Planning a Group Dinner | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Nous devons choisir un restaurant pour notre groupe samedi.

   We need to choose a restaurant for our group on Saturday.

   Nous devons

   we need to

   choisir

   choose

   restaurant

   restaurant

   groupe

   group

   samedi

   Saturday

   More detail

   Nous devons combines the subject pronoun nous (“we”) with devons, the first-person plural present form of devoir. Here devoir + infinitive expresses a need or obligation: “need to.” Compare nous devons choisir (“we need to choose”) with nous pouvons choisir (“we can choose”), where pouvoir expresses ability or permission rather than necessity. choisir is the infinitive meaning “to choose.” After devons, it remains in the infinitive rather than taking a personal ending. Its present-tense forms include je choisis, nous choisissons, and ils choisissent. Example: Nous devons choisir maintenant. — “We need to choose now.” restaurant is a masculine noun meaning “restaurant.” The phrase un restaurant uses the masculine singular indefinite article un; the article marks an indefinite singular noun phrase, but it does not by itself state a numerical quantity as a separate claim. Example: Je cherche un restaurant. — “I’m looking for a restaurant.” groupe is a masculine noun meaning “group.” In notre groupe, notre is the possessive determiner meaning “our.” It agrees with the possessed noun in number: notre is used with a singular possessed noun, while nos is used with plural possessed nouns. notre has the same form with singular masculine and singular feminine nouns. Example: Notre groupe arrive demain. — “Our group is arriving tomorrow.” samedi means “Saturday.” Here it identifies the day on which the choosing needs to happen. A weekday name can be used without an article to refer to a day such as this Saturday in a sentence like this. Example: Nous travaillons samedi. — “We are working on Saturday.” Putting the parts together, Nous devons choisir means “we need to choose,” un restaurant identifies what must be chosen, pour notre groupe means “for our group,” and samedi gives the time. The complete utterance therefore means: “We need to choose a restaurant for our group on Saturday.”

2. Alors, nous devrions vérifier les préférences alimentaires de chacun avant de réserver.

   Then we should check everyone's food preferences before making a reservation.

   Alors

   then

   nous devrions

   we should

   vérifier

   to check

   préférences

   preferences

   alimentaires

   food-related

   chacun

   each person; everyone

   avant de

   before doing something

   réserver

   to make a reservation

   More detail

   Alors means “then” here and links this proposal to the preceding situation. It can also introduce a conclusion or transition, but here it points to the next step. nous devrions is the first-person plural form of devoir in the present conditional. devoir means “to have to” or “must”; nous devrions softens that obligation into “we should” or “we ought to.” The subject is nous (“we”), and the infinitive vérifier follows it. Compare nous devons vérifier (“we must check”) with nous devrions vérifier (“we should check”). vérifier is an infinitive meaning “to check” or “to verify.” After a conjugated form of devoir, the second verb remains in the infinitive: Nous devrions vérifier... means “We should check...” préférences is the feminine plural noun préférence, “preference.” The plural form refers to preferences, rather than one preference. A useful related expression is avoir une préférence pour..., “to have a preference for...” alimentaires is the feminine plural form of the adjective alimentaire, meaning “food-related” or “related to eating.” It agrees with the feminine plural noun préférences: préférences alimentaires means “food preferences.” The adjective describes the type of preferences; it is not the base form of the noun. chacun is a pronoun meaning “each person” or, in this context, “everyone.” It is grammatically masculine singular even when it refers to every member of a mixed or unspecified group. In de chacun, the preposition de connects this pronoun to préférences: les préférences alimentaires de chacun means “everyone’s food preferences.” avant de introduces an action that happens earlier: “before doing something.” It is followed by an infinitive, not a conjugated verb. For example, Avant de partir, nous vérifions l'heure. means “Before leaving, we check the time.” réserver is the infinitive “to reserve” or “to book.” With the context of choosing a restaurant, it means making a reservation. The pattern avant de réserver therefore means “before making a reservation.” Together, nous devrions vérifier gives the recommendation “we should check.” The object is les préférences alimentaires de chacun, “everyone’s food preferences,” and avant de réserver places the checking before the reservation. The whole utterance means: “Then we should check everyone’s food preferences before making a reservation.”

3. Certaines personnes veulent des sushis, mais d'autres préfèrent un repas chaud.

   Some people want sushi, but others prefer a hot meal.

