Breakdown of J'ai une occasion de parler avec Marie.
je
I
Marie
Marie
avoir
to have
avec
with
de
of
parler
to speak
l'occasion
the opportunity
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Questions & Answers about J'ai une occasion de parler avec Marie.
What does the word occasion mean in this sentence, and is it a false friend for English speakers?
In J'ai une occasion de parler avec Marie, the word occasion means an opportunity or a chance to do something. Although the word "occasion" exists in English, native speakers often use "opportunity" to convey this meaning because "occasion" in English more typically refers to a special event or instance rather than an opportunity.
Why is the preposition de used before the verb parler in this construction?
In French, when you want to express that something gives you the chance or occasion to do an action, you follow it with de plus the infinitive. Here, de parler links the noun occasion to the infinitive, showing the purpose or activity for which the opportunity exists.
Can you explain the contraction J'ai at the beginning of the sentence?
Certainly! J'ai is a contraction of je ai, which means I have. In spoken and written French, contractions like this are very common to maintain a smooth flow in the language.
How does avec Marie function in the sentence, and could another preposition be used here?
The phrase avec Marie means with Marie, indicating the person you are going to speak with. In French, avec is the standard preposition used when referring to speaking or interacting with someone. Although you might sometimes hear parler à Marie (to speak to Marie), avec Marie emphasizes a more mutual conversation.
If I wanted to express a similar idea in the past tense, how might I modify this sentence?
To express that you had an opportunity in the past, you could say: J'ai eu une occasion de parler avec Marie. Here, J'ai eu is the past tense (passé composé) of avoir (to have), indicating that the opportunity occurred in the past.