Marie court vite dans le parc.

Marie runs fast in the park.

Breakdown of Marie court vite dans le parc.

• Marie: Marie
• dans: in
• le parc: the park
• courir: to run

Questions & Answers about Marie court vite dans le parc.

Why is the verb court used instead of courir in this sentence?

Court is the third-person singular present tense form of courir, meaning to run. In French, when the subject is Marie, which is a third-person singular (she), courir is conjugated as elle court.

Why do we use the word vite rather than rapidement or rapide?

Both vite and rapidement mean quickly, but vite is very common in spoken French. It's an adverb, just like rapidement, and they're often interchangeable. Rapide, on the other hand, is generally an adjective (meaning fast), so it wouldn't fit as an adverb here to describe how Marie runs.

Why is the adverb vite placed after the verb court?

In French, short adverbs commonly come right after the verb they modify. So, when describing how someone runs (the manner), you usually put vite immediately after court.

Why do we say dans le parc instead of au parc?