Nous marchons jusqu'à la gare.

We walk to the station.

Breakdown of Nous marchons jusqu'à la gare.

• nous: we
• marcher: to walk
• la gare: the station
• jusqu'à: to

Questions & Answers about Nous marchons jusqu'à la gare.

What tense is marchons, and can this sentence mean both we walk and we are walking?

Marchons is in the present indicative.

In French, the present tense often covers both:

• we walk
• we are walking

So Nous marchons jusqu'à la gare can mean either:

• a general/habitual action, depending on context
• something happening right now

French does not usually need a separate form like English are walking.

Why is it marchons and not marcher?

Because marcher is the infinitive, meaning to walk.

Here the verb is conjugated to match nous (we):

• je marche
• tu marches
• il/elle marche
• nous marchons
• vous marchez
• ils/elles marchent

So:

• marcher = to walk
• marchons = we walk / we are walking

Why do we need nous? Can French leave out the subject like some languages do?

In standard French, the subject pronoun is normally required, so nous must be there.

Unlike in some languages, you usually cannot just say Marchons jusqu'à la gare as a normal statement. That would sound like a command or suggestion in some contexts, not a plain statement.

So:

• Nous marchons... = We are walking...

Also, in everyday spoken French, people often use on instead of nous:

• On marche jusqu'à la gare.

That is very common in conversation.

What does jusqu'à mean here?

Jusqu'à means up to, until, or as far as, depending on the context.

With a place, it usually marks the endpoint of movement.

So jusqu'à la gare means:

• as far as the station
• all the way to the station

It emphasizes the point where the walking ends.

Why is there an apostrophe in jusqu'à?

Because it comes from jusque + à.

When jusque is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, the final silent e drops:

• jusque + à → jusqu'à
• jusque + ici → jusqu'ici

This is a very common French spelling pattern called elision.

Why is it à la gare and not au gare?

Because gare is a feminine singular noun.

So the correct article is la:

• la gare = the station

After à:

• à + la stays à la
• à + le becomes au
• à + les becomes aux

So:

• à la gare = correct
• au gare = incorrect

If the noun were masculine singular, you would use au:

• au musée

What is the difference between jusqu'à la gare and just à la gare?

Jusqu'à la gare emphasizes the idea of going all the way to that point.

With marcher, this is very natural because it shows the endpoint of the walking.

Compare:

• Nous marchons jusqu'à la gare. = We walk all the way to the station.
• Nous allons à la gare. = We are going to the station.

If you simply say à la gare, it may give the destination, but with marcher, jusqu'à often sounds clearer and more natural when you mean the walking continues up to that place.

Does marcher always mean to walk on foot?

Usually, yes.

Marcher specifically means to walk, so it tells you how the movement happens: on foot.

It is not the same as the general verb aller (to go).

So:

• Nous marchons jusqu'à la gare. = We are going to the station by walking
• Nous allons à la gare. = We are going to the station, but it does not say how

How is gare used here? Does it automatically mean a train station?

In many everyday contexts, la gare usually means the train station.

French often uses gare by itself when the meaning is obvious from context.

If someone wants to be more specific, they might say:

• la gare SNCF
• la gare ferroviaire

But in ordinary speech, la gare is often enough.

How do you pronounce Nous marchons jusqu'à la gare?

A rough guide is:

• Nous → noo
• marchons → roughly mar-shon
• jusqu'à → roughly zhus-kah
• la gare → roughly la gar

A few useful points:

• the s in nous is silent
• the s in marchons is silent
• the ending -ons in marchons is nasal
• the final e in gare is silent
• there is no liaison between nous and marchons because marchons starts with a consonant

Could this sentence sound formal? Would a French speaker say it this way in everyday conversation?

It is completely correct, but nous marchons can sound a little more formal or written than everyday spoken French.

In conversation, many speakers would more naturally say:

• On marche jusqu'à la gare.

Both are correct:

• Nous marchons... = standard and clear
• On marche... = very common in speech

So the sentence is good French, but learners should know that on is often preferred in casual spoken language.