   Certaines

   some

   personnes

   people

   veulent

   want

   sushis

   sushi

   mais

   but

   d'autres

   others

   préfèrent

   prefer

   repas

   meal

   chaud

   hot

   More detail

   Certaines means “some” here and is the feminine plural form agreeing with personnes. Compare certain (masculine singular), certaine (feminine singular), certains (masculine plural), and certaines (feminine plural). Example: Certaines options sont simples. — “Some options are simple.” personnes is the plural of personne, “person.” In French, personne is grammatically feminine even when it refers to people of mixed or unspecified gender, so the accompanying form here is certaines. Example: Les personnes arrivent. — “The people are arriving.” veulent is the third-person plural present form of vouloir, “to want.” The useful chain is vouloir → veut (one person wants) → veulent (several people want). Example: Ils veulent partir. — “They want to leave.” sushis is the plural noun for sushi in this sentence. The plural marking is visible in the final -s; the preceding des is the plural indefinite determiner, together giving des sushis, “sushi” or “sushi dishes” in this context. Example: Nous mangeons des sushis. — “We are eating sushi.” mais connects two contrasting parts and means “but.” It does not change the tense or person of either verb. Example: Je viens, mais je ne reste pas. — “I’m coming, but I’m not staying.” d'autres means “others” here. It is the pronoun-like plural expression d' + autres; the apostrophe marks elision before the vowel of autres. autre means “other,” and autres is its plural form. Example: Certains partent; d'autres restent. — “Some are leaving; others are staying.” préfèrent is the third-person plural present form of préférer, “to prefer.” The chain is préférer → préfère (one person prefers) → préfèrent (several people prefer). Example: Elles préfèrent le thé. — “They prefer tea.” repas is the noun “meal.” It has the same written form in the singular and plural; the determiner or surrounding agreement shows the number. Here, un repas is singular. Example: Le repas est prêt. — “The meal is ready.” chaud is the masculine singular form of chaud, “hot” or “warm,” and it agrees with masculine singular repas. The feminine singular form is chaude, while the plural forms are chauds and chaudes according to gender. Example: une soupe chaude — “a hot soup.” Together, Certaines personnes veulent des sushis says “Some people want sushi.” mais introduces the contrast, and d'autres préfèrent un repas chaud says “others prefer a hot meal.” The present-tense plural forms veulent and préfèrent match the two plural groups: certaines personnes and d'autres. The complete utterance therefore means: “Some people want sushi, but others prefer a hot meal.”

4. Un endroit avec un menu varié serait plus flexible.

   A place with a varied menu would be more flexible.

   endroit

   place

   menu

   menu

   varié

   varied

   serait

   would be

   plus flexible

   more flexible

   More detail

   endroit means “place” here. Its base form is the masculine singular noun un endroit; the article un marks an indefinite noun, not a stated numerical count. Example: un endroit calme means “a quiet place.” menu is the masculine singular noun “menu.” In this sentence it is the thing that is varied. Example: un menu végétarien means “a vegetarian menu.” varié means “varied” here and describes menu. The adjective is masculine singular because it agrees with that noun: un menu varié. Its feminine singular form is variée, and its plural forms are variés and variées, according to the noun’s gender and number. Example: une offre variée means “a varied selection.” serait is a form of être (“to be”). It is the conditional present, third-person singular: “would be.” The subject is un endroit, so the singular form is required. The conditional presents the place’s flexibility as a hypothetical or proposed quality rather than a plain fact. Example: Ce choix serait pratique. — “This choice would be practical.” plus flexible means “more flexible.” plus forms the comparative, while flexible is the adjective being compared. The comparison may be completed with que: plus flexible qu’un autre endroit means “more flexible than another place.” Without an expressed comparison, the sentence still means “more flexible,” with the comparison understood from the situation. Together, un endroit avec un menu varié means “a place with a varied menu.” avec introduces what the place has or offers. The full structure is Un endroit avec un menu varié serait plus flexible. — “A place with a varied menu would be more flexible.”

