Choosing an activity based on the weather | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Est-ce qu'on fait quelque chose à l'intérieur ou dehors demain ?

   Should we do something indoors or outdoors tomorrow?

   Est-ce qu'on

   Should we…?

   fait

   do

   quelque chose

   something

   à l'intérieur

   indoors

   dehors

   outdoors

   demain

   tomorrow

   More detail

   Est-ce qu'on begins a yes/no question. Est-ce que is a reusable French question pattern, and on is the subject pronoun used here for “we.” Although it refers to “we” in this sentence, on takes a third-person singular verb form, so the sentence uses fait, not faisons. Example: Est-ce qu'on part ? — “Are we leaving?” fait is the present-tense form of faire for on (also the form used with il and elle). Here faire quelque chose means “to do something.” The useful base-form chain is faire → fait for on. Example: On fait une pause. — “We are taking a break.” quelque chose is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something.” It refers to an unspecified thing or activity; in this sentence, the activity is left open. Example: Je veux faire quelque chose. — “I want to do something.” à l'intérieur is a prepositional expression meaning “indoors” or “inside.” The apostrophe in l'intérieur is an elision of le before a vowel sound. Example: Nous mangeons à l'intérieur. — “We are eating indoors.” dehors means “outdoors” or “outside.” It contrasts with à l'intérieur in this sentence. Example: Les enfants jouent dehors. — “The children are playing outside.” demain is the time adverb “tomorrow.” It places the proposed activity on the day after today. Example: On se voit demain. — “We’ll see each other tomorrow.” Together, Est-ce qu'on fait quelque chose asks whether the group will do an unspecified activity, while à l'intérieur ou dehors presents the two location options. demain sets the time, so the complete meaning is: “Should we do something indoors or outdoors tomorrow?”

2. Regardons la météo avant de décider.

   Check the forecast before we decide.

   Regardons

   Let’s check

   météo

   weather; forecast

   avant de

   before

   décider

   decide

   More detail

   Regardons is the first-person plural imperative of regarder (“to look at,” “to watch”). In this sentence it works as a suggestion meaning “let’s check.” The ending -ons here identifies a suggestion involving the speaker and others. For example: Regardons le film. — “Let’s watch the film.” météo is a feminine noun meaning “weather” or “weather information.” In this context, supported by the fixed translation, it means the forecast being checked. The useful pattern is regarder la météo — “to check the weather/forecast.” avant de introduces an action that happens later: avant de + infinitive means “before [doing something].” It is followed here by décider, rather than by a conjugated verb. For example: Réfléchis avant de répondre. — “Think before answering.” décider is the infinitive “to decide.” A common reusable pattern is décider de + infinitive, as in Nous décidons de partir. — “We decide to leave.” In the fixed sentence, however, décider follows avant de, so the phrase means “before we decide.” Together, Regardons la météo means “Let’s check the forecast,” and avant de décider means “before we decide.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Let’s check the forecast before we decide.”

3. La météo dit que le matin sera ensoleillé.

   It says the morning will be sunny.

   météo

   weather; forecast

   dit

   says

   que

   that

   matin

   morning

   sera

   will be

   ensoleillé

   sunny

   More detail

   météo means “weather” or, in this context, “forecast.” The feminine noun is commonly used with la: la météo. Example: La météo est bonne. — “The weather is good.” dit is the present-tense form of dire (“to say, tell”) for il, elle, or another third-person singular subject. Here, La météo dit literally presents the forecast as saying something; English naturally renders the whole subject as “it.” Example: Le guide dit la vérité. — “The guide tells the truth.” que introduces the content of what is said. The reusable pattern is dire que + clause, meaning “to say that + clause.” It does not mean “that” as a demonstrative in this sentence. matin means “morning.” It is a masculine noun, shown here by le matin. Example: Le matin est calme. — “The morning is quiet.” sera is the third-person singular future form of être (“to be”): être → sera. It agrees with the singular subject le matin. The future is expressed in the verb itself, so sera means “will be” here. Example: Le ciel sera clair. — “The sky will be clear.” ensoleillé is an adjective meaning “sunny” or “sunlit.” It describes le matin, so it appears in the masculine singular form. Its feminine singular counterpart is ensoleillée, as in une journée ensoleillée (“a sunny day”); the form changes because the adjective agrees with the noun it describes. Together, La météo dit gives “The forecast says,” and que le matin sera ensoleillé gives “that the morning will be sunny.” Thus the complete utterance means “It says the morning will be sunny,” with it referring to the forecast expressed by la météo.

