Learn Hardcore French: La mairie est ouverte ce matin; j'y vais pour un papier. - The town hall is open this morning; I am going there for a document.

La mairie is feminine singular (because mairie is a feminine noun).
So the adjective must also be feminine singular: ouverte.
If the noun were masculine, you’d use ouvert instead:
- Le magasin est ouvert. – The shop is open.
- La boutique est ouverte. – The boutique is open.

So La mairie est ouverte is correct, not ouvert.

Why do we say la mairie est ouverte and not something like la mairie ouvre ce matin?

Both structures exist, but they don’t mean exactly the same thing.

La mairie est ouverte ce matin.
- Focus: the current state.
- Meaning: This morning, the town hall is open (i.e., it is available to the public).
- It’s like English “The town hall is open this morning.”
La mairie ouvre ce matin.
- Focus: the opening action/time.
- Meaning: The town hall opens this morning (i.e., that’s when it starts opening, maybe for the first time or after being closed).
- It’s like “The town hall opens this morning.” (as in a schedule or an inaugural opening).

In everyday speech, to talk about the place being open for business at some time, est ouverte is what you usually want.

Why is it ce matin and not ce matin-là or something else?

Ce matin means this morning (from the speaker’s point of view, usually the current or very next morning).

Ce matin = this morning (today’s morning).
Ce matin-là = that morning (a specific morning in the past or future that has already been identified in the context).
Ce matin-ci exists but is rare; you almost never need it in everyday speech.

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about the current situation, so ce matin is the natural choice.

What does the semicolon ; mean here in French? Could I just use a comma or a period?

The semicolon ; in French (like in English) links two closely related clauses that could be separate sentences but are strongly connected in meaning.

La mairie est ouverte ce matin; j'y vais pour un papier.
- Clause 1: The town hall is open this morning.
- Clause 2: I’m going there for a document.
- The second is a consequence or logical follow‑up of the first.

You could also write:

La mairie est ouverte ce matin. J’y vais pour un papier. (two sentences)
In informal writing, many people would just use a period. A comma here would be less standard in written French but common in very informal writing or texting.

So the semicolon is stylistic; it’s not grammatically required.

What exactly does mairie mean? Is it the same as hôtel de ville?

Mairie is usually:

The town hall / city hall (the building).
The municipal administration (the institution).

In many contexts, mairie and hôtel de ville refer to the same place, but there are some nuances:

In smaller towns, people almost always say la mairie.
In some bigger cities, especially Paris, the building may be called l’Hôtel de Ville, but everyday speech still uses la mairie when speaking about going there for administrative tasks.

So if you’re talking about where you go for local paperwork, la mairie is the normal word.

What does y refer to in j’y vais and how does it work?

Y is a pronoun that usually replaces:

à + a thing / place
(e.g. à la mairie, au travail, à Paris in some contexts)

In j’y vais, y replaces à la mairie:

Full form: Je vais à la mairie.
With pronoun: J’y vais. (literally: I go there.)

So y here means to the town hall / there.
In general:

J’y vais. – I’m going there.
J’y pense. – I’m thinking about it. (when y replaces à + something)

Remember: y in this sense is never used for people; it replaces places/things introduced by à.

Why do we say j’y vais and not je y vais?

This is due to elision in French.

The subject pronoun je becomes j’ before a word starting with a vowel or mute h to make pronunciation smoother.
Y starts with a vowel sound [i].
So je y vais becomes j’y vais in writing and pronunciation.

This is the same pattern as:

Je aime → J’aime
Je habite → J’habite

Je y vais is grammatically wrong and sounds unnatural; you must say j’y vais.

Why is it pour un papier and not pour un document or pour des papiers?

All of these are possible, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

Pour un papier
- Very common, informal or neutral.
- Un papier in this context means an official document, a certificate, or some admin paper the person needs.
- It’s vague on purpose: the exact type doesn’t matter in this sentence.
Pour un document
- A bit more formal or more precise.
- Sounds like you’re talking more generally about a document, maybe not necessarily administrative.
Pour des papiers
- Often means papers / documents in the plural, frequently used for admin stuff:
  - Je vais à la mairie pour des papiers. – I’m going to the town hall for some paperwork.
- Also used for identity papers, residency papers, etc.

In everyday talk about minor administrative errands, pour un papier or pour des papiers is very common.

Why is it pour un papier and not pour du papier?

There’s a difference between un papier and du papier:

Un papier (countable noun)
- Means a document / a form / an official paper.
- It refers to a specific piece of paperwork.
- Example: Je dois demander un papier à la mairie. – I have to request a document from the town hall.
Du papier (mass noun, partitive)
- Means (some) paper as a material, like paper you write on or printer paper.
- Example: J’achète du papier. – I’m buying some paper.

Since the context here is administrative documents, un papier (a document) is correct, not du papier.

Does j’y vais mean I’m going there now or just I go there in general?

French présent can cover several English meanings:

J’y vais can mean:
- I’m going there (now / today / soon) – if the situation is current.
- I go there (regularly / usually) – in a habitual context.

In this sentence:

La mairie est ouverte ce matin; j’y vais pour un papier.
- The presence of ce matin and the semicolon suggests a current or immediate plan.
- Most natural translation: The town hall is open this morning; I’m going there for a document.

Context decides whether it’s present progressive or simple present in English; French uses the same form for both.

Could you say Je vais à la mairie pour un papier instead of j’y vais pour un papier?

Yes, absolutely.

Je vais à la mairie pour un papier.
Clearly states where you’re going, without using a pronoun.
J’y vais pour un papier.
Uses y to avoid repeating à la mairie, which was just mentioned.

In natural speech, once the place has been introduced, French prefers pronouns to avoid repetition:

La mairie est ouverte ce matin; j’y vais pour un papier.

Both are correct; j’y vais is just more economical and sounds very natural.

Is it always aller + pour when saying you go somewhere for something?

No, you have several options; pour is common, but not the only one.

In this sentence:

J’y vais pour un papier. – I’m going there for a document.

Other patterns you’ll see:

J’y vais chercher un papier. – I’m going there to get a document.
Je vais à la mairie demander un papier. – I’m going to the town hall to request a document.

Pour + noun is a simple, common way to express purpose:

Je vais au marché pour des fruits. – I’m going to the market for some fruit.
Je vais à la pharmacie pour un médicament. – I’m going to the pharmacy for a medicine.

To express purpose with a verb, you usually use pour + infinitive:

Je vais à la mairie pour demander un papier. – I’m going to the town hall to request a document.