Marie travaille aussi vite que Paul, mais elle se repose moins souvent.

Marie works as fast as Paul, but she rests less often.

Breakdown of Marie travaille aussi vite que Paul, mais elle se repose moins souvent.

• Paul: Paul
• Marie: Marie
• elle: she
• travailler: to work
• souvent: often
• mais: but
• vite: fast
• se: oneself
• reposer: to rest
• moins: less
• aussi: as
• que: as

Questions & Answers about Marie travaille aussi vite que Paul, mais elle se repose moins souvent.

What exactly does "aussi vite que" mean, and how is this structure used in French?

"Aussi vite que" means "as fast as" or "as quickly as".

Grammar pattern:

• aussi + adjective/adverb + que + noun/pronoun

In this sentence:

• vite = an adverb meaning quickly / fast
• aussi vite que Paul = as fast as Paul (does)

More examples:

• Il parle aussi bien que toi. – He speaks as well as you.
• Elle est aussi intelligente que son frère. – She is as intelligent as her brother.

So "aussi … que" expresses equality in a comparison (not more, not less).

Why is it "travaille" and not "travail"?

Travaille is the conjugated verb form; travail is usually a noun.

• The infinitive verb is travailler = to work.
• Conjugated for il/elle/on (he/she/one) in the present tense:
  • il/elle/on travaille = he/she/one works.

In the sentence:

• Marie travaille = Marie works / is working.

Travail on its own usually means "work" (the thing), e.g.:

• J’ai beaucoup de travail. – I have a lot of work.

Why is it "vite" and not "rapide" or "rapidement"?

Because here we’re describing how Marie works (the manner of the action), so we need an adverb, not an adjective.

• vite = adverb = quickly / fast
• rapidement = adverb = rapidly / quickly
• rapide = adjective = fast / quick (describes a noun)

In Marie travaille aussi vite que Paul:

• We modify the verb travaille ⇒ use an adverb ⇒ vite.

You could say:

• Marie travaille aussi rapidement que Paul. (also correct; slightly more formal) But:
• ✗ Marie travaille aussi rapide que Paul. is wrong (adjective used where an adverb is needed).

Does "vite" change form to agree with Marie (feminine), like adjectives do?

No. Vite is an adverb, and French adverbs are invariable: they do not change for gender or number.

• Marie travaille vite.
• Paul travaille vite.
• Ils travaillent vite.
• Elles travaillent vite.

In all cases, vite stays the same.

What is the role of "que" in "aussi vite que Paul"? Is it the same as “that” in English?

Here "que" introduces the second term of the comparison, and it’s best translated as "as" in "as fast as Paul", not as “that”.

Structure:

• aussi + adj/adv + que + [person/thing you compare to]

So:

• aussi vite que Paul = as fast as Paul (does).

It’s not a relative pronoun (“that/who”) here; it’s part of a comparative construction.

Why is "se repose" reflexive? What is the difference between "reposer" and "se reposer"?

French often uses a reflexive verb where English just says “rest” or “relax”.

• reposer (non‑reflexive):

  • Usually means to rest something / to put something down again
    e.g. Repose ce livre. – Put that book down again.

• se reposer (reflexive):

  • Means to rest, to take a rest, to relax (the person rests themselves).
  • Elle se repose. – She is resting.

In the sentence:

• elle se repose moins souvent = she rests less often.

Conjugation pattern:

• je me repose
• tu te reposes
• il/elle/on se repose
• nous nous reposons
• vous vous reposez
• ils/elles se reposent

Why is it "elle se repose" and not just "se repose" after the comma?

Both are possible, but including "elle" is more explicit and very standard.

• Marie travaille aussi vite que Paul, mais elle se repose moins souvent.
  • Clear: she (Marie) rests less often.

You can sometimes drop the subject pronoun in coordinated clauses in French:

• Marie travaille aussi vite que Paul, mais se repose moins souvent.

This is mainly written style and feels a bit more formal or literary.
For learners and in ordinary speech/writing, keeping "elle" is safer and more natural.

How does "moins souvent" work? Why not just "souvent" or "moins fréquemment"?

Moins is the basic word for "less".

Pattern:

• moins + adjective/adverb = less + adjective/adverb

Here:

• souvent = often (adverb of frequency)
• moins souvent = less often

So:

• elle se repose moins souvent = she rests less often.

You could also say:

• Elle se repose moins fréquemment. – She rests less frequently.
  That’s correct but slightly more formal / less common in everyday speech.

Where can "souvent" go in the sentence? Is the position fixed?

In this sentence, the most natural place is exactly where it is: near the end of the clause, after the conjugated verb and pronoun.

• Elle se repose moins souvent.

With compound tenses it usually goes between the auxiliary and the past participle:

• Elle s’est moins souvent reposée. – She has rested less often.

In simple tenses (like the present here), souvent usually comes:

• after the verb (and any object pronouns):
  Elle se repose souvent. – She often rests.

Alternative orders are possible with emphasis or different tenses, but here the given order is standard and natural.

Could we say "Marie travaille plus vite que Paul" instead? What would change?

Yes, that is correct but it changes the meaning of the comparison.

• aussi vite que Paul = as fast as Paul (same speed)
• plus vite que Paul = faster than Paul (higher speed)

So:

• Marie travaille aussi vite que Paul, mais elle se repose moins souvent.
  Marie works just as fast as Paul, but takes breaks less often.

• Marie travaille plus vite que Paul, mais elle se repose moins souvent.
  Marie works faster than Paul, but takes breaks less often.

Could we say "autant que Paul" instead of "aussi vite que Paul"?

Not in this exact sentence, because here we’re comparing manner/speed (an adverb), not quantity.

• aussi + adjective/adverb + que
  → equality of quality or manner
  Elle travaille aussi vite que Paul. – She works as fast as Paul.

• autant (de) + noun / autant + verb + que
  → equality of quantity / amount

  • Elle travaille autant que Paul. – She works as much as Paul.
    (same number of hours / same workload)
  • Elle a autant de travail que Paul. – She has as much work as Paul.

So:

• aussi vite que Paul = same speed
• autant que Paul = same amount of work

How would you pronounce this whole sentence naturally in French?

Approximate IPA and notes:

• Marie → /ma.ʁi/
• travaille → /tʁa.vaj/ (final -lle = /j/, like “y” in “yes”)
• aussi → /o.si/
• vite → /vit/
• que → /kə/ (often reduced, almost like “kə”)
• Paul → /pɔl/
• mais elle → /mɛ.zɛl/ (liaison: s in mais pronounced /z/ before vowel)
• se → /sə/
• repose → /ʁə.poz/
• moins → /mwɛ̃/ (nasal vowel; the n is not fully pronounced)
• souvent → /su.vɑ̃/ (final -t is silent; nasal -an)

Full sentence:

• Marie travaille aussi vite que Paul, mais elle se repose moins souvent.
  /ma.ʁi tʁa.vaj o.si vit kə pɔl | mɛ.zɛl sə ʁə.poz mwɛ̃ su.vɑ̃/

Is this sentence formal or informal? Could I use it in everyday conversation?

The sentence is neutral standard French. It’s perfectly fine in:

• everyday conversation,
• emails,
• essays,
• most written contexts.

Nothing is particularly slangy or overly formal.
You can use it in almost any situation without sounding out of place.