Sur le quai, elle attend le train avec sa tante.

On the platform, she is waiting for the train with her aunt.

Breakdown of Sur le quai, elle attend le train avec sa tante.

• elle: she
• sur: on
• avec: with
• attendre: to wait
• le train: the train
• sa: her
• la tante: the aunt
• le quai: the platform

Questions & Answers about Sur le quai, elle attend le train avec sa tante.

Why is it sur le quai and not à la gare?

• Sur le quai means physically on the platform where passengers board.
• À la gare means at the station in general (the building/complex).
• You can combine them when giving fuller location: À la gare, sur le quai 3, ...

Could I say au quai?

• For train platforms, idiomatic French is sur le quai.
• Au quai is used with named river/harbor quays as addresses (e.g., au quai de la Rapée), not for station platforms.

Why is there no word for “for” after attend? Why not attend pour le train?

• Attendre already means “to wait for” and takes a direct object (no preposition).
• Correct: elle attend le train. Incorrect: elle attend pour le train.
• If you mean “wait for someone to do something,” use attendre que + subjunctive: j’attends qu’il arrive.

How is attendre conjugated in the present? Why not elle attends?

• Present tense of attendre (regular -RE verb): j’attends, tu attends, il/elle/on attend, nous attendons, vous attendez, ils/elles attendent.
• Third-person singular is elle attend (no final -s).

How do you pronounce the tricky words here?

• quai: “keh” [kɛ]
• attend: “ah-tahn” [atɑ̃] (final -d silent; nasal vowel)
• train: nasal “trenh/trahn” [trɛ̃] (French uvular r)
• tante: “tahnt” [tɑ̃t]
• sur: “sür” [syʁ] (French u, like German ü)
• No required liaison in this sentence.

Could I say Elle est en train d’attendre le train to mean “She is waiting for the train”?

• Grammatical, but heavy and redundant.
• French normally uses the simple present for ongoing actions: Elle attend le train.
• Use être en train de only to stress “right this very moment.”

Why le train and not un train? Do I need an article?

• French typically requires an article with countable nouns.
• Le train implies a specific train known from context.
• Un train means some/any train (unspecified). Choose based on what you mean.

Can the order change? Is the comma after Sur le quai necessary?

• Reordering is fine: Elle attend le train sur le quai avec sa tante is natural.
• Fronting Sur le quai, emphasizes the setting. The comma is standard and recommended after such a fronted phrase.

What does sa in avec sa tante agree with? Why not son tante?

• Sa/son/ses agree with the noun possessed, not with who owns it.
• tante is feminine singular → sa tante.
• Before a vowel sound, even feminine nouns take son for euphony: son amie (not sa amie).
• Plural: ses tantes. Masculine singular: son oncle.

Can I drop the subject pronoun? Could I say a statement like Attend le train avec sa tante?

• No. French requires the subject pronoun: Elle attend…
• Without the subject, it becomes an imperative (a command): “Wait for the train…”

Could avec sa tante be read as modifying le train (“the train with her aunt”)?

• In normal reading, no. It attaches to the subject: she is with her aunt.
• To modify the train instead, rephrase: le train dans lequel se trouve sa tante (“the train in which her aunt is”).

How would I replace le train with a pronoun?

• Use the direct object pronoun le → l’ before a vowel: Elle l’attend avec sa tante.
• Plural trains: Elle les attend.
• Don’t use lui (that’s for indirect objects).

How do I make it negative?

• Standard: Elle n’attend pas le train.
• With a pronoun: Elle ne l’attend pas.
• Informal spoken French often drops ne: Elle attend pas le train (conversation only).

Any synonyms for attendre in this context?

• Neutral/intransitive: patienter → Elle patiente sur le quai.
• Colloquial: poireauter (to hang around waiting) → Elle poireaute sur le quai.
• Note: unlike attendre, these don’t take a direct object; you’d add a complement if needed (e.g., Elle patiente en attendant le train).

Can I use attendant like English “waiting,” e.g., elle attendant le train?

• No. The present participle attendant can’t replace the conjugated verb.
• Use elle attend. The participle works in structures like En attendant le train, elle lit (“While waiting for the train, she reads”).

How do I naturally specify a platform or track number?

• Platform: sur le quai 3 / sur le quai numéro trois.
• You’ll also see voie for track: voie 3. In many stations, signs show the voie number; you still say you’re sur le quai.