading.
I haven't seen the verb bouquiner before. Is it just a synonym for lire?
Yes, but it is an informal, colloquial synonym. It comes from the noun un bouquin, which is an everyday word for a book. It fits perfectly with the casual vibe of relaxing under a sun umbrella.
Why is it sous le parasol instead of sous le parapluie?
In French, a parasol is specifically a large sun umbrella, like you would use at the beach or on a patio. A parapluie is strictly an umbrella used for the rain.

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