Choosing a Gift for a Coworker | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Nous devons choisir un cadeau pour notre collègue.

   We need to choose a gift for our coworker.

   Nous devons

   we need to

   choisir

   to choose

   cadeau

   gift

   pour

   for

   notre

   our

   collègue

   coworker

   More detail

   Nous devons combines nous (“we”) with the present-tense form devons of devoir (“must; need to”). Devons is first-person plural, so it matches nous. In this sentence, devoir expresses a present need or obligation. A reusable pattern is Nous devons + infinitive: “We need to …” or “We must …”. choisir is the infinitive “to choose.” After a conjugated form of devoir, the following verb stays in the infinitive: Nous devons choisir = “We need to choose.” The same verb can appear in other forms, such as je choisis (“I choose”) and nous choisissons (“we choose”), but choisir is the form required after devons here. un cadeau means “a gift.” Cadeau is a masculine noun; its plural is cadeaux. The article un is the masculine singular indefinite article. Here it introduces an unspecified gift; the article does not by itself state a numerical count in every context. pour means “for” and introduces the person or purpose connected with something. In this sentence, it marks the intended recipient: the gift is for the coworker. A reusable pattern is un cadeau pour + person (“a gift for + person”). notre means “our” before a singular noun. It is a possessive determiner: notre agrees with the possessed noun in number, while the possessor is the group represented by nous. Its plural counterpart is nos before a plural noun, as in nos collègues (“our coworkers”). collègue means “coworker” or “colleague.” It is singular here, as shown by notre collègue. The noun can refer to a person of any gender; French may use the same form collègue, with context or other words identifying gender when needed. Its plural is collègues. Together, Nous devons choisir gives “we need to choose,” and un cadeau pour notre collègue gives “a gift for our coworker.” The complete utterance therefore means “We need to choose a gift for our coworker.”

2. Il doit être utile ou plus personnel ?

   Should it be useful or more personal?

   Il doit

   it should

   être

   be

   utile

   useful

   plus personnel

   more personal

   More detail

   Il doit combines il (“it/he”) with the present-tense form doit of devoir for a third-person singular subject. Here, with the surrounding gift context and the translation, il refers to the gift. In this question, doit expresses what the gift should be like: a recommendation or expected quality, not necessarily a strict obligation. The reusable pattern is il doit + infinitive (“it should/must + verb”). être is the infinitive “to be.” It follows doit because a conjugated form of devoir is followed by an infinitive: doit être means “should be” or “must be,” depending on context. Example: Le cadeau doit être simple. — “The gift should be simple.” utile is the adjective “useful.” In this sentence it is masculine singular, agreeing with the understood masculine singular referent of il (the gift). The form utile is also used for feminine singular nouns; its plural is utiles. Example: Cette idée est utile. — “This idea is useful.” plus personnel means “more personal.” plus marks comparison, and personnel is the masculine singular form of the adjective; its feminine singular form is personnelle, and its plural forms are personnels and personnelles. The comparison is relative to another possible gift or level of personalness, without specifying exactly what the comparison is. Example: Ce cadeau est plus personnel. — “This gift is more personal.” Together, Il doit être utile asks whether the gift should be useful, and ou plus personnel offers the alternative that it should be more personal. The whole utterance means: “Should it be useful or more personal?”

3. Elle aime le thé, alors un service à thé pourrait convenir.

   She likes tea, so a tea set might work.

   aime

   likes

   thé

   tea

   alors

   so

   service à thé

   tea set

   pourrait

   might / could

   convenir

   work / be suitable

   More detail

   aime comes from aimer (“to like/love”). Here it is the present-tense form for a third-person singular subject: elle aime. The subject is Elle, and the form expresses her liking tea. Example: J’aime le café. — “I like coffee.” thé is the noun “tea.” With le in this sentence, it refers to tea as a substance or general drink, not to one specified cup. Example: Le thé est chaud. — “The tea is hot.” alors links the preference to a consequence or suggestion. In this sentence, Elle aime le thé gives the reason, and alors introduces what might suit her: “so” or “therefore.” service à thé is a noun phrase meaning “tea set.” The pattern service à + noun can identify a set or item intended for that noun; here, it is a set for serving tea. service is the noun “set/service,” while à thé specifies its purpose. Example: J’ai acheté un service à café. — “I bought a coffee set.” pourrait comes from pouvoir (“can,” “be able to”) and is the third-person singular conditional form. The conditional makes the suggestion tentative: “might” or “could,” rather than presenting it as certain. Example: Cette idée pourrait fonctionner. — “This idea might work.” convenir is an infinitive meaning “to suit” or “to be suitable.” After pourrait, the infinitive remains unchanged: pourrait convenir. In this sentence, the tea set is what might be suitable. Example: Ce cadeau pourrait convenir. — “This gift might be suitable.” Together, Elle aime le thé states the relevant preference. alors connects that preference to the suggestion un service à thé pourrait convenir: a tea set might be suitable or might work. The whole utterance therefore means, “She likes tea, so a tea set might work.”

