Je garde le plan du quartier dans mon sac.

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Breakdown of Je garde le plan du quartier dans mon sac.

• mon: my (before a masculine singular noun)
• dans: in
• le sac: the bag

Questions & Answers about Je garde le plan du quartier dans mon sac.

Why is it je garde and not j’ai if the English translation is “I keep the map …”?

French distinguishes more clearly between “to have” and “to keep”:

• avoir = to have, to possess
  
  • J’ai le plan. = I have the map. (It’s in my possession right now.)
• garder = to keep, to hold onto, to look after
  
  • Je garde le plan. = I keep the map / I’m holding on to the map (on purpose).

In Je garde le plan du quartier dans mon sac, the idea is not just that you have it, but that you keep it there intentionally, e.g. “I always keep the neighborhood map in my bag.”

Does je garde mean “I keep” or “I’m keeping”?

It can mean both. French usually uses the simple present where English would use either simple present or present continuous:

• Je garde le plan du quartier dans mon sac.
  → I keep the neighborhood map in my bag. (habit)
  → I’m keeping the neighborhood map in my bag. (current situation)

If you really want to stress “right now, in progress,” you can say:

• Je suis en train de garder le plan.
  But for everyday purposes, je garde covers both English forms.