Learn Hardcore French: Nous analysons ce texte ensemble.

nous analysons = we analyze / we are analyzing
nous analystent ❌ (wrong ending)
nous analyser ❌ (that’s the infinitive “to analyze,” not a finite verb form)

Can French “nous analysons” mean both “we analyze” and “we are analyzing” in English?

Yes. French doesn’t have a separate continuous tense like “are analyzing.”

Nous analysons can mean:

We analyze this text together (habitual, general)
We are analyzing this text together (right now)

Context (or an added time expression like en ce moment, en général) tells you whether it’s ongoing or habitual.

Why is it “ce texte” and not “cet texte” or “cette texte”?

The demonstrative adjective ce / cet / cette / ces must agree with the gender and number of the noun:

ce = masculine singular before a consonant
cet = masculine singular before a vowel or mute h
cette = feminine singular
ces = plural (masc. or fem.)

Texte is:

masculine
singular
starts with a consonant sound /t/

So:

ce texte ✅
cet texte ❌ (you’d say cet article, cet homme)
cette texte ❌ (would be used if it were a feminine noun)

Why is there no article before texte? In English we usually say “this text” or “the text.”

Actually, ce is functioning a bit like an article here; it’s a demonstrative adjective meaning “this/that.”

Structure:

ce = this
texte = text

French doesn’t stack an article plus a demonstrative (no le ce texte). You either say:

le texte = the text
ce texte = this text / that text

So ce texte already includes the idea of “this”, and doesn’t need an extra article.

What does “ensemble” mean here, and where can it go in the sentence?

Ensemble means “together.” In this sentence:

Nous analysons ce texte ensemble.
= We analyze / are analyzing this text together.

Position:

The most natural spot is at the end: …ce texte ensemble.
You could also say: Nous analysons ensemble ce texte. (emphasis on doing it together)
You cannot split it like in English (“en se mble” or between words) and you don’t change its form; ensemble is invariable (no masculine/feminine, no plural).

What is the difference between “nous” and “on” in a sentence like this?

Both can mean “we”, but they differ in tone and grammar:

Nous analysons ce texte ensemble.
- More formal, careful, or written French.
- Verb agrees with nous: analysons.
On analyse ce texte ensemble.
- Very common in spoken French.
- Grammatically third person singular, but usually means “we” in everyday speech.
- Verb: analyse (same as il/elle/on analyse).

In conversation, you’ll hear on analyse ce texte ensemble more often than nous analysons ce texte ensemble, but both are correct.

How do you pronounce “nous analysons ce texte ensemble”?

Rough guide (slashes for syllables):

nous → /nu/
analysons → /a.na.li.zɔ̃/ (final -s is silent, nasal vowel /ɔ̃/)
ce → /sə/ (schwa sound)
texte → /tɛkst/ (final -e is silent; pronounce the x and t)
ensemble → /ɑ̃.sɑ̃bl/ (two nasal vowels /ɑ̃/, final -e silent, pronounce bl)

Rhythm:
Nous a-na-ly-sons | ce texte | en-sem-ble

There’s no obligatory liaison between nous and analysons here (you don’t need to say /nuz‿analyzɔ̃/), and none between texte and ensemble (you do not pronounce the e at the end of texte).

Is “analyser” used the same way as “to analyze” in English, or is it closer to “to study”?

Analyser overlaps with “to analyze”, but in everyday language it can be a bit broader and sometimes feel close to “to examine / to study / to break down and understand.”

Examples:

Analyser un texte = analyze / examine / closely study a text
Analyser un problème = analyze / work through a problem
Étudier un texte = more literally “study a text”
(focus on learning it, not necessarily breaking it into parts)

In Nous analysons ce texte ensemble, a natural English translation could be:

We’re analyzing this text together, or
We’re going through this text together (depending on context).

If I want to say “We are going to analyze this text together”, how would I change the sentence?

Use the near future (futur proche) with aller + infinitive:

Nous allons analyser ce texte ensemble.
= We are going to analyze this text together.

Structure:

nous (we)
allons (are going)
analyser (to analyze – infinitive)
ce texte (this text)
ensemble (together)

Can I replace “ce texte” with a pronoun, like “it,” in French?

Yes, you can use a direct object pronoun. For texte (masculine singular), the pronoun is le.

Full: Nous analysons ce texte ensemble.
With pronoun: Nous l’analysons ensemble.

Rules:

le goes before the verb: nous le analysons → nous l’analysons (elision to l’ because analysons starts with a vowel sound).
Meaning: We analyze it together / We’re analyzing it together.