Je commence à croire que nous pouvons grandir beaucoup quand nous voyageons.

I am beginning to believe that we can grow a lot when we travel.

Breakdown of Je commence à croire que nous pouvons grandir beaucoup quand nous voyageons.

• je: I
• nous: we
• à: to
• voyager: to travel
• quand: when
• pouvoir: to be able to
• que: that
• grandir: to grow
• croire: to believe
• commencer: to begin
• beaucoup: a lot

Questions & Answers about Je commence à croire que nous pouvons grandir beaucoup quand nous voyageons.

Why does the sentence use à in Je commence à croire instead of de?

In French, the verb commencer is commonly followed by à + [infinitive]. So we say commencer à croire, commencer à faire, etc. If it were de, that would usually be used after a noun (e.g., un début de quelque chose).

What does grandir mean in this context?

Grandir literally means “to grow,” often referring to physical growth or becoming taller. It can also mean “to grow” in a broader sense, like developing personally, maturing, or improving oneself. Here, it implies personal growth and learning from new experiences while traveling.

Could we use lorsque instead of quand?

Yes. Lorsque and quand often mean the same thing: “when.” Lorsque is slightly more formal or literary, whereas quand is more common in everyday speech. In this sentence, quand sounds perfectly natural.

Why doesn’t the sentence use the subjunctive after croire?

In French, the indicative is used after croire when indicating a belief about something factual or likely. The subjunctive is typically used after verbs of doubt, emotion, or possibility. Since the sentence expresses a belief or conviction (that we can grow a lot when we travel), the indicative (nous pouvons) is correct.

Is there any difference if we say nous voyageons or on voyage?

Grammatically, both are correct. Nous voyageons uses the standard first-person plural, while on voyage often appears in casual speech to mean “we” (even though on literally translates to “one”). Using nous is more formal and precise; on is more conversational.