Breakdown of Marie dîne avec Paul à la maison.
Paul
Paul
Marie
Marie
la maison
the house
avec
with
à
at
dîner
to dine
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Questions & Answers about Marie dîne avec Paul à la maison.
What does the verb dîne mean in this sentence?
The verb dîne is the third-person singular present form of dîner, which means “to have dinner” or “to dine.” It tells us that Marie is engaging in the act of dining.
Who is the subject of the sentence, and how is it represented?
The subject is Marie. In French, as in English, the subject usually comes at the beginning of the sentence, indicating who is performing the action.
What role does the phrase avec Paul play in the sentence?
The phrase avec Paul means “with Paul.” It specifies whom Marie is dining with. The preposition avec directly translates to “with” in English, showing accompaniment.
What does the phrase à la maison mean, and what is its grammatical function?
À la maison translates to “at home.” This adverbial phrase of place tells us where Marie is dining, in this case, at home.
Why is the article la used with maison in this sentence?
The noun maison is feminine in French, so it requires the feminine definite article la. The combination à la comes from the preposition à (“at”) and the article la, creating the phrase à la maison.
How does the word order in this sentence reflect typical French sentence structure?
The sentence follows the standard French structure: subject (Marie), verb (dîne), and then additional phrases providing details. The phrases avec Paul (indicating accompaniment) and à la maison (indicating location) follow the verb, similar to how extra information is added at the end in English.