Breakdown of Le soir, je regarde une émission en français pour pratiquer la langue.
Questions & Answers about Le soir, je regarde une émission en français pour pratiquer la langue.
Le soir at the beginning of a sentence is a very common way to talk about a general habit that happens in the evenings.
- Le soir = in the evening / in the evenings (habitual, general time)
- Ce soir = this evening (tonight, a specific evening)
- Tous les soirs = every evening (explicitly every single evening)
- Dans le soir is not idiomatic French for this meaning. You would not use dans with times of day this way.
So:
- Le soir, je regarde… = In the evenings, I watch… (a regular habit)
- Ce soir, je regarde… = This evening, I’m going to watch… (a specific plan for tonight)
The comma after an introductory time expression like Le soir is very common and stylistically preferred, but not absolutely mandatory.
- Le soir, je regarde… is the standard written form.
- Le soir je regarde… is also possible, especially in informal writing, text messages, or speech transcripts.
In speech, you naturally pause after Le soir, which is what the comma represents. For learners, it’s safer and more natural to keep the comma: Le soir, je…
French normally uses the simple present (je regarde) where English often uses the present continuous (“I am watching”).
- Je regarde une émission.
Can mean:- I watch a show (habitually)
- I am watching a show (right now) – context decides.
There is a way to emphasize “right now”:
- Je suis en train de regarder une émission. = I am in the middle of watching a show (right this moment).
But for a habit (“in the evenings, I watch…”), French uses the plain present: je regarde. Je suis en train de… is not used for habits, only for actions in progress.
In French, regarder and voir are different, like to watch vs to see in English:
- regarder = to look at / to watch (you do it intentionally)
- voir = to see (it happens to you; perception)
So:
- Je regarde une émission. = I watch a show (I choose to watch it).
- Je vois une émission. sounds more like I happen to see a show / it is visible to me; it’s not the usual verb for watching TV.
For TV, films, videos, etc., you almost always use regarder.
Also note: regarder does not take a preposition here:
- Je regarde une émission. ✅
- Je regarde à une émission. ❌ (wrong in French)
Three points:
Gender
Émission is a feminine noun in French: une émission, l’émission, cette émission.Indefinite article (une)
Une émission = a show (not specified which show). This matches the English idea of “a TV show”.- If the speaker means some non-specific show: une émission is normal.
- If it were a specific show already known in the context, you might see l’émission (“the show”).
Why not un émission?
Because un is the masculine form. Since émission is feminine, you must use une.
Émission in French is a general word for a broadcast:
- a TV program / TV show
- a radio program
- more broadly, something that is emitted (scientific use), but that’s not relevant here.
In everyday language about TV/radio, une émission = a show / a program.
Some nuances:
- une émission de télévision = a TV show
- une émission de radio = a radio program
You can also say un programme for a TV program, but une émission is very common and sounds natural here.
For languages, French uses en + language name:
- en français = in French
- en anglais = in English
- en espagnol = in Spanish
You do not say:
- dans le français ❌ for “in French”
- dans l’anglais ❌
Possible alternatives, but more formal/less common in everyday speech:
- en langue française (in the French language)
- dans la langue française (in the French language) – more literary or academic.
For normal speech, en français is the standard and most natural expression.
In theory, French word order is somewhat flexible, but some positions sound much more natural than others.
Here are common, natural options:
- Le soir, je regarde une émission en français pour pratiquer la langue. ✅
- Le soir, je regarde une émission pour pratiquer la langue en français. ✅ (but sounds a bit less natural; slight change in focus)
Less natural / awkward:
- Le soir, je regarde en français une émission pour pratiquer la langue. ❌ (sounds strange to a native)
- Le soir, en français, je regarde une émission pour pratiquer la langue. ❌ or very odd; it suggests you are in French, which makes no sense
Rule of thumb: keep en français immediately after the thing that is “in French” (here, une émission). So:
- une émission en français = a show in French
To express purpose (“in order to”), French normally uses:
- pour + infinitive
So:
- pour pratiquer = to practice / in order to practice
Examples:
- Je lis des livres pour apprendre. = I read books to learn.
- Je regarde des émissions pour pratiquer. = I watch shows to practice.
À + infinitif can exist in other structures, but not usually to express simple purpose like this. For purpose, you should use pour + infinitive.
So:
- …en français pour pratiquer la langue. ✅
(in French to practice the language)
Two parts:
Gender
Langue (language, tongue) is feminine in French:- la langue, une langue, ma langue
So le langue is incorrect; it must be la langue.
Why the definite article (la) instead of no article?
When you refer to something in general, French often uses a definite article where English doesn’t:- J’aime la musique. = I like music.
- J’aime le café. = I like coffee.
- Je pratique la langue. = I practice the language.
In this sentence, la langue refers to “the language” already understood from the context (French). You can also say more explicitly:
- pour pratiquer le français (to practice French)
- pour pratiquer la langue française (to practice the French language – more formal/explicit)
Both are correct, but they have slightly different flavors:
pour pratiquer le français
- Very direct and common.
- Explicitly names the language.
- Very natural in everyday speech.
pour pratiquer la langue
- Also correct and understandable.
- Relies on context (everyone knows you mean “the language” = French).
- Can sound a bit more “textbook” or neutral.
In isolation, many native speakers might naturally say:
- Le soir, je regarde une émission en français pour pratiquer le français.
But in a longer conversation where it’s already clear you’re talking about French, la langue is perfectly fine.
Both singular and plural are possible, but they give slightly different nuances:
Je regarde une émission en français.
- Suggests you usually watch one show (maybe the same one, or just one at a time).
- Matches the English “I watch a show in French…”
Je regarde des émissions en français.
- Suggests you watch several shows in French.
- More like “I watch shows in French…”
Since the sentence talks about a routine, the singular here feels like: every evening I (typically) watch a show in French (one show per evening). If you want to emphasize variety, use the plural:
- Le soir, je regarde des émissions en français pour pratiquer la langue.
Yes, that is also correct. Both are natural:
- Le soir, je regarde une émission en français pour pratiquer la langue.
- Je regarde une émission en français le soir pour pratiquer la langue.
Differences:
- Putting Le soir first emphasizes the time frame (in the evenings).
- Putting le soir at the end is slightly less emphasized but still means the same.
French allows time expressions at the beginning or at the end of the sentence; both positions are common.
A few useful points:
- en is nasal: it’s one sound, similar to “on” in song, but nasal. Don’t pronounce the n fully.
- français:
- The ç is pronounced like s.
- The final s is silent: [frɑ̃sɛ], not fran-sess.
- There is no liaison between en and français (you don’t link them with a consonant sound).
Full sentence (approximate phonetic hint for English speakers):
- Le soir, je regarde une émission en français pour pratiquer la langue.
→ Luh vwar, zhə rə-gar-d ün é-mis-yon ɑ̃ frɑ̃-sɛ pour pra-ti-ké la lòng.
This is only an approximation, but it may help you hear where the nasal vowels (en, an) occur.