| Grammar Notes: - Session (noun, feminine): It means "session" in English. This is a period of time devoted to a specific activity. In this context, it refers to a meeting or series of meetings of a legislative or judicial body. - Permanente (adjective, feminine): This is the feminine form of "permanent," meaning something that lasts for a long time or indefinitely. It modifies "session," indicating that this session is continuous or unending. - Du (prepositional article): "Du" is a contraction of "de + le," translating to "of the" in English. It links "session permanente" with "parlement," indicating possession or belonging. - Parlement (noun, masculine): Translates to "parliament" in English. It refers to the supreme legislative body in a country. - Au cours de (prepositional phrase): This phrase means "during" or "in the course of" in English. It indicates a time period in which something happens. - Laquelle (relative pronoun, feminine): This is the feminine form of "which." It relates to "session," referring back to the time period mentioned. - Des (indefinite article, plural): "Des" is a contraction of "de + les," and translates as "some" or "of the" in English, depending on the context. Here, it introduces "décisions importantes." - Décisions (noun, feminine, plural): Means "decisions" in English. It refers to resolutions or judgments made by the parliament. - Importantes (adjective, feminine, plural): The feminine plural form of "important," meaning "important" or "significant." It modifies "décisions," specifying that these decisions are of great significance. - Sont (verb): The third person plural form of "être" in the present indicative, meaning "are" in English. It's used here as the auxiliary verb in the passive voice construction "sont prises." - Prises (past participle): The feminine plural past participle of "prendre," which means "to take" in English. In this passive construction, it translates to "made" or "taken," referring to the decisions. Grammar Tip: In French, adjectives usually come after the noun they modify and must agree in gender and number with the noun. For example, "décisions importantes" has both the noun "décisions" and the adjective "importantes" in their feminine plural forms. Word Deep Dive: "Parlement" (parliament) comes from the Old French "parlement," which refers to a discussion or a talk, derived from "parler" meaning "to speak." This etymology reflects the parliamentary function as a place where discussions and debates lead to legislative decisions. |
