Nous traversons le pont pour visiter une petite boutique de pain.

We cross the bridge to visit a small bread shop.

Breakdown of Nous traversons le pont pour visiter une petite boutique de pain.

• petit: small
• nous: we
• visiter: to visit
• pour: in order to
• traverser: to cross
• une: a
• le pont: the bridge

Questions & Answers about Nous traversons le pont pour visiter une petite boutique de pain.

What does traversons mean in this sentence and why is it conjugated that way?

Traversons is the first person plural present tense form of the verb traverser, which means "to cross". The conjugation indicates that we are performing the action, so the sentence tells us "we cross the bridge…"

How does the phrase pour visiter function in this sentence?

The phrase pour visiter is used to express purpose. It translates to "to visit" or "in order to visit". In French, when you want to explain the reason behind an action, you often use pour followed by an infinitive, just as you would in English with phrases like "to" or "in order to."

What is the meaning of une petite boutique de pain and how is it structured?

Une petite boutique de pain breaks down as follows: • Une: an indefinite article meaning "a" (used with feminine nouns). • Petite: an adjective meaning "small". • Boutique: a noun meaning "shop" or "store". • De pain: a prepositional phrase that specifies "of bread" or "bread" as the type of goods sold. Altogether, the phrase means "a small bread shop."

Why are different articles used for le pont and une petite boutique de pain?

In French, articles must agree with the gender of the noun. Le is the masculine singular definite article, used with pont (bridge), which is a masculine noun. Une is the feminine singular indefinite article, used with boutique (shop), which is a feminine noun. Using the correct articles is essential for grammatical accuracy in French.

How does the structure of this sentence compare to similar English sentences?

The structure of the sentence is quite similar to that of an English sentence. It follows a subject-verb-object order: • Nous (we) is the subject. • Traversons (cross) is the verb. • Le pont (the bridge) is the direct object. Then, the infinitive phrase pour visiter une petite boutique de pain acts as a purpose clause, much like saying "to visit a small bread shop" in English. This familiar order helps learners understand and translate the sentence more easily.