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Paul travaille dur.

Paul travaille dur.
Paul works hard.
FromLesson 9inHardcore French
…

Breakdown of Paul travaille dur.

Paul
Paul
travailler
to work
dur
hard
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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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Questions & Answers about Paul travaille dur.

What tense is used in the sentence "Paul travaille dur"?
The sentence is in the present tense. "Travaille" is the third person singular present indicative form of the verb travailler, meaning "to work."
How does the subject-verb agreement work in this sentence?
In French, verbs must agree with their subjects. Here, Paul is a singular proper noun, and the verb form travaille is correctly conjugated in the third person singular to match the subject.
What does the word travaille mean, and how is it conjugated?
Travaille comes from the verb travailler. In this sentence, it is conjugated for the third person singular in the present tense, translating as "works." It shows that the subject, Paul, is engaged in the action at the moment.
How is dur functioning in this sentence and why is it not changed to durement?
Although many French adverbs are formed by adding -ment to an adjective (for example, facile becomes facilement), in this common idiomatic expression dur is used directly as an adverb meaning "hard." While durement is grammatically correct, everyday usage favors dur to describe the manner of working.
Is the structure of "Paul travaille dur" similar to the English sentence "Paul works hard"?
Yes, the structure is very similar. Both sentences follow a Subject + Verb + Adverb pattern, which makes it easier for English speakers to relate to the French sentence structure.