5. J'ai trouvé un restaurant décontracté avec des options végétariennes et de grandes tables.

   I found a casual restaurant with vegetarian options and big tables.

   trouvé

   found

   restaurant

   restaurant

   décontracté

   casual

   avec

   with

   options

   options

   végétariennes

   vegetarian

   grandes

   big; large

   tables

   tables

   More detail

   trouvé appears in J'ai trouvé. It is the past participle of trouver (“to find”). With ai, the first-person singular present form of avoir, it forms the passé composé: j'ai trouvé = “I found” here. The past participle is trouvé, not the infinitive trouver. Example: J'ai trouvé la clé. — “I found the key.” restaurant is a masculine singular noun meaning “restaurant.” The indefinite article un marks one unspecified restaurant, without by itself emphasizing a numerical count. Its plural is restaurants. Example: un restaurant italien — “an Italian restaurant.” décontracté describes restaurant here and means “casual,” in the sense of an informal atmosphere or style. Its masculine singular form agrees with the masculine singular noun: un restaurant décontracté. The feminine singular form is décontractée, and the plural forms are décontractés or décontractées according to the noun’s grammatical gender. Example: une ambiance décontractée — “a casual atmosphere.” avec is the preposition “with.” It introduces what the restaurant has or includes in this sentence. Example: un café avec une terrasse — “a café with a terrace.” options is the plural of the feminine noun option, meaning “options” or “choices.” The plural marking is on the noun itself: une option, des options. Example: Ce menu propose plusieurs options. — “This menu offers several options.” végétariennes means “vegetarian” here and agrees with the feminine plural noun options: des options végétariennes. The masculine singular form is végétarien; the feminine singular is végétarienne, and the masculine plural is végétariens. Example: une option végétarienne — “a vegetarian option.” grandes is the feminine plural form of the adjective grand, meaning “big” or “large” here. It agrees with the feminine plural noun tables: de grandes tables. The basic comparison is grand (“big”), plus grand (“bigger”), and le plus grand (“the biggest”). Example: une grande salle — “a large room.” tables is the plural of the feminine noun table, meaning “tables.” The singular is une table; the plural is des tables. In de grandes tables, de occurs before a plural noun phrase with the adjective before the noun, rather than the usual des tables. Example: Il y a trois tables. — “There are three tables.” Taken together, J'ai trouvé un restaurant décontracté means “I found a casual restaurant.” avec des options végétariennes adds that it has vegetarian options, and et de grandes tables adds large tables as a second feature. The complete utterance is: “I found a casual restaurant with vegetarian options and big tables.”

6. Cela semble être un choix plus sûr pour un groupe aux préférences variées.

   That sounds like a safer choice for a mixed group.

   Cela

   That

   semble être

   seems to be

   choix

   choice

   plus sûr

   safer

   groupe

   group

   préférences

   preferences

   variées

   varied

   More detail

   Cela is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to the option under discussion, without naming that option again. Demonstratives can also refer to something neuter or to a situation: C’est intéressant. — “That is interesting.” semble être means “seems to be.” The lexical verb is sembler; semble is its present-tense form for il, elle, or cela. It is followed here by the infinitive être, creating the reusable pattern sembler être + description: Cette solution semble être efficace. — “This solution seems to be effective.” choix is a masculine noun meaning “choice.” The phrase un choix means “a choice”; the indefinite article introduces one unspecified choice, not a stated numerical count. A useful related expression is faire un choix, “to make a choice.” plus sûr means “safer.” sûr is the base adjective “safe,” and plus sûr is its comparative form, literally “more safe.” The adjective agrees with the noun it describes: un choix plus sûr is masculine singular, while une option plus sûre is feminine singular. Plus sûr compares this choice with another possible choice, even though the comparison point is understood rather than stated. groupe is a masculine noun meaning “group.” In pour un groupe, pour introduces the group for which the choice is suitable. Example: C’est pratique pour un groupe. — “It is practical for a group.” préférences means “preferences.” It is the plural of préférence, a feminine noun. In aux préférences, aux is the contraction of à and les; it means “with” or, more literally here, “having” preferences of a certain kind. The phrase describes the group: un groupe aux préférences variées is “a group with varied preferences.” variées means “varied” or “diverse” here. Its base form is the adjective varié; variées is feminine plural because it agrees with the feminine plural noun préférences, not with groupe. Example: des opinions variées — “varied opinions.” Together, Cela semble être presents an assessment rather than a certainty: “That seems to be.” un choix plus sûr identifies the option as a safer choice, and pour un groupe aux préférences variées specifies that it is safer for a group whose preferences differ. The complete utterance is: “That sounds like a safer choice for a mixed group.”

7. Est-ce que je dois demander au groupe avant de réserver, ou le choisir maintenant ?

   Should I ask the group before booking, or choose it now?

