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Je prends mon médicament après le dîner.

Je prends mon médicament après le dîner.
I take my medication after dinner.
FromLesson 24inHardcore French

Breakdown of Je prends mon médicament après le dîner.

je
I
mon
my
prendre
to take
après
after
le dîner
the dinner
le médicament
the medication

Questions & Answers about Je prends mon médicament après le dîner.

Does Je prends mean “I take” or “I’m taking”?
Both are possible. The French present tense covers habits and near‑future/ongoing actions. Without extra context, Je prends mon médicament après le dîner can mean either “I take my medication after dinner (as a routine)” or “I’m taking my medication after dinner (today).”
Why is it prends with an s and not prend?

Because the subject is je. Present tense of prendre:

  • je prends
  • tu prends
  • il/elle/on prend
  • nous prenons
  • vous prenez
  • ils/elles prennent

Notes:

  • Final letters in prends/prend are silent.
  • ils/elles prennent doubles the n; the ending -ent is silent.
How do you pronounce the whole sentence naturally?

Approximation: “zhuh prahn mohn may-dee-kah-mahn ah-PREH luh dee-NAY.”

  • Je ≈ “zhuh” (the e is a weak schwa)
  • prends ≈ “prahn” (final -ds silent; nasal vowel)
  • mon ≈ “mohn” (nasal vowel)
  • médicament ≈ “may-dee-kah-mahn” (final -t silent)
  • après ≈ “ah-PREH” (è like “eh”)
  • le ≈ “luh”
  • dîner ≈ “dee-NAY” Tip: No liaison after après here: say après le (not “après zle”).
Why is it mon médicament and not ma médicament?
Because médicament is masculine singular, so you use mon. If you mean more than one, use mes médicaments.
Is médicament the right word for “medicine”? What about médecine or médication?
  • un médicament = a drug/medicine you take (pill, tablet, syrup).
  • la médecine = the field of medicine (not something you swallow).
  • la médication = a medication regimen or set of drugs (more formal/medical).
Why is it après le dîner and not après du dîner or après de dîner?

Because après takes:

Can I also say après dîner instead of après le dîner?

Yes. Après dîner (no article) is correct and idiomatic.

  • après le dîner = after the dinner/the mealtime (general or specific).
  • après dîner = after dining/after dinner (a bit more concise; common in writing and also heard in speech). You’ll also hear the colloquial après manger (“after eating”).
Is dîner always the evening meal? What about Canada/Belgium/Switzerland?

It depends on region:

  • In France: déjeuner = lunch, dîner = dinner (evening).
  • In Belgium/Switzerland and much of Quebec: dîner = lunch, souper = evening meal. So there, après le dîner often means “after lunch.” To be clear about the evening meal, say après le souper.
Could I use boire instead of prendre for medication?
  • Default verb for medication is prendre (works for pills, drops, syrups).
  • boire highlights drinking and is fine for a liquid: Je bois mon sirop après le dîner. For tablets, stick to prendre.
What if I don’t want to specify which medication, or I take several?
  • Unspecified single item: Je prends un médicament après le dîner.
  • Several: Je prends mes médicaments après le dîner.
  • A treatment plan (more formal): Je suis un traitement / Je prends une médication.
Can I move the time phrase to the front?
Yes: Après le dîner, je prends mon médicament. Use a comma after the fronted time phrase.
How would I replace mon médicament with a pronoun?

Use a direct object pronoun before the verb:

How do I say it in the negative?

Standard: Je ne prends pas mon médicament après le dîner.
Everyday speech often drops ne: Je prends pas mon médicament après le dîner.

Can I use après que or an “after -ing” type of structure?
  • Clause: Après que j’ai dîné, je prends mon médicament. (In standard French, après que takes the indicative, not the subjunctive.)
  • Verbal phrase (very common): Après avoir dîné, je prends mon médicament.
Are the accents important in après and dîner?
Yes. Write après (accent grave on è) and dîner (î on i, é on e). Without accents—apres, diner—it’s incorrect spelling in French, and diner can look like the English word “diner.”
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“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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