Learn Hardcore French: Paul creuse la motte d’argile. - Paul hollows out the lump of clay.

Breakdown of Paul creuse la motte d’argile.

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Why is it creuse and not creuser?

Creuse is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb creuser.

Since Paul is a third-person singular subject, French uses creuse.

What kind of verb is creuser?

Creuser is a regular -er verb. That means it follows the common present-tense pattern for most French verbs ending in -er:

This makes it a good verb to learn early, because it behaves predictably.

Why is there no article before Paul?

In French, proper names like Paul, Marie, or Paris usually do not take an article.

So you say:

not normally:

An article before a person’s name can sometimes appear in special regional or informal usage, but in standard French, names usually stand alone.