Breakdown of Ensuite, je plie le genou et la cheville.
je
I
et
and
ensuite
then / afterwards
plier
to fold / to bend
le genou
the knee
la cheville
the ankle
Questions & Answers about Ensuite, je plie le genou et la cheville.
Why does the French sentence use le and la instead of mon and ma for the body parts?
In French, when it is obvious whose body part is involved, you use the definite article (le, la, les) rather than a possessive adjective (mon, ma, mes). Because je is the subject doing the bending, it is already clear that you are bending your own knee and ankle.
I have learned to use reflexive pronouns with body parts, like je me lave les mains. Why isn't it je me plie le genou here?
You use a reflexive pronoun when an action is done to the body part, like washing it or hurting it (je me suis cassé la jambe). However, for natural, voluntary physical movements like bending a joint, closing your eyes (fermer les yeux), or raising your hand (lever la main), French uses the simple non-reflexive verb plus the definite article.
Does the verb plier mean both "to fold" and "to bend"?
Could I use puis instead of ensuite at the beginning of this sentence?
Yes, puis and ensuite both mean "then" or "next" and are frequently interchangeable when describing a sequence of actions. Ensuite is often preferred at the very beginning of a standalone sentence, while puis is typically used to connect two clauses within the same sentence, but both are grammatically correct here.
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