Breakdown of Je mets la copie dans l’enveloppe avant de partir.
je
I
dans
in
avant de
before
partir
to leave
Questions & Answers about Je mets la copie dans l’enveloppe avant de partir.
Why is it je mets and not je met?
Because the verb is mettre (to put), and with je in the present tense, the correct form is mets.
Present tense of mettre:
- je mets
- tu mets
- il / elle / on met
- nous mettons
- vous mettez
- ils / elles mettent
So je mets la copie... means I put / I am putting the paper...
Also, the -s in mets is usually not pronounced.
Why does French use la copie instead of just copie?
French usually needs an article where English often does not.
So French says:
- la copie = the copy / the paper
- l’enveloppe = the envelope
In English, you might sometimes say I put the paper in an envelope or even leave out an article in other contexts, but French is much stricter about using articles with nouns.
Here, la copie refers to a specific paper or copy, not just the general idea of copy.
Why is it l’enveloppe and not la enveloppe?