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Marie va à la piscine.

Marie va à la piscine.
Marie goes to the swimming pool.
FromLesson 13inHardcore French
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Breakdown of Marie va à la piscine.

Marie
Marie
aller
to go
à
to
la piscine
the swimming pool

Questions & Answers about Marie va à la piscine.

What does "va" mean in this sentence?
"Va" is the third person singular form of the verb "aller", which means "to go". So "Marie va" translates as "Marie goes" or "Marie is going" in the present tense.
Why is the phrase "à la piscine" used instead of something like "au piscine"?
The noun "piscine" (pool) is feminine in French. When using the preposition "à" with a feminine noun, you combine it with the article "la" to form "à la". If the noun were masculine, you would use "au" (a contraction of "à le"). That’s why the sentence uses "à la piscine".
Does "Marie va à la piscine" mean that Marie is swimming, or just that she’s going there?
The sentence simply indicates that Marie is going to the pool. It doesn’t imply whether she will swim or engage in any other activity once she arrives. Additional context would be needed to know if she intends to swim.
What is the grammatical structure of the sentence and how does it compare to English?

The sentence follows a basic Subject + Verb + Prepositional Phrase structure: • Subject: Marie
• Verb: va (goes)
• Prepositional Phrase: à la piscine (to the pool)

This structure is similar to English, where you would say "Marie goes to the pool." However, one difference is how French handles prepositional contractions (like "à la") based on the gender of the noun.

How do I know when to use contractions like "à la" in French?

In French, you must combine the preposition "à" with a definite article: • For feminine singular nouns (like "piscine"), use "à la".
• For masculine singular nouns (when the noun uses "le"), use "au" (short for "à le").
• For plural nouns (both masculine and feminine), use "aux" (from "à les").

Understanding whether a noun is masculine or feminine, and whether it is singular or plural, will help you decide which contraction to use.

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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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