ELONIO
Log inSign up

Les enfants grandissent vite, et ils croient souvent qu’ils peuvent tout faire.

Les enfants grandissent vite, et ils croient souvent qu’ils peuvent tout faire.
Children grow quickly, and they often believe they can do everything.
FromLesson 5inHardcore French

Breakdown of Les enfants grandissent vite, et ils croient souvent qu’ils peuvent tout faire.

et
and
ils
they
souvent
often
faire
to do
l'enfant
the child
grandir
to grow
vite
quickly
croire
to believe
qu’ils
that they
pouvoir
to be able
tout
everything

Questions & Answers about Les enfants grandissent vite, et ils croient souvent qu’ils peuvent tout faire.

Why do we say grandissent instead of grandir in this sentence?
Because grandissent is the third-person plural form of the verb grandir (to grow). In French, verbs must agree in number (singular/plural) and person. Since the subject is Les enfants (the children), we need the 3rd-person plural conjugation: ils/elles grandissent.
What does vite mean here, and can it be replaced with rapidement?
Vite means quickly or fast, and it functions as an adverb describing how the children grow. You could replace vite with rapidement (rapidly), which has a similar meaning, though vite is often considered more colloquial and is very commonly used in everyday speech.
Why is there an et in the middle of the sentence?
The coordinating conjunction et (and) joins two related ideas: 1) children grow quickly, and 2) they often believe they can do anything. It’s simply linking two statements in one sentence.
What is the role of souvent?
Souvent means often. It modifies the verb croient (believe) to indicate the frequency with which children believe they can do anything.
Why is there qu’ils instead of que ils?
When the word que is immediately followed by a vowel sound (like ils starts with a vowel sound), French grammar requires an elision, which means dropping the e and adding an apostrophe. So, que ils becomes qu’ils to maintain a smoother flow when speaking.
Does ils peuvent tout faire mean they can do everything?
Yes, ils peuvent tout faire literally translates to they can do everything. In context, it suggests that children often feel they are capable of anything, emphasizing their sense of limitless possibility.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning French

Master French — from Les enfants grandissent vite, et ils croient souvent qu’ils peuvent tout faire to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning French→