Breakdown of Chaque printemps, les fleurs fleurissent dans le jardin.
dans
in
le jardin
the garden
la fleur
the flower
chaque
every
le printemps
the spring
fleurir
to bloom
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Questions & Answers about Chaque printemps, les fleurs fleurissent dans le jardin.
Why is Chaque printemps using a singular noun when it refers to something that happens every year?
In French, chaque always pairs with a singular noun because it means each individual item or occurrence. So you say chaque printemps (each spring), not chaque printempss. If you wanted the plural idea, you’d switch to tous les printemps (all springs).
Why is there a comma after Chaque printemps?
A comma often follows an introductory time phrase in French to mirror a natural pause and improve readability. It isn’t strictly mandatory, but it’s common practice when the adverbial phrase appears at the start of a sentence.
Why do we say les fleurs instead of des fleurs?
Using les fleurs refers to a definite or “known” group of flowers—the ones in the garden. Des fleurs would mean some flowers in a non-specified sense. Here, because the sentence describes the garden’s flowers in general, les is more appropriate.
What tense is fleurissent, and does it imply the flowers are blooming right now?
fleurissent is the present tense. In French, the present also covers habitual or repeated actions. In this case, it means that every spring the flowers bloom—rather than stating they are blooming at this very moment.
Is fleurir a regular verb, and why do we use -issent at the end of fleurissent?
Yes, fleurir is a regular 2nd-group -ir verb. To form the 3rd person plural present, you remove -ir and add -issent, giving ils/elles fleurissent.
Why do we use dans le jardin instead of au jardin?
dans le jardin stresses being physically inside the garden’s boundaries. au jardin (to/at the garden) is also grammatically correct but feels less exact about being within it.
Could we replace Chaque printemps with Tous les printemps or with Au printemps?
Absolutely. Tous les printemps means “every spring” and requires the plural article (tous les printemps). Au printemps means “in spring” generally. Each option shifts the nuance slightly:
- Chaque printemps focuses on each individual spring.
- Tous les printemps emphasizes all springs as a group.
- Au printemps speaks of springtime overall.
How do you pronounce printemps, and why is the s silent?
printemps is pronounced /pʁɛ̃tɑ̃/. The final s (and the mps cluster) is silent; the mp before s gives the nasal ɑ̃ sound. The word ends on the nasal vowel, so you never pronounce the s.