Choosing an Event Activity | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Excusez-moi, à quelles activités pouvons-nous participer maintenant ?

   Excuse me, which events can we join now?

   Excusez-moi

   Excuse me

   à

   to / in

   quelles

   which

   activités

   activities / events

   pouvons-nous

   can we

   participer

   participate / join

   maintenant

   now

   More detail

   Excusez-moi is a polite way to get someone's attention or apologize briefly. Excusez is the present imperative of excuser for vous, used for one person addressed formally or for more than one person; moi is the stressed pronoun meaning “me.” Example: Excusez-moi, où est la gare ? — “Excuse me, where is the station?” à is the preposition required here by participer: French says participer à quelque chose, meaning “to participate in something” or “to join something.” Its meaning can vary with the construction, so here it should be learned together with participer à, not as a standalone English equivalent. Example: Elle participe à une activité. — “She takes part in an activity.” quelles means “which” and is the feminine plural form of the interrogative determiner. It agrees with activités, which is feminine plural. The related forms are quel (masculine singular), quelle (feminine singular), quels (masculine plural), and quelles (feminine plural). Example: Quelles activités préférez-vous ? — “Which activities do you prefer?” activités means “activities”; in this sentence, the fixed translation presents them as “events.” It is the plural of activité. The ending -s marks the plural in writing, while the word's grammatical gender is feminine: une activité, des activités. Example: Nous choisissons deux activités. — “We are choosing two activities.” pouvons-nous means “can we.” It combines pouvons, the first-person plural present form of pouvoir (“can,” “to be able to”), with the subject pronoun nous (“we”) in question inversion. The useful present-tense contrast is je peux, nous pouvons, and ils peuvent; these forms belong to the same verb but do not follow a simple regular pattern. In a question, French can also use Est-ce que nous pouvons participer ? — “Can we participate?” participer is the infinitive “to participate” or “to join.” After pouvons-nous, French uses the infinitive: nous pouvons participer, literally “we can participate.” Its common prepositional pattern is participer à + an activity or event. Example: Pouvez-vous participer à la séance ? — “Can you join the session?” maintenant means “now,” referring to the present time. It modifies the question as a whole: the speakers ask which activities they can join at this time. Example: Nous pouvons commencer maintenant. — “We can start now.” Together, à quelles activités asks “which activities,” with à linked to participer; pouvons-nous participer asks whether “we” are able to join them; and maintenant limits the question to the present. The complete utterance is therefore: “Excuse me, which events can we join now?” It is a polite question for asking about currently available activities.

2. Vous pouvez choisir entre une promenade guidée et une séance de danse.

   You can choose between a guided walk and a dance session.

   Vous pouvez

   you can

   choisir

   choose

   entre

   between

   promenade

   walk

   guidée

   guided

   séance

   session

   danse

   dance

   More detail

   Vous pouvez means “you can” here. pouvez is the present-tense form of pouvoir for vous; vous can address one person formally or more than one person, so this form alone does not identify the number of people. A useful pattern is vous pouvez + infinitive: Vous pouvez attendre. — “You can wait.” choisir means “to choose.” It is an infinitive after pouvez, just as in Je peux choisir — “I can choose.” The infinitive remains choisir while the modal verb carries the person and tense. entre introduces the alternatives in the pattern choisir entre A et B, meaning “choose between A and B.” The second part is introduced by et, “and,” even though et is not a separate selected entry. Example: Choisissez entre le thé et le café. — “Choose between tea and coffee.” promenade is a feminine noun meaning “walk” or “stroll.” Here it is introduced by une, giving une promenade, “a walk.” Example: La promenade est agréable. — “The walk is pleasant.” guidée means “guided” here and describes promenade. It is the feminine singular form of guidé, agreeing with the feminine singular noun promenade; the adjective follows the noun in promenade guidée. Compare un parcours guidé — “a guided route,” where the adjective is masculine singular because parcours is masculine. séance is a feminine noun meaning “session.” Here une séance means “a session.” Example: La séance commence à dix heures. — “The session starts at ten.” danse means “dance.” In une séance de danse, de danse specifies the type of session: “a dance session.” Danse is a feminine noun, but the construction uses de rather than an article because it identifies the activity associated with the session. Example: une séance de musique — “a music session.” Together, Vous pouvez choisir entre gives “You can choose between,” followed by two alternatives: une promenade guidée (“a guided walk”) and une séance de danse (“a dance session”). The full utterance therefore means: “You can choose between a guided walk and a dance session.”

3. Comment est la promenade guidée ?

   What is the guided walk like?

   Comment est

   What is ... like?

   promenade

   walk

   guidée

   guided

   More detail

   Comment est asks about the qualities or experience of something: “What is … like?” Here, est is the third-person singular present form of être (“to be”), used with the singular noun promenade. This pattern is reusable: Comment est + singular noun ? — “What is … like?” For more than one thing, French uses Comment sont ... ?. promenade is a feminine singular noun meaning “walk” here. Its meaning is supported by the fixed translation and context; it can also refer to a stroll or outing in other contexts. The feminine article and adjective form in this sentence agree with this noun: une promenade. guidée means “guided” here. It is the feminine singular form of guidé, the past participle of guider (“to guide”), used as an adjective. It agrees with feminine singular promenade: une promenade guidée. With a masculine singular noun, the corresponding form is guidé; for example, un parcours guidé means “a guided route.” Together, la promenade guidée means “the guided walk.” The question pattern Comment est ... ? asks for a description of that walk, producing the complete meaning: “What is the guided walk like?”

