Si la nourriture est prête, nous en ferons goûter un peu aux premiers invités.

to be

Breakdown of Si la nourriture est prête, nous en ferons goûter un peu aux premiers invités.

• nous: we
• à: to
• si: if
• un peu: a little
• l'invité: the guest
• la nourriture: the food
• prêt: ready
• en: some of it
• premier: first

Questions & Answers about Si la nourriture est prête, nous en ferons goûter un peu aux premiers invités.

What does the pronoun en refer to, and why is it used here instead of a direct object pronoun like la?

En stands in for la nourriture by indicating “some of it.” In this sentence, because we're talking about providing a part or a sample of the food rather than the whole, en is used. This aligns with French grammar, where en replaces expressions introduced by de (implying a part of something, not the entirety), whereas la would refer to the whole object.

How does the causative construction faire goûter function in this context?

The phrase faire goûter uses the causative construction (faire + infinitive) to mean “to have [someone] taste” or “to let [someone] try.” In our example, nous en ferons goûter indicates that we will cause (or arrange for) the first guests to taste a little of the food, rather than tasting it ourselves or having it taste itself.

What role does the conditional clause Si la nourriture est prête play in the sentence?

The clause Si la nourriture est prête sets a condition—“if the food is ready”—that determines whether the action in the main clause will occur. It illustrates the typical French structure where a condition is stated in the present tense using si, and the result is expressed in the future tense. This shows that the tasting will only happen provided that the food is ready.

Why is the prepositional phrase aux premiers invités used, and what does it signify?

Aux premiers invités literally translates to “to the first guests” (or “for the first guests”). The preposition aux is a contraction of à + les and functions to indicate the indirect object of the action—the guests who are being made to taste the food. It specifies that these guests, being the first to arrive or be served, are the ones who will get a sample.

What does un peu contribute to the meaning of the sentence?

The phrase un peu means “a little” or “a small amount.” It communicates that only a modest quantity of the food will be tasted by the guests. This implies that the event is about giving them just a sample rather than a full serving, highlighting the idea of moderation or previewing the meal.