Quand il pleut, je ne prends pas la trottinette.

No. In il pleut, il is an impersonal subject. It does not refer to a person.

French often uses il in weather expressions:

• il pleut = it’s raining
• il neige = it’s snowing
• il fait beau = the weather is nice

So here, il means the English it in it’s raining.

French statements normally use subject + verb order:

• il pleut = it rains / it’s raining

After quand meaning when, you still keep normal statement word order:

• Quand il pleut = when it rains / when it’s raining

You do not invert the subject and verb here, because this is not a question.

Because the subject is je.

The verb is prendre = to take, and in the present tense:

• je prends
• tu prends
• il / elle / on prend
• nous prenons
• vous prenez
• ils / elles prennent

So:

• je prends = I take
• il prend = he takes

That is why the sentence has je ne prends pas.

Standard French negation usually uses ne ... pas around the verb.

So:

• je prends = I take
• je ne prends pas = I do not take

In this sentence:

• je ne prends pas la trottinette = I do not take/use the scooter

In spoken French, people often drop ne:

• je prends pas la trottinette

But in careful written French, ne ... pas is the standard form.

In a basic French negative sentence, ne goes before the conjugated verb and pas goes after it.

Pattern:

• subject + ne + verb + pas

Examples:

• je ne sais pas
• il ne vient pas
• nous ne prenons pas

So:

• je ne prends pas la trottinette

If there were an infinitive, the position could be different in some structures, but in this simple sentence pas goes after the conjugated verb prends.

French often uses the definite article where English might use the, a, or sometimes no article at all.

Here, prendre la trottinette can mean using that means of transport in a general or familiar sense:

• je prends la voiture = I take the car / I go by car
• je prends le bus = I take the bus
• je prends la trottinette = I take the scooter

So la does not always need to be translated very literally. It often sounds more natural in French to include the article.

Not necessarily. Prendre often means to take, but with transport it commonly means to take / use / go by.

So:

• prendre le train = take the train
• prendre le bus = take the bus
• prendre la voiture = take the car
• prendre la trottinette = take/use the scooter

In this sentence, the idea is most likely I don’t use the scooter when it’s raining, not just I don’t pick it up.

Trottinette usually means scooter, especially a kick scooter. In modern everyday use, it can also refer to an electric scooter, depending on context.

So the translation depends on the situation:

• scooter
• kick scooter
• sometimes e-scooter

If the learner already has the meaning shown, this is mainly a vocabulary note.

French often uses the present tense in places where English may use either:

• when it rains
• when it’s raining

So Quand il pleut can express a general condition or a repeated situation:

• Whenever it rains, I don’t take the scooter.

French does not need a separate continuous form like English is raining here.

Quand means when here and introduces a time clause.

So the sentence is built like this:

• Quand il pleut = when it rains
• je ne prends pas la trottinette = I don’t take the scooter

Together:

• Quand il pleut, je ne prends pas la trottinette.

This use of quand can describe:

• a habitual situation
• something that happens whenever that condition is true

The comma separates the introductory clause from the main clause:

• Quand il pleut, = introductory time clause
• je ne prends pas la trottinette. = main clause

This is also common in English:

• When it rains, I don’t take the scooter.

In short, the comma helps readability. It is especially natural when the quand clause comes first.