Cette histoire émeut Marie.

Breakdown of Cette histoire émeut Marie.

Marie
Marie
cette
this
l'histoire
the story
émouvoir
to move

Questions & Answers about Cette histoire émeut Marie.

What does the verb émeut mean in this sentence?
Émeut is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb émouvoir, which means "to move (emotionally)" or "to deeply affect." In the sentence, it implies that the story is currently having an emotional impact on Marie.
Why is there no preposition before Marie in the sentence?
In French, émouvoir is a transitive verb that takes a direct object without the need for a preposition. Therefore, Marie follows the verb directly as the object that is being moved emotionally.
How is the sentence "Cette histoire émeut Marie" structured?
The sentence follows the standard French Subject-Verb-Object order. Cette histoire is the subject, émeut is the verb, and Marie is the direct object that receives the action. This structure is common in French when expressing actions affecting someone.
What is the function of cette in the sentence?
Cette is a demonstrative adjective modifying the noun histoire. It indicates that a specific story is being talked about and agrees in gender (feminine) with histoire, thereby clarifying which particular story is moving Marie.
What tense is émeut in, and why is that significant?
Émeut is in the present tense. This tense is used to describe actions that are currently occurring or generally true. In this sentence, it emphasizes that the story is actively affecting Marie at the moment, making the impact seem immediate and real.
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How does grammatical gender work in French?
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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