Breakdown of Paul découvre un jardin magnifique.
Paul
Paul
le jardin
the garden
magnifique
beautiful
découvrir
to discover
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching French grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Paul découvre un jardin magnifique.
What does the verb découvre mean and how is it used in this sentence?
découvre is the third person singular form of the verb découvrir, which means to discover in English. In the sentence, it indicates that Paul is coming upon or finding this garden, perhaps for the first time.
How does the phrase un jardin magnifique translate to English?
It translates to a magnificent garden. The word un is an indefinite article used because jardin is a masculine noun, and magnifique is an adjective meaning magnificent or splendid.
Why does the adjective magnifique appear after the noun jardin instead of before it?
In French, many adjectives that describe inherent qualities or characteristics of a noun typically follow the noun. Magnifique is one of these adjectives, so it is placed after jardin to adhere to standard French syntax.
What is the overall sentence structure of Paul découvre un jardin magnifique, and how does it compare to English sentence structure?
The sentence follows a simple subject-verb-object structure: Paul (subject) + découvre (verb) + un jardin magnifique (object). This is very similar to the typical English sentence structure (subject-verb-object), making it familiar for English speakers.
How do gender and article usage work in the phrase un jardin magnifique?
In French, nouns have a gender. Jardin is a masculine noun, so the corresponding indefinite article is un instead of une. Additionally, while many adjectives change form to reflect the gender or number of the noun, magnifique remains the same for both masculine and feminine nouns in singular form.