Breakdown of L’air pur me donne envie de faire de longues promenades.
de
of
faire
to do
l'air
the air
me
me
donner
to give
long
long
la promenade
the walk
pur
pure
l'envie
the desire
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Questions & Answers about L’air pur me donne envie de faire de longues promenades.
What does the expression donne envie de mean, and how is it used in this sentence?
It literally translates to "gives desire to", but idiomatically it means "makes me want to." Here, it shows that fresh air causes the speaker to feel the urge to take long walks.
Why is the pronoun me included in the sentence, and what does it signify?
The pronoun me is an indirect object pronoun that refers to "me" in English. It indicates that the effect of the fresh air is personal—the fresh air gives the speaker the desire to take long walks.
Why is it de longues promenades rather than des longues promenades?
In French, when a plural noun is preceded by an adjective, the indefinite article des changes to de. Therefore, de longues promenades is used to mean "long walks" correctly when the adjective longues comes before the noun promenades.
What role does the infinitive phrase faire de longues promenades play in the sentence?
The infinitive phrase faire de longues promenades explains what the speaker feels like doing. It acts as the complementary idea to donne envie de, answering the implicit question "what do I want to do?"
Why is l’air written with an apostrophe instead of as le air?
In French, the definite article le contracts to l’ when it comes before a word starting with a vowel (or a mute h). So, le air becomes l’air, meaning "the air."
Does l’air pur best translate as "pure air" or "fresh air," and why?
Although pur can be translated as "pure", in everyday French the phrase l’air pur is usually understood as "fresh air." It implies clean, invigorating air—the kind that inspires one to go for long walks.