Breakdown of Marie aime lire son livre avant le petit-déjeuner.
Marie
Marie
aimer
to like
le petit-déjeuner
the breakfast
lire
to read
Questions & Answers about Marie aime lire son livre avant le petit-déjeuner.
Why is it son livre and not sa livre?
Why do we say avant le petit-déjeuner with the article le?
In French, meals are usually referred to with the definite article (le, la, l’, les), because they are seen as specific, common daily events. Thus, it’s le petit-déjeuner, not just petit-déjeuner on its own.
Can avant be replaced with devant here?
What does lire mean, and why doesn’t it need a preposition here?
Lire means to read. In French, after verbs like aimer (to like/love), we usually follow directly with the infinitive form of another verb (for example, aimer faire quelque chose). It doesn’t require an additional preposition, so aimer lire is the correct construction.