Marie craint le chien.

Marie

Breakdown of Marie craint le chien.

• le chien: the dog
• craindre: to fear

Questions & Answers about Marie craint le chien.

What is the overall structure of the sentence "Marie craint le chien," and what are the functions of each word?

The sentence follows the standard French subject‐verb‐object order. Here: • Marie is a proper noun serving as the subject (the one who does the fearing). • craint is the verb, specifically the third person singular present form of the irregular verb craindre (meaning “to fear”). • le chien is the object, with le as the definite article meaning “the” and chien meaning “dog.”

How is the verb craindre conjugated in this sentence, and what should I know about its usage?

In "Marie craint le chien," the verb craindre is conjugated as craint for the third person singular (il/elle). It is irregular, so its conjugation does not follow the regular -re verb pattern. For example, its complete present tense conjugation is: • je crains • tu crains • il/elle craint • nous craignons • vous craignez • ils/elles craignent

Why is the definite article le used before chien instead of an indefinite article like un?

The definite article le is used because the sentence refers to a specific dog—either one that has already been mentioned or one that is understood by the context. It can also imply a general or typical example (as in “the dog” in a broader sense), which is common in French when stating fears or general truths.

What is the difference between using craindre and the expression avoir peur de to talk about fear?

Both expressions convey fear, but they differ in construction: • craindre is a transitive verb that directly takes an object. In the sentence, Marie craint le chien directly links Marie and the dog. • avoir peur de is a periphrastic construction meaning “to be afraid of.” It requires the preposition de before the object. For example, you could also say Marie a peur du chien (with du being a contraction of de le). The choice largely depends on style and emphasis, but both are correct in expressing fear.

Can the sentence be rephrased to express the same idea, and if so, what would be a common alternative?

Yes, a common alternative is Marie a peur du chien. This rephrasing uses the expression avoir peur de (with du as the contraction of de le) to indicate that Marie is afraid of the dog. Both constructions are correct and convey the same meaning, though craindre is a more direct verb form while avoir peur de emphasizes the state of fear.