J'allume une bougie sur la table.

I light a candle on the table.

Breakdown of J'allume une bougie sur la table.

• je: I
• la table: the table
• sur: on
• allumer: to light
• la bougie: the candle

Questions & Answers about J'allume une bougie sur la table.

Why is it J'allume and not Je allume?

In French, when je is followed by a verb that begins with a vowel sound (including h muet), je usually contracts to j'.

• allume starts with the vowel a.
• So je allume becomes j'allume.

This is called elision and it makes pronunciation smoother.
You do the same thing with other verbs:

• j’aime (not je aime)
• j’habite (not je habite)

What tense is j’allume, and how would I say “I am lighting” in French?

J’allume is in the present tense (présent de l’indicatif).

In French, the present tense covers both:

• I light
• I am lighting

So j’allume une bougie sur la table can mean:

• I light a candle on the table, or
• I am lighting a candle on the table, depending on context.

You don’t normally need a separate continuous form like English “am lighting.”
French uses the same present form for both.

What does the verb allumer generally mean? Is it just for candles?

Allumer basically means to light or to switch on.

You can use it for:

• Candles: allumer une bougie
• Lights: allumer la lumière
• Electrical devices: allumer la télé, allumer l’ordinateur
• Fire: allumer le feu

So it’s not limited to candles; it works for many things you “start” by giving them light, fire, or power.

Why is it une bougie and not un bougie?

Because bougie is a feminine noun in French.

• Feminine singular indefinite article = une
• Masculine singular indefinite article = un

So:

• une bougie = a candle
• If it were masculine, it would be un bougie, but that is incorrect.

This also affects any adjectives:

• une petite bougie (a small candle)
• une bougie blanche (a white candle)

Why is it sur la table and not sur le table?

Because table is feminine in French.

• Feminine singular definite article = la
• Masculine singular definite article = le

So:

• la table = the table
• sur la table = on the table

Even though “table” in English doesn’t show gender, in French you have to remember that table is feminine: la table.

Can sur la table go somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes. In French, the basic word order is fairly flexible for prepositional phrases like sur la table, as long as it stays clear.

Possible versions:

• J’allume une bougie sur la table. (most neutral)
• Sur la table, j’allume une bougie. (emphasis on on the table)
• J’allume, sur la table, une bougie. (more written/literary; adds a pause)

For everyday speech, the original J’allume une bougie sur la table is the most natural.

How would I say “I light the candle on the table” instead of “a candle”?

You just change the article:

• J’allume une bougie sur la table. = I light a candle on the table.
• J’allume la bougie sur la table. = I light the candle on the table.

une = a / one
la = the (for a specific candle you and the listener already know about).

How do I make this sentence negative? (e.g. “I’m not lighting a candle on the table.”)

Use ne … pas around the verb, and remember the elision before a vowel:

• Je n’allume pas une bougie sur la table.

Structure:

• je → je n’ (because of the vowel a in allume)
• ne … pas around allume.

In spoken informal French, people often drop the ne:

• J’allume pas une bougie sur la table. (very common in conversation)

How would I replace une bougie with a pronoun, as in “I light it on the table”?

You’d use the direct object pronoun la (because bougie is feminine singular):

• J’allume une bougie sur la table.
  → Je l’allume sur la table. (I light it on the table.)

Notes:

• la becomes l’ before a vowel: je la allume → je l’allume
• The object pronoun goes before the verb in simple tenses.

What is the difference between allumer and s’allumer?

• allumer (no se) = to light / to switch on something (transitive, you act on something)

  • J’allume une bougie. = I light a candle.

• s’allumer (reflexive) = to come on / to light up (by itself or as a result of something):

  • La bougie s’allume. = The candle lights up.
  • La lumière s’allume automatiquement. = The light comes on automatically.

In your sentence, J’allume une bougie, you are the one doing the action to the candle, so you use allumer, not s’allumer.

How would I say it in the past: “I lit a candle on the table”?

Use passé composé with avoir:

• J’ai allumé une bougie sur la table. = I lit a candle on the table / I have lit a candle on the table.

Structure:

• j’ai (present of avoir)
• • allumé (past participle of allumer)

How would I say it in the plural: “I light some candles on the table”?

You need to put bougie in the plural and change the article:

• J’allume des bougies sur la table. = I light some candles on the table.

Details:

• une bougie → des bougies (plural of the indefinite article)
• Add an s to bougie in writing: bougies
  (The pronunciation doesn’t change much; the final s is silent in normal speech.)