Même si elle est pauvre, Marie partage toujours ce qu’elle a avec ses proches.

Even though she is poor, Marie always shares what she has with her loved ones.

Breakdown of Même si elle est pauvre, Marie partage toujours ce qu’elle a avec ses proches.

• être: to be
• Marie: Marie
• elle: she
• avoir: to have
• avec: with
• toujours: always
• partager: to share
• même si: even though
• pauvre: poor
• ce que: what

Questions & Answers about Même si elle est pauvre, Marie partage toujours ce qu’elle a avec ses proches.

What does Même si translate to in English?

Même si means “even though” or “although.” It introduces a concessive clause, indicating that despite the fact mentioned (Marie being poor), the main action (her sharing) still occurs.

What is the function of the comma after pauvre?

The comma separates the introductory concessive clause “Même si elle est pauvre” from the main clause. In French, it is common to use a comma after such clauses to clearly distinguish the contrasting ideas.

Why is que elle contracted to qu’elle in the phrase ce qu’elle a?

In French, when que is followed by a vowel or a silent h (as in elle), it contracts to qu’. This contraction improves the flow of pronunciation and is a standard grammatical rule.

What does the phrase ce qu’elle a mean?

The phrase ce qu’elle a translates literally as “what she has.” Here, ce functions as an indefinite pronoun referring to the possessions or things that Marie has, while qu’elle a specifies the action of possession.

What does ses proches refer to in this sentence?

Ses proches means “her close ones” or “her loved ones.” It typically refers to the people who are emotionally or relationally close to her, such as family members or close friends.

How is the adverb toujours positioned, and what does its placement indicate?

In this sentence, toujours follows the verb partage (shares), which is a common placement for adverbs of frequency in French. This positioning emphasizes that Marie always shares what she has, regardless of her poverty.