Marie veut un avenir simple et heureux.

Marie wants a simple and happy future.

Breakdown of Marie veut un avenir simple et heureux.

• Marie: Marie
• et: and
• vouloir: to want
• heureux: happy
• simple: simple
• l'avenir: the future

Questions & Answers about Marie veut un avenir simple et heureux.

What does veut mean, and how is it conjugated compared with veux?

Veut comes from the verb vouloir (to want). It is the 3rd person singular form in the present tense:

• je veux – I want
• tu veux – you want (singular, informal)
• il / elle / on veut – he / she / one wants
• nous voulons – we want
• vous voulez – you want (plural or formal)
• ils / elles veulent – they want

So in Marie veut un avenir simple et heureux, veut means “(she) wants.”

Why is it un avenir and not une avenir?

In French, every noun has a grammatical gender. Avenir (future) is masculine, so it takes the masculine article un, not the feminine une.

• un avenir = a future (masculine)
• une idée = an idea (feminine)

You just have to memorize the gender of avenir as masculine: un avenir.

What is the difference between avenir and futur in French?

Both can translate as “future,” but they’re not used in exactly the same way:

• avenir usually means someone’s life ahead, prospects, destiny:

  • un avenir professionnel = a professional future / career prospects
  • penser à son avenir = to think about one’s future (in life)

• futur is more abstract or grammatical:

  • le futur = the future (time in general, or the future tense in grammar)
  • le futur simple = the simple future tense

In Marie veut un avenir simple et heureux, avenir is natural because it refers to Marie’s personal life ahead, not the abstract future.

Why do simple and heureux come after avenir? In English we say “a simple and happy future,” with adjectives before the noun.

In French, the default position of adjectives is after the noun:

• un livre intéressant = an interesting book
• une vie heureuse = a happy life

Some common adjectives often come before the noun (like petit, grand, bon, mauvais, joli, beau, jeune, vieux, nouveau, etc.), but simple and heureux normally go after:

• un avenir simple et heureux = a simple and happy future

So the word order is noun + adjectives here: avenir simple et heureux.

Why is it heureux and not heureuse in this sentence?

Adjectives in French must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

• Avenir is masculine singular → the adjective must be masculine singular.
• The masculine singular form is heureux.
• The feminine singular form would be heureuse (used with a feminine noun like une femme heureuse).

So with un avenir (masculine singular), the correct form is un avenir heureux, not heureuse.

How are the words veut, avenir, simple, and heureux pronounced? Do we pronounce the final consonants?

Approximate pronunciations (in English-friendly terms):

• Marie: [ma-REE]
• veut: [vuh]
  
  • Final t is silent.
• un avenir: [œ̃ na-veh-NEER]
  
  • un: nasal vowel [œ̃], like a mix of “uhng” without the g.
  • avenir: stress on the last syllable: a-ve-NIR.
• simple: [SÃ-pl]
  
  • Nasal [ã] in the first syllable.
  • The e at the end is very weak; the p and l are heard.
• heureux: [ø-RUH] (more precisely [øʀø] or [øʁø])
  
  • Final x is silent in this form.
  • The eu sound is like the vowel in French deux.

There is no liaison between veut and un (you don’t say veut-tun); each stays separate: veut un.

Could I say Marie veut un simple et heureux avenir or Marie veut un avenir heureux et simple instead?

1. Marie veut un avenir heureux et simple

   • This is correct and means the same thing.
   • Changing the order of the adjectives can slightly change the emphasis, but here it’s almost identical in meaning.

2. Marie veut un simple et heureux avenir

   • Grammatically possible, but sounds much more literary or stylistic.
   • Putting simple before the noun can give it a more subjective, emotional, or stylistic feeling (closer to “a mere, humble, plain future”), depending on context.
   • In everyday speech, un avenir simple et heureux is more natural.

So the original un avenir simple et heureux is the most neutral, conversational option.

Why use simple and not facile for “easy”? Don’t they both mean something like “simple”?

Both simple and facile can relate to “easy,” but they’re used differently:

• simple often means:

  • not complicated, modest, straightforward
  • describing character, style, way of life, plans, etc.
  • un avenir simple = a future that is not complicated, modest, straightforward.

• facile tends to mean:

  • easy to do, not difficult
  • used more with tasks, activities, problems:
  • un exercice facile = an easy exercise
  • c’est facile = it’s easy

In this sentence, we’re talking about the nature of her life/future, so simple is the natural choice.

What is the difference between Marie veut un avenir simple et heureux and Marie veut avoir un avenir simple et heureux?

Both can be translated as “Marie wants a simple and happy future.” The difference is subtle:

• Marie veut un avenir simple et heureux.

  • Structure: vouloir + noun.
  • Very direct: she wants that kind of future.
  • Common and completely natural.

• Marie veut avoir un avenir simple et heureux.

  • Structure: vouloir + infinitive + noun (“wants to have a simple and happy future”).
  • Emphasizes the action of having/obtaining that future a bit more.
  • Also correct, just slightly more “explicit” in form.

In everyday speech, Marie veut un avenir simple et heureux is usually enough and sounds smoother.

How would the sentence change in the plural, for example: “Marie and Paul want simple and happy futures”?

You need to change:

1. The subject
2. The verb (vouloir)
3. The noun (avenir) and adjectives (simple, heureux) to plural.

A natural French version:

• Marie et Paul veulent des avenirs simples et heureux.

Breakdown:

• Marie et Paul = Marie and Paul
• veulent = 3rd person plural of vouloir
• des avenirs = futures (plural of un avenir)
• simples et heureux:
  • simples: plural of simple
  • heureux: same spelling in masculine singular and plural; you pronounce the x only if there is liaison (e.g. heureux amis).

Does veut here mean she wants this right now, or is it more like a general desire?

The French present tense is quite flexible. Veut can express:

• a current desire: she wants this at the present time.
• a general, ongoing desire: this is what she generally wants in life.

The sentence Marie veut un avenir simple et heureux doesn’t specify time limits; it simply states a current, general desire. Context would clarify whether it’s part of a temporary phase or a long-term life goal.