Je connais un joli magasin, je l’ai vu pendant ma promenade et je te le recommande.

I know a nice store, I saw it during my walk and I recommend it to you.

Breakdown of Je connais un joli magasin, je l’ai vu pendant ma promenade et je te le recommande.

• je: I
• et: and
• ma: my
• pendant: during
• te: you
• connaître: to know
• le magasin: the store
• avoir vu: to have seen
• la promenade: the walk
• recommander: to recommend

Questions & Answers about Je connais un joli magasin, je l’ai vu pendant ma promenade et je te le recommande.

Why do we use connais in Je connais un joli magasin instead of sais?

In French, connaître is used to express familiarity with a person or a place. For example, if you have visited or experienced a store, you would say je connais. On the other hand, savoir is generally used for knowing facts, information, or how to do something (like savoir nager, “to know how to swim”).

Why do we say je l’ai vu for “I saw it”?

In French, object pronouns are placed before the auxiliary verb in compound tenses. Therefore, when you want to say “I saw it,” it becomes je l’ai vu instead of “j’ai vu le.” The l’ comes right before the verb ai (the auxiliary having verb), and vu is the past participle.

What does pendant ma promenade literally mean, and could I use other expressions for “during my walk”?

Pendant means “during,” so pendant ma promenade is literally “during my walk.” Other options might include using en me promenant (“while walking”) if you want to emphasize the action taking place simultaneously. The choice depends on whether you want to highlight the entire duration (pendant) or the act of walking itself (en me promenant).

Why do we use je te le recommande instead of je le te recommande?

In French, object pronouns follow a specific order before the verb. Generally, the pronoun for “to someone” (te, lui, etc.) comes before the pronoun for “something” (le, la, les). That’s why we say je te le recommande rather than “je le te recommande.”

Why is joli used here, and could we say beau instead?

Both joli and beau mean something close to “beautiful” or “nice,” but joli often implies something pleasing, cute, or pretty in a less imposing way. Beau can emphasize a stronger sense of beauty. In everyday usage, joli magasin would typically suggest a pleasant or charming store, while beau magasin might imply a grander or more impressive store.