Ce lac est magnifique, et chacun peut en profiter pendant l’été.

This lake is wonderful, and everyone can enjoy it during the summer.

Breakdown of Ce lac est magnifique, et chacun peut en profiter pendant l’été.

• être: to be
• et: and
• pendant: during
• le lac: the lake
• magnifique: wonderful
• pouvoir: can
• en: of it
• profiter: to enjoy
• l'été: the summer

Questions & Answers about Ce lac est magnifique, et chacun peut en profiter pendant l’été.

What does chacun represent in this sentence, and how is it used?

Chacun is a singular indefinite pronoun meaning each person or everyone. It’s used here to indicate that all people, individually, have the opportunity to enjoy the lake. Unlike English, French uses this singular form (chacun) even when referring to multiple people.

Why do we say en profiter rather than simply profiter in French?

The verb profiter typically goes with the preposition de to mean to take advantage of or to benefit from something. When we replace that de + noun in French, we use the pronoun en. So en profiter can be thought of as to benefit from it or to enjoy it in this context.

How does the phrase pendant l’été work here?

Pendant l’été means during the summer. Using pendant emphasizes the duration over the summer season. While you can sometimes see en été (in summer) or durant l’été (throughout the summer), pendant l’été focuses more on the period itself, implying that the lake is accessible and enjoyable for people over the summer months.

Why is magnifique placed after est?

Magnifique is an adjective meaning magnificent or beautiful. In French, the verb être (to be) is followed by an adjective that describes the subject. Placing magnifique after est is the natural word order for such a descriptive statement: Ce lac est magnifique literally reads as This lake is magnificent.

Why is lac masculine in French?

In French, nouns are assigned genders somewhat arbitrarily over time. Lac is simply categorized as a masculine noun. There isn’t always a logical explanation for why certain nouns take masculine or feminine forms; it’s mostly a matter of usage and tradition.