Tu peux accepter l’invitation si tu veux, mais moi, je reste à la maison pour travailler.

You can accept the invitation if you want, but I am staying home to work.

Breakdown of Tu peux accepter l’invitation si tu veux, mais moi, je reste à la maison pour travailler.

• je: I
• tu: you
• la maison: the house
• travailler: to work
• vouloir: to want
• à: at
• rester: to stay
• si: if
• mais: but
• pouvoir: to be able to
• l'invitation: the invitation
• accepter: to accept
• moi: I

Questions & Answers about Tu peux accepter l’invitation si tu veux, mais moi, je reste à la maison pour travailler.

Why is moi used in the middle of the sentence?

The word moi here adds emphasis to the speaker’s choice. You could say “mais je reste à la maison…” without moi, but including it highlights that it’s my personal decision, as opposed to yours.

Why do we use tu peux and not something like tu pourrais?

Tu peux is the present tense of pouvoir (to be able to) and is a straightforward way of saying “you can” in the sense of having permission or the ability to do something. Tu pourrais, in the conditional, would sound like “you could (if you wanted),” which is more hypothetical or polite.

Is si tu veux and si tu veux bien the same thing?

They’re quite similar but not exactly the same. Si tu veux directly translates to “if you want,” while si tu veux bien is a slightly more polite or gentle way to say “if you’d like.” The meaning is close, but si tu veux bien has a softer tone.

Why do we say à la maison instead of just à maison?

In French, maison (house/home) generally needs an article. The phrase à la maison literally means “to the house” or “at the house.” Omitting the article is not grammatically correct in standard French when using à plus a noun.

What does pour travailler express?

Using pour + infinitive indicates the purpose of an action. Here, pour travailler means “in order to work,” explaining why the speaker is staying at home.