Ces chats mangent dans le jardin.

These cats eat in the garden.

Breakdown of Ces chats mangent dans le jardin.

• le chat: the cat
• manger: to eat
• dans: in
• le jardin: the garden

Questions & Answers about Ces chats mangent dans le jardin.

Why do we say Ces chats instead of Les chats?

Because ces translates to these, emphasizing specific cats near or known to the speaker. Les would simply mean the, referring more generally to cats without that sense of immediacy.

Why is mangent used here?

In French, mangent is the third-person plural present tense form of the verb manger. Since our subject is ces chats (they), the correct conjugation is ils/elles mangent.

How do you pronounce mangent?

It's pronounced somewhat like "mahn-zh" in one smooth sound. The t is silent, and the g followed by e is pronounced like the j in measure, while the an is nasal.

What does dans le jardin literally mean, and why use dans instead of au?

Dans le jardin literally means in the garden, describing location inside it. Au jardin would mean to the garden and wouldn't convey they are eating inside the space. So dans better matches the idea of being in that place.