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Le train arrive enfin, et nous y montons rapidement.

Le train arrive enfin, et nous y montons rapidement.
The train finally arrives, and we get on it quickly.
FromLesson 17inHardcore French

Breakdown of Le train arrive enfin, et nous y montons rapidement.

et
and
nous
we
rapidement
quickly
arriver
to arrive
le train
the train
enfin
finally
monter
to get on

Questions & Answers about Le train arrive enfin, et nous y montons rapidement.

What does enfin mean here, and why is it placed after arrive?

enfin means finally or at last. When used to modify a verb in French, it can come after the verb without changing the meaning:
Le train arrive enfin = The train finally arrives
You could also put it at the beginning (Enfin, le train arrive), but that shifts the emphasis slightly.

Why is there a comma before et?
In French, a comma can separate two independent clauses, especially when the subject changes. Here the first clause subject is le train, the second is nous, so the comma before et marks the pause between them.
Why do we need nous again in the second part?
Because the subject changes from le train (3rd person) to nous (1st person). French requires an explicit subject pronoun for each finite verb, so you must repeat nous for clarity.
In nous y montons, what does y replace?
y is a pronoun of place that replaces dans le train. It always goes before the verb in simple tenses, so nous y montons literally means we get on it.
Why isn’t monter followed by dans or sur?
Normally you say monter dans le train (to get on the train). Here dans le train has been replaced by y, so there is no need for the preposition anymore. You still use monter intransitively as a movement verb.
What’s the difference between rapidement and vite?
Both are adverbs of manner meaning quickly, but vite is more colloquial and shorter, while rapidement sounds more formal or precise. They follow the same placement rules (usually after the verb), for example: nous y montons vite / nous y montons rapidement.
How would you say we got on the train in the passé composé?
Because monter is an intransitive movement verb, you use être as the auxiliary: nous y sommes montés. Notice agreement: if nous refers to a mixed-gender or masculine group, add -s (montés); if a feminine group, montées.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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