Nous faisons cuire la soupe sur le réchaud, puis nous nous asseyons devant la tente pour regarder les étoiles.

Faire cuire is a very common way to say to cook something, especially when you mean to heat it until it is cooked or ready.

• Nous faisons cuire la soupe = We cook the soup / We are heating the soup
• Literally, faire cuire means something like to make cook

French can also use other verbs depending on context:

• cuisiner = to cook, especially in the sense of preparing food
• faire cuire = to cook/hear through
• cuire by itself often means to cook or to be cooking

So nous faisons cuire la soupe sounds very natural here.

Yes, you could, but it is not exactly the same in feel.

• Nous cuisinons la soupe focuses more on preparing the soup
• Nous faisons cuire la soupe focuses more on heating/cooking it

In this camping-style sentence, faisons cuire works especially well because it suggests the soup is being heated on the stove.

Un réchaud is a small stove, camp stove, or portable burner.

In this sentence, it fits the camping setting very well:

• sur le réchaud = on the camping stove / on the burner

It is not usually the main kitchen stove in a house. It often suggests something smaller and portable.

Because the soup is being cooked on the stove, not inside it.

French often uses sur with things like burners, hot plates, and stoves when something is sitting on top of them:

• sur le feu = on the fire
• sur la cuisinière = on the stove
• sur le réchaud = on the camp stove

So sur is the natural choice here.

Puis means then or next. It shows the sequence of actions:

1. Nous faisons cuire la soupe
2. puis
3. nous nous asseyons devant la tente

So it links the two actions in time:

• We cook the soup, then we sit in front of the tent...

It is a little more explicit than just et.

Because s’asseoir is a reflexive verb.

The first nous is the subject:

• nous = we

The second nous is the reflexive pronoun:

• nous nous asseyons = we sit down / we seat ourselves

This structure is very common with reflexive verbs:

• nous nous levons = we get up
• nous nous habillons = we get dressed
• nous nous asseyons = we sit down

So the repetition is normal and necessary.

Because s’asseoir is an irregular verb. Its conjugation is not fully regular.

Here, the form is:

• nous nous asseyons = we sit down / we are sitting down

You may also see related forms from the same verb, such as:

• je m’assieds
• tu t’assieds
• il s’assied
• nous nous asseyons
• vous vous asseyez
• ils s’asseyent

French learners often find this verb tricky because its forms vary.

Devant usually refers to physical position: in front of.

• devant la tente = in front of the tent

Avant usually refers to time: before.

• avant le dîner = before dinner
• avant de dormir = before sleeping

So here, since we are talking about location, devant is the correct word.

Pour + infinitive expresses purpose: in order to or to.

• pour regarder les étoiles = to watch the stars / in order to look at the stars

This is a very common French structure:

• Je viens pour aider. = I’m coming to help.
• Elle sort pour acheter du pain. = She goes out to buy bread.

So the sentence tells us why they sit in front of the tent.

Because regarder usually takes a direct object in French.

• regarder quelque chose = to look at something
• regarder les étoiles = to look at the stars

English uses look at, but French usually just uses regarder + noun with no preposition.

Compare:

• écouter la musique = to listen to music
• chercher ses clés = to look for one’s keys

French often does not use the same preposition English does.

French often uses an article where English may sound more flexible.

• regarder les étoiles = watch the stars / look at the stars

Here les refers to the stars in general, especially the stars visible in the sky.

French normally prefers an article with nouns, so regarder étoiles would be incorrect.

The present tense in French can describe:

• a general fact
• a habitual action
• something happening now
• a vivid narrative scene

Here it can sound like:

• a description of what we do
• or a scene happening right now

So nous faisons, nous nous asseyons, and regarder all fit naturally in a descriptive present.

In writing, yes, nous is completely normal and correct.

In everyday spoken French, many speakers would often use on instead of nous:

• On fait cuire la soupe sur le réchaud, puis on s’assoit devant la tente pour regarder les étoiles.

Both are correct, but they have different tones:

• nous = more formal, careful, or written
• on = very common in conversation

So the sentence is perfectly good French, especially in written or teaching contexts.