4. Un guide mène la promenade à un rythme lent.

   A guide leads the walk at a slow pace.

   guide

   guide

   mène

   leads

   promenade

   walk

   rythme

   pace, rhythm

   lent

   slow

   More detail

   guide is a masculine noun meaning a person who leads or conducts something. In this sentence, un identifies it as one guide, but the article itself does not express a precise numerical count. The feminine counterpart is guide as well: French uses the same noun form, while the article or other agreement can show the noun’s grammatical gender. Example: La guide présente le musée. — “The guide presents the museum.” mène is the third-person singular present form of mener, “to lead” or “to take someone somewhere.” The spelling with è belongs to this conjugated form; the infinitive is mener. The subject is un guide, so the verb is singular. Example: Le professeur mène le groupe. — “The teacher leads the group.” promenade is a feminine noun meaning a walk or outing. Here it is the thing being led or conducted, and la marks it as feminine singular. French also uses promenade for the act or experience of walking, depending on context. Example: Nous faisons une promenade. — “We are taking a walk.” rythme is a masculine noun meaning “pace” or “rhythm.” In à un rythme..., it names the rate at which an activity happens. The preposition à plus a noun phrase can express this manner or rate: à un rythme rapide means “at a fast pace.” Example: Elle travaille à un rythme régulier. — “She works at a steady pace.” lent is an adjective meaning “slow.” It describes rythme, so it is masculine singular here: lent. Its base form is lent; the feminine singular form is lente, as in une marche lente — “a slow walk.” The adjective agrees with the noun it describes, not with the nearby noun promenade. Together, un guide mène la promenade means “a guide leads the walk.” The phrase à un rythme lent adds the rate: “at a slow pace.” Thus the complete utterance means “A guide leads the walk at a slow pace.”

5. C'est donc facile à suivre.

   So it is easy to follow.

   C'est

   it is

   donc

   so

   facile

   easy

   suivre

   follow

   More detail

   C’est is the contracted form of ce + est: ce is the subject pronoun, and est is the third-person singular present form of être (“to be”). Here it corresponds to “it is”; the pronoun does not by itself specify a more precise referent. Donc marks a conclusion or consequence. In this sentence, it means “so,” linking the statement to what has already been established. Facile is an adjective meaning “easy.” Its basic form is facile; its plural form is faciles, while the singular masculine and feminine forms are both facile. In the pattern être facile à + infinitive, it describes something that can be carried out or understood without much difficulty. Example: C’est facile à faire. — “It is easy to do.” Suivre is the infinitive “to follow.” In facile à suivre, the infinitive names the action that is easy: following it. The reusable pattern is être + adjective + à + infinitive, as in C’est difficile à expliquer. — “It is difficult to explain.” Together, C’est supplies “it is,” donc adds “so,” and facile à suivre means “easy to follow.” The complete utterance therefore means “So it is easy to follow.”

6. Ça semble faisable pour un premier essai.

   That sounds manageable for a first try.

   Ça

   that; it

   semble

   seems

   faisable

   manageable; feasible

   pour

   for

   premier

   first

   essai

   try; attempt

   More detail

   Ça is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” or “it.” Here it is the subject of semble; the fixed translation presents it as the situation being assessed, without identifying a more specific referent. It does not change for masculine or feminine reference. Compare ce/cet/cette, which are demonstratives placed before a noun: cette idée means “this idea.” semble comes from sembler and is the present-tense third-person singular form: je semble, tu sembles, il/elle/on semble, ils/elles semblent. With ça, the singular form is required: Ça semble simple. — “That seems simple.” The construction ça semble + adjective presents an assessment as an appearance or impression, rather than a firm statement. faisable is an adjective meaning “feasible” or “manageable” here. It describes something that can be done. The ending -able is useful in many adjectives with this general possibility meaning, as in acceptable — “acceptable.” Faisable is not the verb form: the verb is faire (“to do; to make”), while the adjective describes the task or activity. pour introduces the context or purpose relevant to the assessment: “for a first attempt.” In this sentence it does not itself state a duration or a numeric quantity. For example, C’est utile pour débuter. means “It is useful for starting.” premier is the masculine singular form of the ordinal adjective meaning “first.” It agrees with the masculine singular noun essai: un premier essai. The feminine singular form is première, as in une première expérience — “a first experience.” essai is a masculine noun meaning “try” or “attempt” in this context. Its plural is essais: deux essais — “two attempts.” In un premier essai, the noun refers to an initial attempt at something, while premier specifies its order. Together, pour un premier essai means “for a first try,” and Ça semble faisable means “That seems manageable.” The complete utterance therefore means: “That sounds manageable for a first try.”

