Breakdown of Marie trouve la clé dans une petite boîte sur la table.
Marie
Marie
la table
the table
sur
on
dans
in
trouver
to find
une
a
la clé
the key
petite
small
la boîte
the box
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Questions & Answers about Marie trouve la clé dans une petite boîte sur la table.
Why is the verb trouve in that form, and what does it tell us about the subject?
Trouve is the present‐tense, third‐person singular form of trouver (to find). In French, verbs change their endings to match their subjects. The ending -e here tells you the subject is il, elle or any singular noun—so Marie trouve means “Marie finds” or “she finds.”
Why is there no subject pronoun like elle before trouve?
In French, the verb ending already indicates the subject. Because trouve ends in -e, you know it’s third‐person singular. You don’t need to say elle trouve, although you could for emphasis or clarity.
Why is clé a feminine noun?
French nouns have grammatical gender, which doesn’t always follow logic. Some nouns you have to memorize as feminine (la clé), others as masculine (le livre). There’s no rule to predict clé—you just learn it as la clé.
What’s the role of the accent on clé?
The accent aigu (é) on clé shows you pronounce it /kle/ (like “clay”), not /kəle/ or /klɛ/. It also distinguishes it from any spelling cle (which isn’t a French word).
Why does the sentence say la clé but une petite boîte?
La clé uses the definite article la (“the”) because you’re referring to a specific key—maybe one you’ve mentioned before or that both speaker and listener know. Une petite boîte uses the indefinite article une (“a”) because you’re introducing a box for the first time: “a small box.”
Why is petite placed before boîte, instead of after as in English?
In French, most adjectives follow the noun, but certain common adjectives (including those of size like petit/petite, and beauty, age, goodness, and number) typically come before the noun. So you say une petite boîte, not une boîte petite.
Why is dans used here instead of en or à?
Dans means “in” or “inside” and is used for physical containment (“inside a box”). En often means “in” abstractly (in French, in June, in silk) but not “inside.” À means “at” or “to” and doesn’t convey “inside.”
Why do we say sur la table for “on the table,” not à la table?
Sur means “on top of” or “on.” It describes a surface. À can mean “at” or “to” but not “on.” So to place something physically on the surface of the table, you need sur la table.
Why isn’t there an article before Marie?
Proper names in French generally stand alone without an article: you say Marie or Jean, not la Marie (unless you’re using a special regional or poetic construction).