   Est-ce que

   question marker

   je dois

   I have to; I should

   demander

   ask

   groupe

   group

   avant de

   before doing something

   réserver

   book; reserve

   choisir

   choose

   maintenant

   now

   More detail

   Est-ce que introduces a yes/no question in a neutral, reusable way. It does not itself mean “whether” as a separate choice; it marks the following clause as a question. Example: Est-ce que tu viens ? — “Are you coming?” je dois uses devoir in the present tense with je. Here it asks whether the speaker is required or expected to do something: “Should I / Do I have to …?” The useful pattern is je dois + infinitive, as in Je dois partir. — “I have to leave.” demander means “to ask.” In demander au groupe, au is the contraction of à + le, and the group is the addressee of the asking. A useful contrast is demander quelque chose — “ask for something” — versus demander à quelqu’un — “ask someone.” Example: Je vais demander à Marie. — “I’m going to ask Marie.” groupe is a masculine noun meaning “group.” Its plural is groupes. In this sentence, au groupe means “the group” as the people being asked; the noun itself does not specify how many people are in the group. avant de means “before doing something” when it is followed by an infinitive. The pattern is avant de + infinitive: Réfléchis avant de répondre. — “Think before answering.” It differs from avant que, which introduces a clause with a conjugated verb. réserver is the infinitive “to book” or “to reserve.” After avant de, the infinitive stays in this form: avant de réserver — “before booking.” Example: Je préfère réserver demain. — “I prefer to book tomorrow.” choisir means “to choose.” It is another infinitive, coordinated with demander after dois: je dois demander ... ou le choisir ... — “should I ask ... or choose it ...?” Its present-tense forms include je choisis, tu choisis, and il/elle choisit; the infinitive choisir is used here because it follows dois. maintenant is the adverb “now.” It places the choosing at the current time. It modifies the action choisir, so the phrase le choisir maintenant means “choose it now,” while maintenant alone does not identify what is being chosen. le before choisir is a masculine singular direct-object pronoun, translated here as “it.” The fixed sentence and translation support an already understood object, but they do not uniquely name which particular option or choice it is. The pronoun is placed before the infinitive: le choisir — “to choose it.” The first alternative is je dois demander au groupe avant de réserver: “I should ask the group before booking.” The second is le choisir maintenant: “choose it now.” ou links these alternatives. Together with Est-ce que, the utterance asks whether the speaker should consult the group before making the booking or choose the understood object immediately.

8. Propose-leur deux options et demande-leur de répondre rapidement.

   Give them two options and ask for a quick response.

   Propose-leur

   Offer them

   deux

   two

   options

   options

   demande-leur

   ask them

   répondre

   respond

   rapidement

   quickly

   More detail

   Propose-leur means “offer them” here. It is the imperative of proposer (“to offer/propose”), addressed to one person. In the affirmative imperative, the subject pronoun is normally omitted, and the indirect-object pronoun follows the verb with a hyphen: Propose-leur... = “Offer them...”. leur is an indirect-object pronoun for plural recipients; it does not itself identify who they are. deux means “two” and states the exact number. It is invariable in French. options is the plural of option, “option”; the plural marking is carried by the noun. Together, deux options means “two options.” demande-leur means “ask them.” It is the imperative of demander (“to ask”), again with the indirect-object pronoun leur attached after the verb. The two imperative forms, Propose... and demande..., give two coordinated instructions. répondre is the infinitive of répondre, “to respond” or “to reply.” After demander in the pattern demander à quelqu’un de + infinitive, French expresses asking someone to do something: demande-leur de répondre = “ask them to respond.” The infinitive does not mark the person or number of the people asked. rapidement is an adverb meaning “quickly” or “promptly.” It describes how the response should be made. The related adjective is rapide (“quick”); rapidement is the adverbial form used here. The sentence combines the two commands: Propose-leur deux options (“Offer them two options”) and demande-leur de répondre rapidement (“ask them to respond quickly”). Thus the whole utterance means: “Give them two options and ask for a quick response.”

9. Je vais envoyer un petit sondage pour que nous puissions décider ce soir.

   I will send a short poll so we can decide tonight.

