Hier, nous avons lu le livre ensemble.

Yesterday, we read the book together.

Breakdown of Hier, nous avons lu le livre ensemble.

• nous: we
• ensemble: together
• lire: to read
• le livre: the book
• hier: yesterday

Questions & Answers about Hier, nous avons lu le livre ensemble.

Why is avons lu used instead of something like nous lisons?

Avons lu is in the passé composé tense. It indicates that the action of reading occurred and finished in the past. Nous lisons would be the present tense, meaning "we read" (right now). In this sentence, we're referring to an action completed "yesterday," so the passé composé is appropriate.

Why do we say le livre instead of un livre in this sentence?

When using le livre, we’re talking about a specific book, presumably already mentioned or known by context. Un livre would mean "a book" in a more general sense. The definite article le indicates that both the speaker and listener know which book is being referenced.

Can I move Hier to other parts of the sentence, like at the end?

Yes, in French you can say Nous avons lu le livre ensemble hier, and it remains understandable. Often, adverbs of time (like hier) can go at the beginning or the end of a sentence. However, especially in written French, placing Hier at the beginning is very common to foreground the time aspect.

What’s the role of ensemble in this sentence?

Ensemble means "together" and indicates that everyone involved participated in the action at the same time. It usually comes after the direct object or at the end of the sentence. You can say Nous avons lu le livre ensemble or Nous avons ensemble lu le livre, but the former is the most common placement.

Why is the vowel at the end of lu silent?

In French, the final vowel in lu is pronounced as ü (a single vowel sound), not followed by a consonant sound. The letter u in lu is pronounced with a rounded front vowel, not the oo sound of English. It’s not that it’s "silent"; it’s just a different vowel sound than in English, and there is no consonant after it.