Au printemps, je passe le râteau dans le jardin, puis je taille la haie.

In French, seasons are usually used with au or en, depending on the season:

• au printemps = in spring
• en été = in summer
• en automne = in autumn
• en hiver = in winter

So au printemps is the normal expression for in spring.

French uses au here because printemps is masculine and au is the contraction of à + le.

Passer le râteau means to rake or more literally to pass the rake over an area.

French often uses a verb plus a tool where English may prefer a single verb. So:

• passer le râteau = to rake
• literally: to pass the rake

In this sentence, it means the speaker is raking the garden in spring.

French usually uses an article where English might not.

So French says:

• je passe le râteau
• literally: I pass the rake

Even though English would often just say I rake, French normally keeps the definite article with the tool.

This is very common:

• jouer du piano = to play the piano
• lever la main = to raise your hand
• fermer les yeux = to close your eyes

So le râteau is completely natural here.

Dans le jardin means in the garden.

French uses dans to show location inside an area or space. Here, the action of raking is happening in the garden.

So:

• dans le jardin = in the garden

This is the most straightforward and natural choice in this sentence.

Je passe is the present tense of passer.

French often uses the present tense to describe:

• a habitual action
• a general routine
• something that typically happens

So Au printemps, je passe le râteau dans le jardin, puis je taille la haie means something like:

• In spring, I rake the garden, then I trim the hedge
• or: In spring, I usually rake the garden, then trim the hedge

It is not necessarily happening right now at this exact moment. It can describe a regular seasonal habit.

Puis means then or next.

It shows sequence: one action happens after another.

So:

• je passe le râteau dans le jardin, puis je taille la haie
• I rake the garden, then I trim the hedge

Compared with et:

• et just means and
• puis means and then / next

Using puis makes the order of actions clearer.

Tailler means to cut back, trim, prune, or shape, depending on context.

A haie is a hedge.

So tailler la haie means:

• to trim the hedge
• to cut back the hedge

It suggests garden maintenance, not cutting it down completely.

La haie means the hedge, while une haie means a hedge.

Using la suggests a specific hedge, probably the one at the speaker’s home or in their garden. French often uses the definite article when talking about familiar, expected things in a routine context.

So je taille la haie sounds like:

• I trim the hedge

That feels more natural here than I trim a hedge, which would sound less specific.

Yes, it is very normal.

The basic structure is:

• Au printemps = time expression
• je passe le râteau dans le jardin = first action
• puis je taille la haie = second action

French often puts a time phrase at the beginning of the sentence, just like English:

• Au printemps, ...
• Le matin, ...
• Le week-end, ...

So the sentence structure is very natural and common.

Râteau is pronounced roughly like ra-to, with the stress pattern typical of French.

The â does not change the meaning dramatically for a beginner, but it is part of the correct spelling. In modern French, the accent often reflects historical spelling and helps preserve the standard written form.

So just remember:

• râteau = rake

The final eau is pronounced like o.

Yes, in many cases you could.

• puis = then
• ensuite = afterwards / then / next

So this would also work:

• Au printemps, je passe le râteau dans le jardin, ensuite je taille la haie.

Both are natural. Puis is slightly more compact and flows very well in a simple sequence of actions.