Learn Hardcore French: Marie propose d’organiser une sortie sur une immense plage pour se détendre. - Marie suggests organizing an outing on a huge beach to relax.

In French, when you use proposer to suggest an action, it is followed by the preposition de plus an infinitive. That’s why Marie propose d’organiser is used to mean “Marie suggests organizing” rather than using a different construction.

Why is de organiser contracted to d’organiser?

French elides the vowel in de when it comes before a verb that starts with a vowel sound. Thus, de organiser becomes d’organiser for smoother pronunciation and flow.

What does the word sortie mean in this context, and how is it used?

Here, sortie refers to an organized outing or trip, typically arranged for leisure or social purposes. While it can broadly translate to “outing” or “excursion” in English, sortie in this context implies a casual planned event—something set up by Marie for relaxation.

Why is the preposition sur used before une immense plage?

The preposition sur is used to denote location on a surface. In this sentence, sur une immense plage indicates that the outing is taking place “on” a big beach. Although English might use “at the beach” in casual speech, French frequently uses sur when describing being on a physical expanse like a beach.

What does pour se détendre mean, and why is se détendre written in its reflexive form?

Pour se détendre translates as “in order to relax.” The verb détendre is used reflexively here—se détendre—to indicate that the subject is performing the action on herself. In French, many verbs that describe personal actions like relaxing require the reflexive pronoun to convey that the subject is both doing and receiving the action.