Breakdown of Je réponds toujours aux messages le soir.
je
I
le soir
the evening
à
to
toujours
always
le message
the message
répondre
to reply
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Questions & Answers about Je réponds toujours aux messages le soir.
What does réponds mean here, and why is there an -s at the end?
Réponds is the first-person singular present form of the verb répondre (to reply/respond). In French, regular -re verbs take -s for je, so je réponds literally means “I reply” or “I respond.”
Why do we say aux messages instead of just les messages?
The verb répondre requires the preposition à before its object: you réponds à quelque chose. When that object is plural and definite (les messages), à + les contracts to aux. Hence réponds aux messages means “reply to the messages.”
Why is toujours placed between réponds and aux messages, unlike English where always comes before the verb?
In French, most frequency adverbs (like toujours, souvent, jamais) are positioned immediately after the conjugated verb. So you say Je réponds toujours aux messages, whereas in English you’d say “I always reply to messages.”
What does le soir mean, and why is there a definite article?
When talking about habitual times of day in French, you use the definite article:
- le matin (in the morning)
- l’après-midi (in the afternoon)
- le soir (in the evening)
Here le soir indicates a regular evening habit (“in the evenings”).
Could I use chaque soir instead of le soir?
Yes. Chaque soir also means “every evening.” You could say Je réponds toujours aux messages chaque soir, though combining toujours and chaque is a bit redundant. You might simply choose one:
• Je réponds toujours aux messages le soir.
• Je réponds aux messages chaque soir.
How do I pronounce réponds? Should I pronounce the final -s?
The final -s in réponds is silent. You’ll say [ʁə.pɔ̃] without an /s/ sound. Liaison before toujours (making it [ʁə.pɔ̃.tu.ʒuʁ]) is possible but not common in casual speech.
What gender is message, and do I need to worry about agreement here?
Message is masculine in French. Its plural is messages (adding -s). Here there’s no adjective agreeing with it, so you just keep aux messages without any extra changes.
How would I say “I always reply to them in the evening” using pronouns?
You replace aux messages with the indirect-object pronoun leur (for plural). Pronouns come before the verb:
Je leur réponds toujours le soir.