   Je vais

   I am going to / I will

   envoyer

   send

   petit

   small; short

   sondage

   poll; survey

   pour que

   so that

   puissions

   can; be able to

   décider

   decide

   ce soir

   tonight

   More detail

   Je vais is a reusable way to express a near-future action: aller in the present + an infinitive. Here vais is the first-person singular form of aller, and envoyer supplies the action. Compare je vais envoyer (“I am going to send”) with j’envoie (“I send / I am sending”), whose form does not use aller. envoyer means “to send” here. Its infinitive is useful after a conjugated verb such as vais; the infinitive itself does not show the subject or tense. Example: Nous allons envoyer le message. — “We are going to send the message.” petit describes sondage and means “short” in this context, referring to the poll’s limited size or scope rather than physical dimensions. It is the masculine singular form of the adjective; the feminine singular form is petite, as in une petite enquête — “a short survey.” sondage is a poll or survey: a way of collecting people’s responses, often to help choose or decide something. It is a masculine noun, so the phrase uses un petit sondage. Example: Le sondage contient deux options. — “The poll contains two options.” pour que introduces a purpose clause, meaning “so that.” In French, it is followed by a subject and normally the subjunctive when expressing a desired or intended result. The subject of the following clause is nous, distinct from the je in the first clause. puissions is the first-person plural present subjunctive form of pouvoir (“to be able to, can”). The form agrees with nous: que nous puissions. Compare the indicative nous pouvons (“we can”) with the subjunctive que nous puissions after pour que. décider means “to decide.” It remains an infinitive after puissions: nous puissions décider means “we can decide / be able to decide.” Example: Nous pouvons décider demain. — “We can decide tomorrow.” ce soir is the time expression “tonight,” literally referring to this evening. ce is the masculine singular demonstrative used in this fixed expression; the complete expression functions as a time complement. Example: Je travaille ce soir. — “I am working tonight.” Together, Je vais envoyer un petit sondage says “I will send a short poll,” using the French near-future construction aller + infinitive. pour que nous puissions décider ce soir gives the purpose: the poll is sent so that the group can decide tonight. The complete utterance therefore means: “I will send a short poll so we can decide tonight.”

10. Cela devrait faire avancer l'organisation sans demander leur avis à trop de personnes.

    That should keep the plan moving without asking too many people for opinions.

    Cela devrait

    That should

    faire avancer

    move forward; keep moving

    l'organisation

    the organization

    sans demander

    without asking

    leur avis

    their opinion

    trop de

    too many

    personnes

    people

    More detail

    Cela devrait: cela is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It does not itself identify a particular noun; the context supplies the intended referent. Devrait is the third-person singular conditional form of devoir (“must / have to”; here, “should”). The conditional makes this a prediction or expectation rather than a firm statement of fact. The same form can express obligation in other contexts, but the fixed translation supports the expectation reading here. faire avancer: This is faire + infinitive avancer, literally “make advance,” and it means “move forward” or “keep [something] moving.” The subject of faire is cela, while l'organisation is what is moved forward. Useful pattern: faire avancer + object. Example: Cette décision fait avancer le projet. — “This decision moves the project forward.” l'organisation: The noun is organisation, with the definite article la reduced to l' before a vowel. In this sentence, the intended meaning is the plan or arrangement being moved forward, as reflected by the fixed translation. The noun is feminine, but that gender is carried by the article; the noun itself remains organisation. sans demander: sans means “without” and is followed here by the infinitive demander, “to ask.” The pattern sans + infinitive describes an action that does not occur alongside the main action. Demander can introduce what is requested with demander quelque chose; it can also introduce a person with demander quelque chose à quelqu'un. leur avis: avis means “opinion” or “view.” It is singular here, while leur is the possessive adjective meaning “their” for one possessed item; it does not change for the gender of avis. With several possessed items, French uses leurs, as in leurs avis (“their opinions”). The phrase therefore means “their opinion(s)” in the intended context, not a statement about how many opinions each person has. trop de: trop de means “too many” before a plural count noun. The de is part of this quantity pattern, so the following noun appears without an article: trop de personnes. This expresses an excessive number, unlike the neutral quantity expression beaucoup de (“many / a lot of”). personnes: personne means “person” or “people” as a noun. Personnes is its plural form. Here it is the group whose opinions would be requested, and trop de personnes means “too many people.” Together, Cela devrait faire avancer l'organisation means “That should keep the plan moving.” Sans demander leur avis à trop de personnes adds the method avoided: “without asking too many people for their opinions.” The complete utterance is therefore: “That should keep the plan moving without asking too many people for opinions.”