Breakdown of Finalement, Paul accepte l’invitation et vient au dîner.
Paul
Paul
et
and
l'invitation
the invitation
accepter
to accept
Questions & Answers about Finalement, Paul accepte l’invitation et vient au dîner.
What does Finalement mean here? Is it exactly the same as English finally?
Not always. In this sentence, Finalement usually means in the end, eventually, or after all.
That is important because French finalement is a common false friend for English speakers. English finally often emphasizes that something happens after a long delay:
- Finally, the bus arrived.
French finalement more often means:
- after thinking about it
- after some hesitation
- in the end
So in this sentence, Finalement, Paul accepte l’invitation... suggests that Paul may have hesitated, but in the end he accepts.
Why is there a comma after Finalement?
Because Finalement is being used as a sentence adverb: it comments on the whole sentence, not just one word.
So:
- Finalement, Paul accepte l’invitation...
means something like:
- In the end, Paul accepts the invitation...
The comma helps separate that introductory idea from the main clause. In French, this punctuation is very common with words like:
- Finalement,
- Cependant,
- Heureusement,
- Donc,