4. C’est personnel, mais c’est quand même utile.

   That feels personal but still useful.

   C’est

   it is; that is

   personnel

   personal

   mais

   but

   quand même

   still; nevertheless

   utile

   useful

   More detail

   C’est is ce elided before est, from être (“to be”). Here it introduces a description. In this sentence, C’est personnel is translated as “That feels personal.” The same form appears again before utile, creating another c’est + adjective description. personnel means “personal” here. The observed form is the masculine singular form of the adjective; the sentence does not identify a separate noun whose gender should be inferred from ce. Other forms include personnelle (feminine singular), personnels (masculine plural), and personnelles (feminine plural). Example: Cette remarque est personnelle means “This remark is personal.” mais connects two contrasting descriptions and means “but.” It does not itself change the tense or form of either description. quand même is an adverbial expression meaning “still” or “nevertheless.” It marks the contrast: despite the first description, the second description remains true. Here it modifies the second clause. utile means “useful.” This adjective has the same singular form with masculine and feminine nouns: un conseil utile means “a useful piece of advice,” while une idée utile means “a useful idea.” Its plural form is utiles. Together, C’est personnel gives the first description, mais introduces the contrast, and quand même emphasizes that the second description remains valid. The repeated c’est introduces utile, producing the fixed meaning: “That feels personal but still useful.”

5. Ajoutons aussi une petite carte.

   Let's add a small card too.

   Ajoutons

   let’s add

   aussi

   too; also

   petite

   small

   carte

   card

   More detail

   Ajoutons means “let’s add” here. It is the first-person plural imperative of ajouter, used to propose a shared action. The same written form can also be the first-person plural present form in other contexts, so the surrounding sentence determines the function. aussi adds the meaning “too” or “also.” Its position can vary, but here it adds this card to something already being considered. petite describes carte as small. It is the feminine singular form of petit; the adjective agrees with the feminine singular noun it describes. For comparison, plus petite means “smaller.” Example: une petite boîte — “a small box.” carte is a feminine noun meaning “card.” In this sentence it refers to the card being added. Example: J’écris une carte. — “I’m writing a card.” Together, Ajoutons proposes the shared action, une petite carte identifies what to add, and aussi marks it as an additional item: “Let’s add a small card too.”

6. Tout le monde peut la signer avant de lui donner le cadeau.

   Everyone can sign it before we give her the gift.

   Tout le monde

   everyone

   peut

   can

   la

   it

   signer

   sign

   avant de

   before

   lui

   her

   donner

   give

   cadeau

   gift

   More detail

   Tout le monde means “everyone,” but it is grammatically singular in French, so the verb form that follows is third-person singular. For example: Tout le monde est prêt. — “Everyone is ready.” peut is the third-person singular present form of pouvoir (“can” or “be able to”). The pattern pouvoir + infinitive expresses ability or permission, depending on context: Elle peut venir. — “She can come.” la is a feminine singular direct-object pronoun. Here, the fixed translation identifies its meaning as “it”; it refers to the item being signed. French object pronouns normally come before the conjugated verb: Je la signe. — “I sign it.” signer is the infinitive “to sign.” After peut, French uses the infinitive rather than a second conjugated verb: Ils peuvent signer. — “They can sign.” avant de introduces an action that happens earlier: avant de + infinitive means “before doing something.” For example: Lisez avant de répondre. — “Read before answering.” lui is a singular indirect-object pronoun. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the recipient as “her.” With donner, the recipient is expressed by lui: Je lui donne le livre. — “I give her the book.” donner is the infinitive “to give.” The construction lui donner means “to give her,” with lui before the infinitive. The understood subject of this action is supplied by the sentence’s intended context and translation as “we.” cadeau is the noun “gift.” In the full noun phrase le cadeau, le is the masculine singular definite article, and cadeau is the noun itself. For example: Le cadeau est ici. — “The gift is here.” Together, Tout le monde peut la signer means “Everyone can sign it.” The sequence avant de lui donner le cadeau adds the earlier action “before we give her the gift.” Thus the complete utterance means: “Everyone can sign it before we give her the gift.”