Breakdown of J’utilise souvent une tasse pour boire mon café du matin.
je
I
mon
my
boire
to drink
souvent
often
le matin
the morning
pour
in order to
le café
the coffee
utiliser
to use
la tasse
the cup
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Questions & Answers about J’utilise souvent une tasse pour boire mon café du matin.
Why is the subject written as J’utilise instead of Je utilise?
In French, when the subject pronoun je is followed by a verb that begins with a vowel or a mute h, it contracts to j’ to ease pronunciation. Here, utilise begins with a vowel sound, so je becomes j’utilise.
What does the adverb souvent mean, and why is it placed immediately after the verb?
Souvent means often in English. In French sentence structure, adverbs of frequency like souvent are usually positioned right after the conjugated verb, as seen in J’utilise souvent..., which emphasizes the habitual nature of the action.
Why is the indefinite article une used before tasse?
In French, all singular, countable nouns require an article. Une is the feminine singular indefinite article, and since tasse (cup) is a feminine noun, the correct form is une tasse, translating to a cup.
How does the phrase pour boire mon café du matin function in this sentence?
The phrase pour boire mon café du matin is an infinitive clause that expresses purpose. Pour means in order to or to, and it is followed by the infinitive boire (to drink). The rest of the phrase, mon café du matin, specifies what is being drunk—my morning coffee.
What tense is used in J’utilise, and what does this tell us about the action?
J’utilise is in the present tense, specifically the first-person singular form of utiliser. This indicates that the action is habitual or a regular occurrence, meaning the speaker regularly uses a cup to drink their morning coffee.
Why is mon used before café du matin and what role does du play in that phrase?
Mon is the masculine singular possessive adjective meaning my, used here because café is a masculine noun. The word du is a contraction of de + le, which in this context means of the; thus, mon café du matin translates literally to my coffee of the morning, or more naturally, my morning coffee.