Je reste à la maison à cause de la pluie.

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Breakdown of Je reste à la maison à cause de la pluie.

• la maison: the house
• à: at
• rester: to stay
• à cause de: because of
• la pluie: the rain

Questions & Answers about Je reste à la maison à cause de la pluie.

What is the role of the verb rester in this sentence?

The verb rester means “to stay” or “to remain.” In this context, it emphasizes that the speaker is choosing to stay at home rather than going out. It implies a sense of remaining in place due to the external circumstance mentioned later in the sentence.

What does à la maison mean, and why is it used instead of, for example, chez moi?

À la maison translates directly as “at the house.” It is a neutral way to indicate location—specifically, the speaker’s home. While chez moi (meaning “at my place”) is also commonly used in informal speech, à la maison can sound slightly more formal or simply refer to the physical building. Both expressions are correct, but the choice can depend on the desired emphasis or tone.

Can you explain the use and nuance of the phrase à cause de in this sentence?

À cause de means “because of” or “due to” and is used here to introduce the reason for staying home—the rain. This phrase often carries a subtle negative nuance, implying that the cause is an undesirable circumstance. Unlike parce que, which simply translates to “because,” à cause de highlights that the cause (in this case, the rain) is somewhat problematic or inconvenient.

Is it grammatically correct to say Je reste la maison à cause de la pluie without the preposition à before la maison?

No, it isn’t correct. In French, when indicating location with “the house,” the preposition à is required. The correct form is à la maison. Omitting à would result in a grammatical error because French syntax necessitates the use of appropriate prepositions with locations.

Are there other ways to express the same idea in French?

Absolutely. For example, you could say Je reste chez moi parce qu'il pleut. This alternative means “I am staying at home because it’s raining.” Here, chez moi emphasizes a personal space familiar to the speaker, and parce que is a more neutral way to indicate causation. Both versions convey the same overall meaning while offering slight differences in tone and nuance.