Breakdown of Marie a congé aujourd'hui et se repose dans le jardin.
Marie
Marie
avoir
to have
et
and
dans
in
le jardin
the garden
aujourd'hui
today
se
oneself
reposer
to rest
le congé
the day off
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching French grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Marie a congé aujourd'hui et se repose dans le jardin.
What does the expression a congé mean in the sentence?
In this context, a congé is an idiomatic way of saying that Marie has a day off or is off duty. It indicates that she is not working today.
Why is there no article before congé in this expression?
In French, the expression avoir congé is a fixed, idiomatic construction where congé is used without an article. Similar to other set phrases (like avoir faim for “to be hungry”), the omission of the article is standard.
What does the reflexive verb se repose mean, and why is it used here?
Se repose comes from the reflexive verb se reposer, meaning “to rest.” The reflexive pronoun se shows that Marie is performing the action on herself—she is taking time to relax or recuperate.
What role does aujourd'hui play in the sentence?
The word aujourd'hui means “today” and functions as an adverb of time. It tells us when Marie has congé and when she is resting.
Why is the prepositional phrase dans le jardin used, and what does it indicate?
The phrase dans le jardin specifies the location of the action. The preposition dans means “in” or “inside,” and le jardin means “the garden.” Together, they tell us that Marie is resting in the garden.
What tenses are the verbs a and se repose in, and why is that important?
Both a (from avoir) and se repose (from se reposer) are in the present indicative tense. This reflects that the actions—having the day off and resting—are happening right now, which matches the temporal cue given by aujourd'hui.