7. Est-ce qu'on bouge beaucoup pendant la séance de danse ?

   How active is the dance session?

   Est-ce qu'on

   Does ...?

   bouge

   moves; is active

   beaucoup

   a lot

   pendant

   during

   séance

   session

   danse

   dance

   More detail

   Est-ce qu'on introduces a yes–no question in an everyday French pattern: Est-ce que + subject + verb. Here on is the subject of bouge. Compare the reusable pattern Est-ce qu'on commence ? — “Are we starting?” bouge is the present-tense form of bouger with on. Here bouger means to move physically, so the question asks about the amount of movement in the session. The same form occurs with je and with singular third-person subjects, as in Je bouge — “I move.” Other present forms include nous bougeons — “we move.” beaucoup is an adverb meaning “a lot” or “much.” Here it indicates a high degree of movement and modifies bouge: On bouge beaucoup — “There is a lot of movement.” pendant is a preposition meaning “during” and places an event within a period. The reusable pattern is pendant + noun phrase, as in pendant le cours — “during the class.” séance is a feminine noun meaning “session,” especially a scheduled period devoted to an activity. In the source it appears in la séance, with the definite article la; it is not being used without an article. Compare une séance — “a session” and la séance — “the session.” danse is a feminine noun meaning “dance.” In séance de danse, it identifies the type or content of the session. The pattern séance de + activity can be reused, for example une séance de yoga — “a yoga session”; this is a new example, not a detail from the supplied conversation. Together, Est-ce qu'on bouge beaucoup asks whether there is a lot of movement, while pendant la séance de danse specifies the period and activity. The complete intended meaning is “How active is the dance session?” The wording is an ordinary conversational way to ask about the amount of physical movement involved.

8. On bouge plus vite, avec des pas simples en groupe.

   It moves faster, with simple steps in a group.

   bouge

   moves

   plus vite

   faster

   pas

   steps

   simples

   simple

   en groupe

   in a group

   More detail

   bouge is the form of bouger used here. It is present tense, third-person singular. With the fixed translation, on in the full sentence is understood as “it,” so on bouge means “it moves.” In other contexts, on can refer to people, often “we” in conversational French; the referent must come from context. Example: On marche. — “We walk” or “One walks,” depending on the context. plus vite means “faster.” vite is an adverb meaning “quickly/fast,” and plus vite is its comparative form. A comparison can be explicit with que: Il court plus vite que moi. — “He runs faster than I do.” Here, the comparison is left implicit, so the sentence simply states that the movement is faster. pas is the noun meaning “step” here; des pas means “steps.” This is different from pas in the negative pattern ne ... pas, where it helps form negation. Example: Je fais un pas. — “I take a step.” simples describes pas. Its base form is simple, and simples is the plural form agreeing with the plural noun pas. The spelling is the same for masculine and feminine plural adjectives in this case; the visible plural marker is -s. Example: des mouvements simples — “simple movements.” en groupe is a reusable expression meaning “in a group” or “as a group.” en introduces the arrangement or manner, and groupe is the noun “group.” Example: Nous travaillons en groupe. — “We work in a group.” Together, On bouge gives the subject and movement, plus vite says that the movement is faster, avec des pas simples adds the means or accompanying detail “with simple steps,” and en groupe specifies the group arrangement. The complete meaning is: “It moves faster, with simple steps in a group.”

9. La promenade guidée nous convient mieux.

   The guided walk suits us better.

   promenade

   walk

   guidée

   guided

   nous

   us

   convient

   suits

   mieux

   better

   More detail

   promenade means “walk” here, specifically the activity or outing being evaluated. It is a feminine noun, which is why the article is La and the following adjective is feminine. A useful related form is se promener, “to go for a walk,” but promenade itself is the noun. guidée describes promenade as “guided.” The adjective is feminine singular here because it agrees with the feminine singular noun promenade. Its masculine singular form is guidé; the feminine form adds -e. This is agreement with the noun, not a change in the noun itself. nous means “us” in this sentence. It is the first-person plural pronoun. With convenir, the person to whom something suits is commonly expressed by à: Cette activité convient à Paul means “This activity suits Paul,” while the corresponding pronoun is Cette activité nous convient, “This activity suits us.” The specific people included in “us” are not identified further by the sentence. convient comes from convenir. In this sentence it is the present-tense third-person singular form, agreeing with the singular subject La promenade guidée, and it means “suits” or “is suitable for.” The useful pattern is quelque chose convient à quelqu’un: “something suits someone.” In nous convient, nous expresses the person affected by that suitability. mieux means “better” here. It is the comparative form of the adverb bien (“well”), not the adjective bon (“good”). Compare Cela fonctionne bien (“That works well”) with Cela fonctionne mieux (“That works better”). When comparing nouns with an adjective, French uses meilleur instead, as in un meilleur choix (“a better choice”). Together, La promenade guidée is “the guided walk,” nous convient says that it suits us, and mieux compares it favorably with another option already relevant in the situation. The complete meaning is: “The guided walk suits us better.”