Learn Hardcore French: Nous allons nous reposer dans le jardin.

The first nous is the subject pronoun: Nous = we.
The second nous is the reflexive pronoun used with the verb se reposer: se reposer = to rest (oneself).

So the structure is:

Nous (subject)
allons (we go / we are going)
nous (reflexive pronoun)
reposer (infinitive of the verb)

Literally: We are going to rest ourselves in the garden.

You need both in French: one to say who is doing the action, and one because se reposer is a reflexive verb and always takes a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se).

What tense or construction is Nous allons nous reposer?

This is the futur proche (near future) in French:

aller (conjugated) + infinitive

nous allons = we are going
nous reposer = to rest (ourselves)

So Nous allons nous reposer means We are going to rest (in the near future), very similar to English “We’re going to rest.”

It is not the simple future (Nous nous reposerons = We will rest), but a more immediate or planned future.

Could I say Nous nous reposons dans le jardin instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that is correct French, but the meaning changes:

Nous allons nous reposer dans le jardin.
= We are going to rest in the garden (future, plan/intention).
Nous nous reposons dans le jardin.
= We are resting in the garden (present, it’s happening now or a general habit).

So:

allons + infinitive → near future.
present tense of se reposer → action in the present.

Why is it nous allons nous reposer and not nous allons reposer nous?

In French, object pronouns and reflexive pronouns normally go before the verb they belong to:

Before a conjugated verb:
Nous nous reposons. (nous = reflexive pronoun)
Before an infinitive when there is a conjugated verb before it:
Nous allons nous reposer.

So the pattern here is:

conjugated verb: allons
infinitive: reposer
pronoun placed before the infinitive: nous reposer

Nous allons reposer nous is incorrect word order.

What’s the difference between reposer and se reposer?

They are related but not the same:

reposer (non‑reflexive, transitive) = to rest something / to put something down / to put something back
- Je repose le livre sur la table. = I put the book back on the table.
se reposer (reflexive) = to rest / to have a rest / to relax
- Je vais me reposer. = I’m going to rest.

In Nous allons nous reposer, you need the reflexive form se reposer, because the subject is resting itself.

How would I make this sentence negative: “We are not going to rest in the garden”?

Put ne … pas around the conjugated verb aller, and keep the reflexive pronoun before the infinitive:

Nous n’allons pas nous reposer dans le jardin.

Structure:

Nous (subject)
n’allons pas (negative of allons)
nous reposer (reflexive infinitive)
dans le jardin (place)

You do not negate reposer; you negate aller.

Can I replace nous with on? For example: On va se reposer dans le jardin?

Yes, absolutely. That’s very natural in spoken French:

Nous allons nous reposer dans le jardin. (more formal / written)
On va se reposer dans le jardin. (very common in everyday speech)

On often means we in modern French. The reflexive pronoun changes accordingly:

nous → nous
on → se

So:

Nous allons nous reposer.
On va se reposer.

Why is it dans le jardin and not something like au jardin or au parc?

A few points:

dans le jardin literally = in the garden, physically inside that specific garden.
au jardin is possible but:
- sounds more old‑fashioned or literary in many contexts,
- or can refer to a public garden/park in some regions or registers.

In everyday French, for a normal, specific garden (e.g. at home), dans le jardin is very natural.

au parc would mean in the park, which is a different place word (parc vs jardin).

Why is it le jardin and not la jardin? Is there a rule?

Jardin is masculine in French, so it takes le:

le jardin = the garden.

Unfortunately, the gender of nouns in French is mostly a matter of memorization. There are patterns (for example, many nouns ending in ‑age, ‑ment, ‑in are masculine), but there are many exceptions.

So you simply need to learn jardin = masculine → un jardin, le jardin, mon jardin.

Does aller still mean “to go” literally here, or is it just a future marker like English “going to”?

It’s both:

Grammatically, aller + infinitive is the near future construction, similar to English “going to + verb”.
Semantically, aller still carries a sense of movement / intention, especially if a destination is mentioned.

In Nous allons nous reposer dans le jardin, it’s usually understood as a future plan:
We’re going to rest in the garden.

You could also imagine a physical movement (we go into the garden to rest), but the main function here is to express a near‑future action.

How would I say this in the past: “We rested in the garden”?

Use passé composé with the auxiliary être (because se reposer is reflexive), and make the past participle agree with nous:

Nous nous sommes reposés dans le jardin. (if the group is all male or mixed)
Nous nous sommes reposées dans le jardin. (if the group is all female)

Pattern:

Nous (subject)
nous (reflexive pronoun)
sommes (auxiliary être, 1st person plural)
reposés / reposées (past participle, agreeing with nous)
dans le jardin (place)

How is Nous allons nous reposer dans le jardin pronounced? Are there any liaisons?

Approximate pronunciation (in IPA):

Nous allons → /nu za.lɔ̃/
- There is a liaison: nous‿allons (the s of nous is pronounced /z/).
nous reposer → /nu ʁə.po.ze/
- No liaison between nous and reposer.
dans le jardin → /dɑ̃ lə ʒaʁ.dɛ̃/
- Final s and n in dans and jardin are silent; n indicates nasal vowels.

Full sentence:
Nous allons nous reposer dans le jardin. → /nu za.lɔ̃ nu ʁə.po.ze dɑ̃ lə ʒaʁ.dɛ̃/.