4. Alors, on pourrait faire une promenade avant le déjeuner.

   Then we could take a walk before lunch.

   Alors

   then

   on pourrait

   we could

   faire

   to do; to make

   promenade

   walk

   avant

   before

   déjeuner

   lunch

   More detail

   Alors means “then” here and connects this suggestion to what has just been said. It can also introduce a consequence or a new step in a conversation. on pourrait expresses “we could.” pourrait is the conditional form of pouvoir for the subject on; the conditional presents the possibility as a suggestion rather than a firm plan. In this sentence, on has the conversational meaning “we,” and the verb is still grammatically singular: on pourrait, not a plural verb form. Compare on peut (“we can”) for present ability or possibility. faire is the infinitive “to do” or “to make.” In faire une promenade, it forms the ordinary French expression for “to take a walk.” The infinitive follows the conjugated modal pourrait: on pourrait faire... = “we could take/do...”. promenade is a feminine noun meaning “walk” in this use. Its gender is visible in the neighboring article une: une promenade. For example, Nous faisons une promenade. means “We are taking a walk.” avant means “before” and introduces the event or time that comes later in the sentence. The pattern avant + noun is useful for expressions such as avant le travail (“before work”). déjeuner is the masculine noun “lunch” here, as shown by le déjeuner. The same written form can also be the verb “to have lunch,” but the article le identifies the noun use in this sentence. For example, Après le déjeuner, je travaille. means “After lunch, I work.” Together, on pourrait faire une promenade means “we could take a walk,” and avant le déjeuner specifies when: “before lunch.” With Alors at the beginning, the complete utterance is: “Then we could take a walk before lunch.”

5. S'il pleut plus tard, on peut aller dans un café.

   If it rains later, we can visit a cafe.

   pleut

   rains

   plus tard

   later

   on peut

   we can

   aller

   go

   dans

   in

   café

   café

   More detail

   pleut means “rains” here. It is the third-person singular present form of pleuvoir (“to rain”). French uses the impersonal il in weather expressions: il pleut means “it is raining,” and after si (“if”), s'il pleut means “if it rains.” plus tard means “later.” It is a time expression that can be placed after the conditional clause, as here. Example: Je viendrai plus tard. — “I will come later.” on peut means “we can” in this sentence. on is a third-person singular subject form, but it commonly means “we” in everyday French; the verb therefore has the singular form. peut is the present form of pouvoir (“can, to be able to”) for il, elle, or on. Example: On peut commencer. — “We can start.” aller means “to go.” It is the infinitive used after peut: on peut aller literally combines “we can” with “go.” After a conjugated form of pouvoir, the following verb remains in the infinitive. The useful form chain is aller (infinitive), je vais (I go/am going), and nous allons (we go/are going). dans means “in” or “into,” expressing entry into or location within a place. Here it introduces the destination un café, so aller dans un café means “go to a café.” café means “café” or “coffee shop” here. It is a masculine noun, shown by the article un; the article is not itself a statement about a numerical count. The accent on é is part of the spelling. Example: un café calme — “a quiet café.” At the beginning, s'il is the contracted form of si + il, “if” + the impersonal “it” used with weather. The conditional clause s'il pleut plus tard gives the condition “if it rains later.” The main clause on peut aller dans un café says that going to a café is possible for “us.” Together, the utterance means: “If it rains later, we can visit a café.”

