Breakdown of Après une longue promenade, on a soif.
avoir
to have
après
after
long
long
la promenade
the walk
la soif
the thirst
on
you
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Questions & Answers about Après une longue promenade, on a soif.
Why does this sentence use on instead of nous?
In everyday spoken French, on often replaces nous to mean “we.” It makes the sentence sound more conversational. Grammatically, on is a third-person singular pronoun but is commonly used with a plural meaning. So on a soif literally “one is thirsty,” but idiomatically “we are thirsty.”
What tense and person is used in on a soif?
On a soif uses the present indicative of avoir (to have). Since on is treated as third-person singular, it takes the form a. The structure is: on + a (present tense) + noun (soif).
Why do we say avoir soif instead of être soif?
In French, sensations like thirst (soif), hunger (faim) and cold (froid) are expressed with avoir + noun: you literally “have thirst.” You cannot use être with these nouns.
Is soif an adjective or a noun here?
Soif is a feminine noun meaning “thirst.” In the expression avoir soif, soif remains a noun, not an adjective.
Why is there a comma after promenade?
The comma signals a pause and separates the introductory phrase Après une longue promenade from the main clause on a soif. It’s common to use a comma after an introductory phrase—especially a longer one—to improve readability.
Could you write the sentence without the comma?
Yes. You could write Après une longue promenade on a soif without the comma, and it would still be correct, particularly in informal contexts. However, adding the comma is clearer, especially in more formal writing.
Why use après une longue promenade instead of après avoir fait une longue promenade?
Both are correct. Après une longue promenade uses a simple noun phrase and is shorter and more idiomatic for casual statements. Après avoir fait une longue promenade uses an infinitive clause (après + avoir + past participle) and emphasizes the action of having taken the walk. It’s slightly more formal or explicit.
Can you put après at the end, like On a soif après une longue promenade?
Yes. Word order in French is fairly flexible. On a soif après une longue promenade is perfectly natural. The meaning is the same, though placing the time phrase at the end shifts the focus subtly onto soif.
Why is it une longue promenade and not un longue promenade?
Promenade is a feminine noun in French, so it takes the feminine article une. The adjective longue also agrees in gender by adding -e, matching the feminine noun.