Breakdown of Cette année, je vais acheter un abonnement mensuel pour le métro et le tram.
Questions & Answers about Cette année, je vais acheter un abonnement mensuel pour le métro et le tram.
Because année is a feminine singular noun in French, so the demonstrative adjective must match it:
- ce = this/that for masculine singular
- cette = this/that for feminine singular
So:
- cet anniversaire = this birthday
- cette année = this year
You use cet before a masculine singular noun starting with a vowel sound, but année is feminine, so it must be cette.
Je vais acheter is the near future (also called futur proche). It is formed with:
- aller in the present tense + infinitive
So:
- je vais acheter = I’m going to buy
French often uses this structure the same way English uses am going to. It sounds very natural for plans or intentions.
You could also say:
- Cette année, j’achèterai un abonnement mensuel...
That is the simple future and means I will buy...
Both are correct, but the nuance is slightly different:
- je vais acheter → sounds like a plan or intention
- j’achèterai → a more neutral future statement, sometimes a bit more formal
Because vais is the je form of the verb aller in the present tense.
Present tense of aller:
- je vais = I go / I am going
- tu vas
- il / elle / on va
- nous allons
- vous allez
- ils / elles vont
So je vais acheter literally follows the pattern I am going to buy.
Because abonnement is a masculine noun.
So you say:
- un abonnement
- le abonnement would become l’abonnement because of the vowel, but the noun is still masculine
A good habit in French is to learn nouns together with their article:
- un abonnement
- une année
- le métro
- le tram
That helps you remember gender more easily.
In French, many adjectives come after the noun, and mensuel is one of them.
So:
- un abonnement mensuel = a monthly pass/subscription
- literally: a pass monthly
This is normal in French. Some adjectives come before the noun, but many come after it.
Compare:
- un abonnement mensuel = a monthly pass
- un journal quotidien = a daily newspaper
- une visite annuelle = an annual visit
So this word order is just standard French adjective placement.
Abonnement often means subscription, but in transport contexts it commonly means a pass.
So here un abonnement mensuel means something like:
- a monthly pass
- a monthly transit pass
French uses abonnement for many kinds of recurring access:
- un abonnement à un magazine = a magazine subscription
- un abonnement internet = an internet plan/subscription
- un abonnement de transport = a transport pass
So yes, the core idea is subscription/access plan, but in this sentence pass is the most natural English translation.
Here pour means for:
- un abonnement mensuel pour le métro et le tram = a monthly pass for the metro and the tram
It shows what the pass is intended for or valid for.
In other contexts, French might also use other prepositions depending on the exact meaning, but pour is very natural here when describing the purpose or coverage of the pass.
French usually uses articles more often than English does.
So where English might say:
- for metro and tram
- or for the metro and tram
French normally says:
- pour le métro et le tram
The definite article is very common when talking about transport systems, services, or things in a general sense.
Also, French generally repeats the article with each noun in a phrase like this:
- le métro et le tram rather than
- le métro et tram
Repeating the article sounds more natural and complete.
Yes. Tram is very commonly used in everyday French as a short form of tramway.
So both exist:
- le tram
- le tramway
In normal spoken and written French, le tram is extremely common and natural.
The comma separates the introductory time expression from the rest of the sentence:
- Cette année, je vais acheter...
It helps readability, just like in English:
- This year, I’m going to buy...
In informal writing, some people may omit it, but using the comma is perfectly normal and often preferred.
A rough pronunciation guide is:
Set ah-NAY, zhuh vay ah-shuh-TAY uhn nah-bohn-mahn mahn-SWEL poor luh may-TRO ay luh tram.
A few useful points:
- Cette sounds like set
- année sounds like ah-nay
- je sounds like zhuh
- vais sounds like vay
- acheter sounds roughly like ah-shuh-tay
- abonnement has nasal vowels; the final -t is silent
- mensuel sounds roughly like mahn-swel
- métro sounds like may-tro
- et here sounds like ay
- tram is close to English tram, but with a French r
If you want to sound natural, it helps to notice the rhythm:
Cette année | je vais acheter | un abonnement mensuel | pour le métro et le tram.
Yes, you could, but the meaning changes slightly.
- je vais acheter = I’m going to buy
- j’achète = I buy / I am buying
French sometimes uses the present tense to talk about a future action, especially when the context makes the future clear. Because Cette année already gives a future time frame, j’achète can work in some contexts.
However, je vais acheter is clearer and more explicitly future-oriented, so it is often the safer choice for learners.
Because contractions like au and du only happen with certain prepositions:
- à + le = au
- de + le = du
But pour + le does not contract.
So:
- pour le métro = correct
- au métro would mean something different, like to the metro/subway
- du métro would mean of the metro or some metro-related context
So pour le stays as two separate words.