Learn Hardcore French: Je regarde le plan du quartier avant de marcher vers le centre-ville. - I look at the map of the neighborhood before walking toward downtown.

regarder = to look at, to watch (a deliberate action with your eyes)
- Je regarde le plan = I am looking at the map.
voir = to see (more passive, just noticing something with your eyes)
- Je vois le plan = I can see / I see the map (it’s in my field of vision).
lire = to read (to decode written information)
- Je lis le plan = I am reading the map (focusing on the information, not just looking).

In the sentence, the idea is that the speaker is looking at/consulting the map, so regarder fits best.

Why is it le plan and not un plan?

le plan = the map/plan, a specific one that both speaker and listener know about (for example, the map they have in their hands, or the one on the wall).
un plan = a map/plan, not specified, just any map.

Using le suggests there is a particular map already identified in the context. If you said Je regarde un plan du quartier, it would feel like introducing the idea of a map for the first time, or saying you happen to be looking at one among others.

What exactly does plan mean here, and how is it different from carte?

Both can translate as map, but they’re used a bit differently:

un plan is often:
- a city plan: un plan de Paris (a street map of Paris)
- a floor plan: le plan de l’appartement
- a diagram/layout
une carte is often:
- large-scale/maps: une carte de France, une carte du monde
- thematic maps (weather map: carte météo)
- also used for menu: la carte du restaurant

In le plan du quartier, plan is the map that shows the streets of a relatively small area (the neighborhood).

What does quartier mean, and why is it du quartier?

un quartier is a neighborhood, a district of a town or city.
du quartier = de + le quartier → du quartier, meaning of the neighborhood.

So le plan du quartier literally means the map of the neighborhood.

English often likes neighborhood map, but French keeps the of-structure: plan du quartier, plan de la ville, etc.

Why do we say avant de marcher and not just avant marcher?

In French, when avant is followed by a verb, you must use:

avant de
- infinitive (when it’s the same subject as the main verb)

Here, the subject is je for both actions: je regarde and je marche, so you use:

avant de marcher = before walking

You cannot drop de; avant marcher is ungrammatical.

If the subject changed, you’d need avant que + subjunctive instead:

Avant que je marche, il regarde le plan.
(Before I walk, he looks at the map.)

Could I say avant que je marche instead of avant de marcher here?

No, not in this exact sentence.

avant de marcher is correct because the subject je is the same for both verbs (regarde and marcher).
avant que je marche would introduce a new clause with its own subject and would require the subjunctive (marche), but it is mainly used when there is a different subject or a more complex structure.

Here, avant de marcher is the natural, simple, and correct form.

Why is marcher used here and not aller or se promener?

The nuances:

marcher = to walk (focus on the act of walking on foot)
- Je marche vers le centre-ville. = I walk / I am walking toward downtown.
aller = to go (general movement, not specifying how)
- Je vais au centre-ville. = I go / am going downtown (could be by car, bus, etc.).
se promener = to go for a walk / stroll
- Je me promène vers le centre-ville. = I am strolling toward downtown (more leisurely).

The sentence wants to say specifically walking, so marcher is appropriate.

Why is it vers le centre-ville instead of au centre-ville or dans le centre-ville?

These prepositions give different nuances:

vers le centre-ville = toward downtown
- movement in the direction of the city center, but not necessarily arriving there.
au centre-ville = to the city center / in the city center
- often implies destination or location: Je vais au centre-ville. (I’m going downtown.)
dans le centre-ville = in the city center (inside that area)
- Je travaille dans le centre-ville. (I work in the city center.)

In the sentence, vers emphasizes direction rather than destination or location.

Why do we say le centre-ville and not just centre-ville without an article?

In French, most nouns need an article (definite, indefinite, or partitive). Centre-ville is a noun (masculine):

le centre-ville = the city center / downtown

You might see article-less uses in set expressions (e.g. en centre-ville in some styles), but the default, neutral form is le centre-ville.

So vers le centre-ville is the normal, standard phrase: toward the city center.

What tense is je regarde, and does it mean “I look at” or “I am looking at”?

Je regarde is the present tense (présent de l’indicatif).

In French, the simple present covers both English:

I look at the map
I am looking at the map

So Je regarde le plan can mean either, depending on context. If you really want to insist on “right now,” you can add something like en ce moment:

En ce moment, je regarde le plan. = Right now, I’m looking at the map.

Can the word order change, for example: Avant de marcher vers le centre-ville, je regarde le plan du quartier?

Yes. Both orders are correct:

Je regarde le plan du quartier avant de marcher vers le centre-ville.
Avant de marcher vers le centre-ville, je regarde le plan du quartier.

The meaning is the same. Moving avant de marcher... to the front just emphasizes the time relationship a bit more (what happens first).

How do you pronounce vers and is it the same as vert?

In standard French, vers and vert are pronounced the same:

IPA: /vɛʁ/

So vers le centre-ville (toward downtown) and un pull vert (a green sweater) sound identical in most accents. The meaning is understood from context, not pronunciation.