Une petite pause suffit pour calmer Marie.

A short break is enough to calm Marie.

Breakdown of Une petite pause suffit pour calmer Marie.

• Marie: Marie
• pour: in order to
• la pause: the break
• calmer: to calm
• suffire: to suffice
• petit: short

Questions & Answers about Une petite pause suffit pour calmer Marie.

Why is it petite pause and not petit pause?

In French, adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

• pause is a feminine singular noun: une pause
• The adjective petit must therefore take the feminine singular form: petite

So:

• masculine singular: un petit café
• feminine singular: une petite pause
• masculine plural: de petits cafés
• feminine plural: de petites pauses

How do you know that pause is feminine? It doesn’t look feminine like fille or table.

You mostly have to learn the gender of each noun with its article.

• We say une pause, not un pause → that makes it feminine.
• Many abstract or “activity” nouns ending in -e are feminine (une danse, une marche, une visite), but this is only a tendency, not a rule.

The safest habit: always learn la pause / une pause together with the noun, not just pause.

What exactly does suffit mean? Is it just “is enough”?

suffit is the 3rd person singular present of the verb suffire.

• suffire = “to be enough”, “to suffice”

So Une petite pause suffit literally means “A small break suffices.”
In natural English you’d usually say “A short break is enough.”

It’s not an adjective; it’s a full verb, like manger, prendre, faire.

Why do we say Une petite pause suffit instead of Une petite pause est suffisante? Are both correct?

Both are grammatically correct, but suffire is much more common and natural here.

• Une petite pause suffit.

  • Very natural, concise, and idiomatic.
  • Uses the verb suffire.

• Une petite pause est suffisante.

  • Also correct, but sounds heavier or more formal.
  • Uses être
    • adjective suffisante.

In everyday speech and writing, French speakers strongly prefer suffire in this kind of sentence.

What is the full conjugation of suffire in the present tense?

Present indicative of suffire:

• je suffis – I am enough / I suffice
• tu suffis – you are enough
• il / elle / on suffit – he / she / one is enough
• nous suffisons – we are enough
• vous suffisez – you are enough
• ils / elles suffisent – they are enough

In the sentence:

• Une petite pause suffit → the subject is une petite pause, so we use il/elle form: suffit.

Why is it pour calmer Marie and not à calmer Marie?

pour + infinitive is the standard way to express purpose in French:

• pour + infinitive = in order to / to (do something)

Examples:

• Je fais une pause pour me reposer. – I take a break to rest.
• Une petite pause suffit pour calmer Marie. – A short break is enough to calm Marie.

à + infinitive can appear after certain adjectives, verbs, or nouns (difficile à faire, commencer à parler), but for a straightforward “in order to” meaning, you normally use pour + infinitive.

So à calmer Marie here would be wrong.

Is Marie a direct object here? Why no preposition like à or pour before Marie?

Yes, Marie is a direct object.

• The verb is calmer (to calm).
• The thing you calm is the direct object: calmer quelqu’un – to calm someone.

So:

• calmer Marie – to calm Marie
• No preposition is needed, just like in English “to calm her” (not “to calm to her”).

If you replaced Marie with a pronoun, you would say:

• pour la calmer – to calm her

If I replace Marie with a pronoun, where does the pronoun go?

With pour + infinitive, object pronouns go before the infinitive:

• pour calmer Marie → pour la calmer – to calm her
• pour calmer les enfants → pour les calmer – to calm them
• pour calmer Jean → pour le calmer – to calm him

You cannot put the pronoun after the verb:

• ❌ pour calmer la
• ✅ pour la calmer

Why do we use une and not la or de before petite pause?

une is the indefinite article (“a / one”), used when we talk about an instance of something, not a specific, identified one.

• Une petite pause suffit…
  → Any short break / a short break (in general) is enough.

If you said:

• La petite pause suffit…
  → You would be talking about a specific break that both speaker and listener already know about (for example, the break they just mentioned).

And de petite pause would not be correct here. You would only have de if something came before it that requires de, e.g.:

• Il ne faut qu’une petite pause. – Only a small break is needed.
• Il suffit d’une petite pause. – A small break is enough.

Can I also say Il suffit d’une petite pause pour calmer Marie? Is it the same meaning?

Yes, that sentence is very natural and means essentially the same thing.

• Une petite pause suffit pour calmer Marie.
  → The subject is une petite pause.

• Il suffit d’une petite pause pour calmer Marie.
  → Impersonal construction with il suffit de + nom
  → Literally: “It suffices (that there is) a small break to calm Marie.”

Both are correct and common; the il suffit de structure is extremely frequent in French.

What’s the difference between une petite pause and une courte pause? Both are “a short break,” right?

Both can translate as “a short break,” but there’s a nuance:

• une petite pause

  • Very common, neutral.
  • Focus can be on the “smallness” of the break as an event: not a big deal, quick, modest.
  • Often used in everyday speech.

• une courte pause

  • More explicitly about duration (short in time).
  • Slightly more formal or precise.
  • Common in written or semi-formal contexts: une courte pause publicitaire, une courte pause café, etc.

In your sentence, une petite pause sounds very natural and conversational.

How do you pronounce Une petite pause suffit pour calmer Marie? Are the final consonants pronounced?

Approximate IPA:
/yn pətit poz syfi puʁ kalme maʁi/

Key points:

• une: /yn/ – the e is almost not pronounced as a full vowel.
• petite: /pətit/ – the final -e is silent; the t is pronounced because it’s followed by a vowel in pause?
  
  • Here, there is no liaison: petite ends in t, but the next word pause begins with p (a consonant), so we say /pətit poz/, no extra sound between them.
• pause: /poz/ – final e is silent; au = /o/.
• suffit: /syfi/ – final t is silent.
• pour: /puʁ/ – pronounced like “poor” but with French ou and French ʁ.
• calmer: /kalme/ – both syllables clearly pronounced.
• Marie: /maʁi/ – stress naturally falls on the last syllable of the phrase, as in French in general.

Can I change the word order and say Pour calmer Marie, une petite pause suffit?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and natural.

• Une petite pause suffit pour calmer Marie.
  → Neutral order: statement first, purpose after.

• Pour calmer Marie, une petite pause suffit.
  → Emphasizes the purpose (Pour calmer Marie) at the beginning.

French allows you to move the pour + infinitive phrase to the front for emphasis, especially in writing or careful speech. The meaning remains the same.

Does the present tense suffit mean this is happening now, or is it more general?

In French (as in English), the present tense can express:

1. General truth / habit:

   • Une petite pause suffit pour calmer Marie.
     → A small break is (generally) enough to calm Marie (whenever this situation happens).

2. Present situation (less likely here, but possible):

   • In a specific context: “Right now, a small break is enough to calm Marie.”

In isolation, we usually read this sentence as a general observation about Marie’s behavior.