Breakdown of Auparavant, elle prenait le bus; maintenant, elle prend le tram.
Questions & Answers about Auparavant, elle prenait le bus; maintenant, elle prend le tram.
They are very close in meaning, but not identical in feel:
- Avant is more general and very common. It can mean:
- before (in time): Avant, elle prenait le bus.
- before (something): avant le dîner, avant de partir.
- Auparavant is a bit more formal and specifically means previously / formerly / before that. It strongly contrasts a past habit or situation with a new one.
In this sentence, Auparavant emphasizes the contrast between the old habit and the new one. You could say:
- Avant, elle prenait le bus; maintenant, elle prend le tram.
That’s perfectly correct and more neutral. Auparavant just sounds a bit more “written” or formal.
- prenait is the imparfait (imperfect) of prendre.
- prend is the présent (present tense).
Imparfait (prenait) is used for:
- Past habits or repeated actions.
- Background or ongoing situations in the past.
So elle prenait le bus = “she used to take the bus” / “she would take the bus (habitually).”
Présent (prend) is used for:
- What is true/ongoing now.
So maintenant, elle prend le tram = “now, she takes the tram (as a current habit).”
The sentence contrasts:
- Old habit in the past → imparfait: prenait
- New habit now → présent: prend
prenait (imparfait) can correspond to both English forms, depending on context:
- she used to take the bus (habitual action in the past)
- she was taking the bus (ongoing action in the past)
Here, because we’re talking about a repeated habit vs a new habit, the best translation is “used to take” rather than “was taking.”
No. In French, you almost always need an article before a singular, countable noun:
- le bus = the bus (in general, “the bus” as a means of transport)
- le tram = the tram (as a system/means of transport)
Using le here does NOT necessarily mean a specific, single bus or tram route; it’s more like the bus / the tram as a mode of transport, the way English sometimes says “she goes by bus.”
You cannot drop the article the way you can in English:
- ❌ Elle prend bus.
- ✅ Elle prend le bus.
Yes, but the nuance shifts slightly.
Possible versions:
- Auparavant, elle prenait le bus.
- Avant, elle prenait le bus.
- Elle prenait le bus avant.
All are grammatically correct, but:
- Auparavant, ... and Avant, ... at the beginning of the sentence clearly mark a time frame first, then the action.
- Elle prenait le bus avant. sounds more like you’ve stated the action first and then add “before” as an afterthought. It’s used, but it’s less neat as a contrast with maintenant.
For a clear contrast with maintenant, the most natural are:
- Avant, elle prenait le bus; maintenant, elle prend le tram.
- Auparavant, elle prenait le bus; maintenant, elle prend le tram.
Yes, that’s completely correct and very natural:
- Elle prenait le bus, mais maintenant elle prend le tram.
Differences:
- ; maintenant → a stronger pause and contrast, more “written style.”
- , mais maintenant → sounds more conversational: “but now…”
Both are fine. Using mais just makes the contrast explicit with “but.”
In French (as in English), a semicolon ; typically links two closely related independent clauses:
- Auparavant, elle prenait le bus; maintenant, elle prend le tram.
All three options are grammatically possible, with slightly different feels:
Semicolon:
- Auparavant, elle prenait le bus; maintenant, elle prend le tram.
- Strong contrast, both parts feel tightly connected in one sentence.
Comma (less formal, but common in everyday writing):
- Auparavant, elle prenait le bus, maintenant elle prend le tram.
- In careful writing, many prefer the semicolon instead of this comma.
Period:
- Auparavant, elle prenait le bus. Maintenant, elle prend le tram.
- Two separate sentences; the contrast is still clear, just more “cut” into two statements.
The semicolon is a good stylistic choice to highlight the contrast while keeping it as one unit.
Yes, but the meaning changes:
- Elle prenait le bus (imparfait) = she used to take the bus regularly in the past (habit).
- Elle a pris le bus (passé composé) = she took the bus on one specific occasion (or a limited series of occasions).
So:
Auparavant, elle prenait le bus; maintenant, elle prend le tram. → Before, her usual way of getting around was the bus. Now, her usual way is the tram.
Avant, elle a pris le bus; maintenant, elle prend le tram. → Before (maybe earlier today / earlier in the story), she took the bus (once); now she takes the tram (right now / next).
The original sentence is about change in habit, not just one event.
Yes, tram is masculine in French:
- le tram
- un tram
It’s actually a shortened form of le tramway, which is also masculine:
- le tramway → le tram
The gender comes from tramway, not from the English word “tram” itself. When in doubt, dictionaries will show: tram (n. m.) → nom masculin (masculine noun).
Both are correct:
- le tramway is the full form, a bit more formal or technical.
- le tram is the short, everyday form most people actually use in speech.
In a sentence like this, elle prend le tram is extremely natural and common. elle prend le tramway is also correct, just slightly more formal or longer.
You must repeat elle:
- ✅ Auparavant, elle prenait le bus; maintenant, elle prend le tram.
- ❌ Auparavant, elle prenait le bus; maintenant prend le tram.
In French, subject pronouns (je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles) almost always have to be present; you can’t drop them like in Spanish or Italian. Each clause needs its own subject pronoun.
Key points (approximate English hints):
Auparavant → [o-pa-ʁa-vɑ̃]
- Au = like “oh”
- -pa- = “pah”
- -ra- = French r in the throat + “ah”
- -vant = “vah” + nasal an (no clear final “t” sound)
elle prenait → [ɛl pʁə-nɛ]
- elle = “ell”
- pre- = French r
- “uh”
- -nait = “neh” (the t is silent)
le bus → [lə bys]
- le = “luh”
- bus = like “byss” with a French u (like German ü), lips rounded
maintenant → [mɛ̃t-nɑ̃] or [mɛ̃t-ə-nɑ̃] (often a little schwa in rapid speech)
- main- = nasal in, like “meh” + nasal
- -ten- = “t”
- -ant = nasal an, “ahn”, t silent
elle prend → [ɛl pʁɑ̃]
- prend = “pʁɑ̃” (nasal an, no pronounced d)
le tram → [lə tʁam]
- tram = “trahm” with French r; m is pronounced.
There are no required liaisons in this sentence; you can pronounce each word separately without linking consonants.