Quand il arrive, nous partons ensemble pour voir le lac dans les montagnes.

he

Breakdown of Quand il arrive, nous partons ensemble pour voir le lac dans les montagnes.

• nous: we
• dans: in
• ensemble: together
• quand: when
• pour: in order to
• la montagne: the mountain
• arriver: to arrive
• partir: to set off
• voir: to see
• le lac: the lake

Questions & Answers about Quand il arrive, nous partons ensemble pour voir le lac dans les montagnes.

Why is il arrive in the present tense even though it seems to describe a future action?

In French, the present tense can be used to express a near-future event, especially when introduced by quand. It implies that the action (his arrival) will happen soon and is considered fairly certain, rather than an abstract or distant future.

Why do we use nous partons (the nous form) instead of on part when talking about going together?

Both nous partons and on part can mean we're leaving, but nous is considered more formal or standard, while on is more informal or colloquial in everyday speech. Using nous makes it clear that it’s we—a group including the speaker. On is absolutely fine in casual conversation, but in written or more formal contexts, nous is often preferred.

Why do we say pour voir le lac rather than something like “pour regarder le lac”?

In French, voir generally means to see, while regarder means to watch or to look at. Since the context suggests you’re going to visit the lake and admire it, voir better fits the meaning of going there to look at it or to take in its view. Regarder le lac could suggest intentionally watching it for a period of time, which is slightly different in nuance.

Why is it dans les montagnes in plural, not something like “dans la montagne”?

In French, saying dans les montagnes emphasizes that there are multiple mountains or mountain peaks in the area. It’s a more common expression when referring to a mountain range or mountainous region. Dans la montagne could technically work if referring to a single mountain massif, but it’s less common in everyday speech when describing an area with several mountains.

Could we replace quand with lorsque here?

Yes, lorsque also means when in French and would be grammatically correct, especially in written form. It tends to sound slightly more formal or literary than quand, but the meaning would remain the same.