Breakdown of Paul voit une personne dans le jardin.
Paul
Paul
dans
in
le jardin
the garden
voir
to see
la personne
the person
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Questions & Answers about Paul voit une personne dans le jardin.
What tense is the verb voit, and why is it used with Paul in this sentence?
The verb voit is in the present tense and is the third person singular form of voir (“to see”). Since Paul is the subject (a third person singular noun), voit is correctly conjugated to match him.
Why is the indefinite article une used before personne?
In French, every noun has a gender. The noun personne is feminine, so the feminine form of the indefinite article is used, which is une (equivalent to “a” or “an” in English).
How do I know that personne here means “a person” and not “no one”?
The meaning is clarified by the presence of the indefinite article une. In positive sentences, une personne explicitly means “a person.” When used without an article and in a negative context, personne can mean “no one.”
What role does the phrase dans le jardin play in the sentence?
Dans le jardin is a prepositional phrase that indicates location. It tells us where the action takes place, translating to “in the garden.”
Is the word order in this sentence similar to English, and what parts of the sentence correspond to the typical subject-verb-object structure?
Yes, the word order is very similar to English. Paul is the subject, voit is the verb, and une personne is the direct object. The phrase dans le jardin adds location information, just as one might say “in the garden” in English.