Finalement, nous avons adopté le chiot du refuge, et le chaton vient déjà dormir près de lui.

Finalement usually means finally, in the end, or eventually, depending on context.

In this sentence, it suggests that after some hesitation, discussion, or delay, we ended up adopting the puppy. It often carries the idea of after all that, this is what happened.

So Finalement is not just about time; it can also suggest a conclusion to a situation.

Nous avons adopté is the passé composé, a very common French past tense used for completed actions.

• nous avons = we have
• adopté = adopted

So nous avons adopté means we adopted or literally we have adopted.

If you said nous adoptons, that would mean we are adopting or we adopt, which does not fit as well if the adoption is already completed.

Here, adopté stays in its basic form because it is used with avoir and there is no preceding direct object that would trigger agreement.

So:

• nous avons adopté le chiot
• the direct object le chiot comes after the verb
• therefore adopté does not agree

If the direct object came before, agreement could happen in some cases. But not here.

Du is a contraction of de + le.

So:

• de le refuge → du refuge

Here, le chiot du refuge means the puppy from the shelter.

This is very common in French:

• du = of the / from the
• au = à + le

In this sentence, du refuge tells you where the puppy comes from.

• un chiot = a puppy
• un chaton = a kitten

These are the baby forms of:

• un chien = dog
• un chat = cat

So the sentence contrasts the two animals:

• le chiot = the puppy
• le chaton = the kitten

French often uses the definite article when talking about a specific animal already identified in the situation.

Here:

• le chiot = the specific puppy that was adopted
• le chaton = the specific kitten being talked about

English sometimes uses a where French prefers the, but in this sentence both animals are being treated as known or identifiable in context.

This is very natural in French.

• nous avons adopté le chiot = a completed past action
• le chaton vient déjà dormir près de lui = something happening now or already becoming true

So the sentence means that the adoption happened, and now, already, the kitten is coming to sleep near him.

French often combines a past event with a present situation like this.

No. In this sentence, vient dormir means literally comes to sleep.

That is because it is:

• venir + infinitive = to come do something

So:

• vient dormir = comes to sleep

Be careful not to confuse this with:

• venir de + infinitive = to have just done something

For example:

• Il vient de dormir = He has just slept
• Il vient dormir = He comes to sleep

In your sentence, there is no de, so it is the literal meaning: comes to sleep.

In French, short adverbs like déjà, bien, mal, souvent, etc. often go near the conjugated verb.

Here the structure is:

• vient déjà dormir

This literally looks like comes already to sleep, but in natural English we say already comes to sleep or, better, is already coming to sleep / already comes to sleep near him.

The placement may feel different from English, but it is normal in French.

After a preposition like de, French uses a stressed pronoun, not a subject pronoun.

So:

• il = subject pronoun = he
• lui = stressed pronoun = him

Since près de is a prepositional expression, you need:

• près de lui = near him

Not:

• près de il ❌

Other examples:

• avec elle = with her
• pour eux = for them
• chez lui = at his place / at home

Lui refers to le chiot.

So:

• le chaton vient déjà dormir près de lui
• the kitten already comes to sleep near him
• him = the puppy

Because chiot is masculine singular, the pronoun is lui.

If it referred to a feminine noun, you would have d’elle instead.

The comma is acceptable because the sentence links two related clauses:

• nous avons adopté le chiot du refuge
• le chaton vient déjà dormir près de lui

French punctuation is sometimes a little more flexible than what English learners expect. The comma here helps separate the two ideas and gives the sentence a natural rhythm.

It is not unusual at all.

Literally, it means comes to sleep.

That suggests movement toward a place or a person. The kitten is coming over and sleeping near the puppy.

If you wanted goes to sleep, French would more likely use something like:

• s’endort = falls asleep
• va dormir = goes to sleep / goes to sleep somewhere

So vient dormir près de lui emphasizes that the kitten comes near him in order to sleep there.

Sometimes, yes, depending on tone and context.

Possible translations include:

• Finally
• In the end
• Eventually
• After all

But after all can sometimes sound slightly different in English, as if the decision was reconsidered. In the end or eventually is often the safest way to understand Finalement here.