6. Comme ça, le plan reste flexible.

   That keeps the plan flexible.

   Comme ça

   that way

   plan

   plan

   reste

   stays

   flexible

   flexible

   More detail

   Comme ça means “that way” here: it presents a way of doing something and the result it produces. It is a reusable demonstrative expression, not a literal instruction to “make it like that” in every context. Example: Fais comme ça. — “Do it this way.” plan is the noun “plan.” In French, it is masculine: un plan, le plan. Its meaning can vary with context; here it is the plan being kept flexible. Example: Le plan est simple. — “The plan is simple.” reste is the present-tense third-person singular form of rester, “to stay” or “remain”: je reste, il/elle/on reste, nous restons. Here it describes the plan continuing to have a quality, rather than becoming flexible through a separate action. Example: Le plan reste simple. — “The plan remains simple.” flexible is an adjective meaning “flexible.” It describes le plan, so it is singular. The singular spelling is the same for masculine and feminine; the plural is flexibles. Example: Une date flexible est pratique. — “A flexible date is practical.” Together, Comme ça gives the method or arrangement, and le plan reste flexible says that the plan continues to be flexible as a result. Thus the complete utterance means: “That keeps the plan flexible.”

7. Prévoyons une promenade le matin.

   Let's plan on a morning walk.

   Prévoyons

   let’s plan

   promenade

   walk

   matin

   morning

   More detail

   Prévoyons means “let’s plan” here. It is the first-person plural imperative of prévoir (“to plan” or “to foresee”), used to make a suggestion that includes the speaker and others. The form is also identical to the present-tense nous form: nous prévoyons. Example: Prévoyons une pause. — “Let’s plan a break.” promenade is a feminine noun meaning “walk” or “stroll.” Its gender is shown here by the article une; the noun itself names the planned activity. Example: J’aime cette promenade. — “I like this walk.” matin is a masculine noun meaning “morning.” In le matin, the definite article and noun form a time expression meaning “in the morning” or “the morning,” depending on the surrounding sentence. Example: Je travaille le matin. — “I work in the morning.” The phrase une promenade presents a walk as the activity being planned. The time expression le matin specifies when it is to take place. Together, Prévoyons une promenade le matin. means “Let’s plan on a morning walk.”

8. On peut passer à l'intérieur si le temps change.

   We can move indoors if the weather changes.

   On peut

   we can

   passer

   move; go

   à l'intérieur

   indoors

   si

   if

   le temps

   the weather

   change

   changes

   More detail

   On peut combines on (“we” here) with peut, the third-person singular present form of pouvoir (“can; be able to”). French uses this form with on, even when on refers to a group translated as “we.” The reusable pattern is on peut + infinitive: “we can …” or, depending on context, “one can …”. Passer is an infinitive after peut. In this sentence it means “to move/go,” not simply “to pass.” With a destination or location, passer à l'intérieur can express moving indoors. Example: On peut passer dehors. — “We can go outside.” À l'intérieur means “indoors” or “inside.” The preposition à is part of this location expression; it is not the article for the noun intérieur in this use. The contrasting location expression à l'extérieur means “outdoors” or “outside.” Si introduces a condition and means “if” here. The pattern si + present-tense clause presents a possible condition; the main clause states what is possible under that condition. Example: Je viens si tu appelles. — “I’ll come if you call.” Le temps means “the weather” in this sentence, as confirmed by the fixed translation. Temps can also mean “time” in other contexts, so the intended meaning comes from the surrounding expression and situation. Here, le is the masculine singular definite article with temps; it does not itself indicate a quantity. Change is the third-person singular present form of changer, “to change.” The subject is le temps, so the verb is singular: le temps change. The present tense describes the condition “if the weather changes.” Example: Le temps change vite. — “The weather changes quickly.” Together, On peut passer à l'intérieur means “We can move indoors,” and si le temps change adds the condition “if the weather changes.” The complete utterance is therefore: “We can move indoors if the weather changes.”