Tu parles avec Marie avant le petit-déjeuner.

You speak with Marie before breakfast.

Breakdown of Tu parles avec Marie avant le petit-déjeuner.

• tu: you
• Marie: Marie
• le petit-déjeuner: the breakfast
• avec: with
• avant: before
• parler: to speak

Questions & Answers about Tu parles avec Marie avant le petit-déjeuner.

Why does the verb end with -s in parles?

In French, the present tense of the verb parler (to speak) for the subject tu (informal singular “you”) is tu parles. The final -s indicates the second-person singular form.

Why is tu used here instead of vous?

Tu is the informal singular “you,” used with friends, family, or peers. Vous is more formal or can be plural. Since you’re speaking to someone you know well (Marie), tu is appropriate.

What does avec mean, and can I use another word instead?

Avec means with. To indicate being together in conversation, avec is the simplest choice. Other prepositions wouldn’t convey the same meaning; for instance, de or à won’t fit here.

Why is there a definite article le in le petit-déjeuner?

In French, meals typically take the definite article. So you say le petit-déjeuner (“the breakfast”), le déjeuner (“the lunch”), and le dîner (“the dinner”). Using le is standard usage in these contexts.

Does the placement of avant le petit-déjeuner matter?

You can place avant le petit-déjeuner either at the end or at the beginning of the sentence, but this version (Tu parles avec Marie avant le petit-déjeuner) sounds most natural. Reordering it to Avant le petit-déjeuner, tu parles avec Marie is grammatically correct but slightly more formal or emphatic.