Marie veut fêter son anniversaire ce week-end.

Marie wants to celebrate her birthday this weekend.

Breakdown of Marie veut fêter son anniversaire ce week-end.

• Marie: Marie
• vouloir: to want
• le week-end: the weekend
• ce: this
• l'anniversaire: the birthday
• fêter: to celebrate
• son: her

Questions & Answers about Marie veut fêter son anniversaire ce week-end.

What does "veut" mean in this sentence?

"Veut" is the third-person singular present tense of "vouloir," which means "wants." It shows Marie’s desire to perform an action.

Why is "fêter" in the infinitive form rather than conjugated?

After a conjugated verb like "veut," French grammar requires the following verb to stay in its infinitive form. Here, "fêter" means "to celebrate," directly following "veut."

Why is "son" used before "anniversaire" even though Marie is a female?

French possessive adjectives agree with the gender of the noun, not the possessor. Since "anniversaire" is a masculine noun, the correct possessive is "son" (which can mean "her" or "his" depending on context).

What does "ce week-end" mean, and why is "week-end" used in French?

"Ce week-end" means "this weekend." Although "week-end" is borrowed from English, it is widely accepted in modern French. The demonstrative adjective "ce" specifies that it’s referring to the upcoming or current weekend.

What is the overall structure of the sentence "Marie veut fêter son anniversaire ce week-end"?

The sentence follows a subject + conjugated verb + infinitive phrase + time expression pattern. "Marie" is the subject, "veut" is the conjugated verb showing desire, "fêter son anniversaire" is the infinitive phrase indicating what she wants to do (celebrate her birthday), and "ce week-end" tells us when she intends to do it.

Why does "fêter" include a circumflex accent on the ê, and what does it signify?

The circumflex in "fêter" is a historical feature in French orthography. It often indicates that an "s" used to follow the vowel in older versions of the language. While it can subtly affect the vowel’s quality, its primary role today is to distinguish the word and preserve its etymological history.