Il parle souvent à Marie.

Marie

Breakdown of Il parle souvent à Marie.

• il: he
• souvent: often
• à: to
• parler: to talk

Questions & Answers about Il parle souvent à Marie.

Why is the verb spelled parle instead of parles or parlent?

Because il (he) uses the third-person singular form in the present tense of parler. For il, the ending is -e, hence il parle.

Does Il always mean he?

Il usually means he when referring to a person. It can also mean it when referring to a masculine noun (e.g., Il est grand for It is big, when talking about something masculine), but in this sentence, it’s clearly referring to a person.

What part of speech is souvent, and where should it be placed?

Souvent is an adverb meaning often. It typically goes after the conjugated verb (as in Il parle souvent à Marie), but you can also place it at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis (Souvent, il parle à Marie).

Why is there an à before Marie?

In French, parler (to speak) is usually followed by à before mentioning the person you’re speaking to, as in parler à quelqu’un. Here, Marie is the person being addressed, so we use à Marie.

Are there any pronunciation tips for Il parle souvent à Marie?

Make sure the final -e in parle is mostly silent. The word souvent is pronounced roughly like soo-von, with a nasal -on sound at the end. Also, be careful to pronounce the name Marie with a French r, similar to a soft gargling sound.