Learn Hardcore French: À l’aéroport, quelques personnes remplissent des papiers; la plupart ne prennent que leur passeport. - At the airport, a few people are filling out papers; most take only their passport.

Because the noun aéroport begins with a vowel sound, the definite article le becomes l’ (elision). The preposition + article is therefore à l’ (not au). Patterns:

à + le → au (ex: au stade)
à + la → à la (ex: à la gare)
à + l’ → à l’ (ex: à l’aéroport)
à + les → aux (ex: aux aéroports)

What’s the difference between À l’aéroport and Dans l’aéroport?

À l’aéroport = “at the airport” (location in a general sense).
Dans l’aéroport = “inside the airport” (physically inside the building). Use à for the general place; dans when emphasizing being inside.

Why is there a comma after À l’aéroport?

It’s a fronted location phrase. French often sets off such initial adverbials with a comma. Word order stays subject–verb (no inversion needed), so: À l’aéroport, quelques personnes…

How is the semicolon (;) used here in French?

The point-virgule links two closely related independent clauses and marks a contrast: some people do X; most do Y. In French typography, a (narrow) space is traditionally placed before ; (and !, ?, :) though many writers omit it in plain text. You could also use a period or a connector: …, mais… / …, tandis que… / …, en revanche,…

What nuance does quelques have in quelques personnes?

Quelques means “a few, several.” It’s positive/neutral in tone (not necessarily “only a few”). It’s an invariable determiner used directly before a plural noun: quelques personnes. Related:

Pronoun: quelques-uns / quelques-unes (“a few of them”).
Singular quelque has other uses (e.g., “some/any” before a singular noun, or “about/approximately” before a number: quelque dix personnes).

Why not say quelques gens?

French strongly prefers quelques personnes. The noun gens behaves irregularly with adjectives and is less natural with quelques in this meaning. If you don’t want personnes, use a more specific noun: voyageurs, passagers, clients, etc.

Is personnes feminine, and does that affect agreement?

Yes. Une personne is grammatically feminine regardless of the people’s actual gender. So pronouns and adjectives referring back agree in feminine plural: la plupart d’entre elles, not d’entre eux, when the antecedent is personnes.

Why does remplissent end in -issent?

Remplir is a regular -IR verb of the “second group.” In the present tense, 3rd person plural ends in -issent: ils/elles remplissent. Mini-paradigm:

je remplis, tu remplis, il/elle remplit
nous remplissons, vous remplissez, ils/elles remplissent

What does remplir des papiers mean, exactly?

It’s an idiomatic way to say “to fill out forms / do paperwork.” Alternatives:

remplir des formulaires (more formal/precise)
remplir des documents Note: les papiers can also mean “ID papers/documents” depending on context; here the plural suggests “forms/paperwork.”

Why des papiers and not les papiers?

Des is the indefinite plural article (“some”). We’re speaking about unspecified forms/paperwork. Les papiers would refer to specific, already identified papers.

Why des papiers and not de papiers?

After an affirmative verb with a direct object, French uses des (plural indefinite). De appears:

after negation: ils ne remplissent pas de papiers
after quantity words: beaucoup de papiers Also, remplir de + noun means “to fill with”: remplir une boîte de papiers (“fill a box with papers”), which is a different structure.

Can la plupart stand alone without de + noun?

Yes. La plupart can be a pronoun meaning “most (of them)” when the group is clear from context. That’s the case here, following mention of “people.” If you name the group, use la plupart de: la plupart des voyageurs.

Why is the verb plural after la plupart?

Even though la plupart begins with a singular article la, it refers to a plural set, so the verb is plural: la plupart prennent (not prend).

Does ne … que mean a negation?

No. Ne … que is a “restrictive” construction meaning only. It’s affirmative in meaning:

La plupart ne prennent que leur passeport = “Most (people) take only their passport.” You can paraphrase with seulement: La plupart prennent seulement leur passeport. Don’t add pas: ❌ ne prennent que… pas is incorrect.

Where do I place que in ne … que?

Put que immediately before the element being limited:

Object: Ils ne prennent que leur passeport.
Time: Ils ne voyagent que l’été.
Place: Ils ne passent que par Paris. To limit the subject, French often uses clefting: Ce n’est que la plupart qui…, but that sounds heavy; rephrasing is usually better.

Can I drop ne in ne … que in speech?

In colloquial speech, French often drops ne with negatives, but with ne … que this is avoided because que alone can be confused with “that.” Use seulement instead in informal speech: Ils prennent seulement leur passeport.

Why is it leur passeport and not leurs passeports?

Use leur (singular) when each possessor has one item:

Many people, one passport each → leur passeport. Use leurs (plural) when each has multiple items:
Many people, several bags each → leurs bagages (if each person has multiple pieces).

Is prendre the best verb here, or should it be emporter/apporter?

All are possible, with nuances:

prendre: very common and natural (“take”).
emporter: “take along (an object) from here to there.” At an airport: n’emportent que leur passeport is precise.
apporter: “bring (an object) to where the speaker/listener is).”
amener/emmener: for people/animals (and sometimes objects metaphorically). In neutral narration, prendre is perfectly fine.

If I want to start with “Most people…,” how would I say it?

La plupart des gens ne prennent que leur passeport.
More specific at an airport: La plupart des voyageurs/passagers ne prennent que leur passeport. Using la plupart des personnes is possible but gens/voyageurs/passagers is more idiomatic.

Do capital letters keep accents in French, like in À l’aéroport?

Yes. Accents are mandatory in standard French, even on capitals: À, É, Ç, etc. So À l’aéroport is correctly accented.