Marie traverse le parc pour aller en ville.

Marie crosses the park to go to the city.

Breakdown of Marie traverse le parc pour aller en ville.

• Marie: Marie
• la ville: the city
• aller: to go
• le parc: the park
• pour: in order to
• traverser: to cross

Questions & Answers about Marie traverse le parc pour aller en ville.

Why do we say Marie traverse le parc and not something like Marie traverse au parc?

In French, the verb traverser typically takes a direct object (the place or thing being crossed), so we simply say traverser le parc. We do not insert the preposition au in this context because we are not expressing the idea of going to a park but rather crossing the park directly.

Why do we use traverse (present tense) rather than another form like traverser (infinitive) or traverses?

Since Marie is the third-person singular subject, we need the third-person singular present tense form of the verb traverser, which is traverse. Traverses would be used for the second-person singular (tu). Traverser is the infinitive form, used in contexts like “Je veux traverser” (I want to cross), but not as the main conjugated verb in a sentence describing present action.

What is the role of le before parc if parc is masculine?

Le is the definite article used with masculine singular nouns in French. Parc is masculine, so le parc means “the park.” If it were a feminine noun like ville, you would see la ville.

Why do we say pour aller en ville instead of pour aller à la ville?

In French, en ville is a common fixed expression meaning “to go into town” or “to go into the city.” The preposition à with an article is not typically used in this context because en ville has become the standard expression.

Is there a difference between pour aller and afin d’aller in this sentence?

Both pour aller and afin d’aller can indicate purpose (meaning “in order to go”). They are generally interchangeable, though pour aller sounds more natural and is more commonly used in everyday speech. Afin d’aller is slightly more formal or literary.