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Tu dois jeter ces papiers à la poubelle.

Tu dois jeter ces papiers à la poubelle.
You have to throw those papers in the trash can.
FromLesson 15inHardcore French

Breakdown of Tu dois jeter ces papiers à la poubelle.

tu
you
à
in
devoir
to have to
jeter
to throw
le papier
the paper
la poubelle
the trash can

Questions & Answers about Tu dois jeter ces papiers à la poubelle.

What does the verb dois mean in this sentence?
Dois is the second-person singular present form of the verb devoir. In this context, it expresses obligation, so it translates as "must" or "have to."
Why is the main verb jeter in its infinitive form after dois?
In French, when using a modal verb like devoir, the structure is to follow it with the main verb in the infinitive form. Thus, tu dois jeter translates literally to "you must throw", where jeter remains in its basic, unconjugated form.
What does ces papiers mean, and why is the demonstrative adjective ces used here?
Ces papiers means "these papers." The adjective ces is the plural form used for both masculine and feminine nouns when referring to something nearby. Here, it specifically indicates that the papers being talked about are the ones in question.
How is the phrase à la poubelle constructed, and what does it indicate?
À la poubelle translates to "to the trash can." The preposition à indicates direction or location. Since poubelle is a feminine noun, it takes the definite article la, forming à la to mean "to the" in English.
Why is the informal pronoun tu used in this sentence instead of vous?
The pronoun tu is the informal singular form of "you" used in French. It implies familiarity or a casual relationship between the speaker and the listener. If addressing someone formally or a group, vous would be chosen instead.
Could the verb jeter be interpreted in any other way, or does it have a specific meaning in this sentence?
While jeter generally means "to throw," in the context of à la poubelle it specifically means to "throw away" or "discard." The surrounding words give it a clear meaning related to disposing of something.
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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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