Nous marchons autour du lac pour réfléchir calmement.

we

Breakdown of Nous marchons autour du lac pour réfléchir calmement.

• pour: in order to
• marcher: to walk
• le lac: the lake
• autour de: around
• réfléchir: to think
• calmement: calmly

Questions & Answers about Nous marchons autour du lac pour réfléchir calmement.

What does marchons mean in this context?

It is the first-person plural present tense form of the verb marcher (to walk). So nous marchons means “we walk” or “we are walking.”

Why do we say autour du lac instead of something like autour de le lac?

In French, de le normally contracts to du when followed by a masculine noun. Since lac is masculine, de le lac becomes du lac, giving us autour du lac (“around the lake”).

What does pour réfléchir calmement express?

The word pour indicates the purpose of the action. In this sentence, it shows that the reason for walking is to reflect or think calmly.

Why is réfléchir in the infinitive form?

When you use pour to express a purpose in French, you typically follow it with the infinitive form of the verb. That’s why it’s réfléchir instead of a conjugated form.

What part of speech is calmement and why is it used?

Calmement is an adverb. It describes how we reflect, rather than describing a noun. Using the adverb form tells us that the reflection is done in a calm manner.