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Marie et Paul vont à la banque.

Marie et Paul vont à la banque.
Marie and Paul go to the bank.
FromLesson 9inHardcore French

Breakdown of Marie et Paul vont à la banque.

Paul
Paul
Marie
Marie
et
and
aller
to go
à
to
la banque
the bank

Questions & Answers about Marie et Paul vont à la banque.

What is the role of vont in the sentence?
vont is the present tense, third person plural form of the verb aller (to go). It agrees with the compound subject Marie et Paul, indicating that both are performing the action of going.
Why is the definite article la used before banque?
In French, when referring to specific places or institutions (like a bank), the definite article is required. Additionally, since banque is a feminine noun, it takes the feminine article la, resulting in à la banque for indicating destination.
How does the preposition à function in this sentence?
The preposition à indicates direction or destination. In this context, it functions similarly to the English word to, showing where Marie and Paul are going.
How can I conjugate the verb aller for different subjects, and why is vont correct here?
The conjugation of aller in the present tense is as follows: Je vais, Tu vas, Il/Elle/On va, Nous allons, Vous allez, Ils/Elles vont. Because Marie et Paul form a plural subject, the correct form is vont.
Does la banque have any alternative meanings, and how do I know which one is intended?
While some French words can be ambiguous, la banque most commonly refers to a financial institution. Given the context provided (and the typical usage in everyday conversation), it clearly means the bank where financial transactions occur—not a river bank or another meaning.
What grammatical structure does this sentence illustrate in French?
This sentence demonstrates a simple subject–verb–prepositional phrase structure. It shows proper subject-verb agreement with the plural subject, the correct conjugation of an irregular verb (aller), and the standard use of a preposition (à) + definite article (la) to indicate a location.
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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