Learn Hardcore French: Nous ne savons pas comment décorer le balcon pour la fête. - We don't know how to decorate the balcony for the party.

In French, negation is typically formed by placing ne before the conjugated verb and pas after it. So Nous ne savons pas translates literally to “We do not know,” where ne…pas together means “not.”

What is the role of comment in this sentence?

Comment is used to introduce an embedded or indirect question meaning “how.” In the sentence, it functions as part of the object of savons to express “how to decorate.” It isn’t a direct question, so no inversion is needed.

Why is décorer in the infinitive form instead of being conjugated?

After expressions like nous ne savons pas comment, the verb that follows is placed in the infinitive form. Here, décorer remains unconjugated because it is part of an indirect question, functioning as the complement that specifies what is not known (“how to decorate”).

What does le balcon mean and why is the definite article le used?

Le balcon means “the balcony.” The definite article le is used because the speaker is referring to a specific balcony, likely known from context, much like the English use of “the” to denote something familiar or already identified.

How does the phrase pour la fête function in the sentence?

Pour la fête is a prepositional phrase that indicates purpose. It literally means “for the party” and tells us why there is consideration of decorating the balcony. It specifies that the decoration is planned in preparation for a party.