Nous allons fêter sa réussite, et nous en garderons un merveilleux souvenir.

We are going to celebrate her success, and we will keep a wonderful memory of it.

Breakdown of Nous allons fêter sa réussite, et nous en garderons un merveilleux souvenir.

• et: and
• nous: we
• aller: to go
• garder: to keep
• en: of it
• fêter: to celebrate
• la réussite: the success
• merveilleux: wonderful
• le souvenir: the memory

Questions & Answers about Nous allons fêter sa réussite, et nous en garderons un merveilleux souvenir.

What is the function of the pronoun en in the phrase “nous en garderons un merveilleux souvenir”?

In this sentence, en stands in for “de sa réussite.” Instead of repeating the idea “of his/her success,” en succinctly refers back to it. This type of pronoun is used in French to replace phrases introduced by de and to avoid redundancy.

Why does the sentence use two different future constructions: nous allons fêter with the near future and nous en garderons with the future simple?

“Nous allons fêter sa réussite” employs the futur proche (near future), which is common for expressing an action that is planned or about to happen. In contrast, “nous en garderons un merveilleux souvenir” uses the future simple to state a forthcoming, definitive result or consequence. The mix of tenses highlights both an immediate intention and its lasting impact.

How does the verb fêter handle its object in this sentence, and is a preposition needed?

The verb fêter takes a direct object in French, so it follows directly with "sa réussite" without the need for a preposition. This is similar to English, where you “celebrate success” directly without inserting a linking word.

What is the role of the indefinite article un in “un merveilleux souvenir”?

In French, souvenir is a countable noun, so the indefinite article un is used to indicate that one is keeping a specific memory. It translates roughly to “a wonderful memory” in English, emphasizing that it is one notable recollection among others.

Why is the pronoun en positioned before the verb garderons rather than after it?

In French syntax, object pronouns like en are placed immediately before the conjugated (finite) verb. Therefore, in “nous en garderons un merveilleux souvenir,” en correctly appears before garderons to adhere to the standard rules of pronoun placement.