J'assiste à l'anniversaire de Marie.

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Breakdown of J'assiste à l'anniversaire de Marie.

• Marie: Marie
• de: of
• l'anniversaire: the birthday
• assister à: to attend

Questions & Answers about J'assiste à l'anniversaire de Marie.

Why does French use the verb assister here to mean “to attend” rather than “to help” like its English look‐alike?

In French, assister means “to attend” (i.e., to be present at an event) rather than “to help.” Although it resembles the English word “assist,” which means “to help,” this is a false friend. The context—especially with the preposition à—makes clear that the meaning is “to attend.”

What role does the preposition à play in the sentence J'assiste à l'anniversaire de Marie?

The preposition à is required with assister to indicate the event at which the subject is present. In this case, it links the verb assister with l'anniversaire de Marie, showing that the birthday party is the event being attended.

Why is l'anniversaire used instead of le anniversaire?

When a definite article is placed before a noun that begins with a vowel, French contracts le to l' for easier pronunciation. That’s why le anniversaire becomes l'anniversaire—it’s simply following a standard rule in French grammar.

What does the phrase de Marie indicate in this sentence?

De Marie shows possession, much like the English apostrophe s. It indicates that the birthday belongs to Marie, meaning the celebration is specifically Marie’s birthday.