French Phrase
Ils protègent les droits des consommateurs.
Meaning
The sentence states that ‘they’ (usually a government body, an association, or a company) safeguard the legal rights of people who buy goods and services. It emphasizes an active role in defending consumer interests.
When to use
Use this sentence when describing the work of consumer‑protection agencies, NGOs, or any organization that looks after buyers’ rights. It’s also handy in debates about market regulation or when explaining a company’s corporate‑social‑responsibility policy.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilsprotègentlesdroitsdesconsommateurs.
Subject pronoun (Ils)
Third‑person plural pronoun used for a group of males or a mixed‑gender group.
Present tense of protéger
Verb ending –ent for ils/elles; stem is protèg‑, so the form is protègent.
Definite article (les)
Plural definite article meaning “the”, used before a plural noun.
Noun (droits)
Plural of droit, meaning “rights”. In French, rights are usually expressed in the plural.
Partitive/partitive article (des)
Contraction of de + les, translates to “of the” or “of”. Here it links droits to consommateurs.
Noun (consommateurs)
Plural masculine noun meaning “consumers”.
🗨In Conversation
Qui veille à la sécurité des produits que nous achetons ?
Who looks after the safety of the products we buy?
Ils protègent les droits des consommateurs.
They protect consumers' rights.
✕Common Mistakes
Ils protège les droits des consommateurs.
The verb must agree with the plural subject ‘ils’; the correct form is ‘protègent’.
Ils protègent les droit des consommateurs.
‘Droit’ is plural here, so add the ‘s’: ‘les droits’.
Ils protègent les droits des consommateur.
Both the article and the noun must be plural: ‘des consommateurs’.
↔Alternatives
Ils assurent la protection des consommateurs.
They ensure the protection of consumers.
Ils défendent les droits des acheteurs.
They defend the rights of buyers.
Ils veillent aux droits des consommateurs.
They watch over consumers' rights.
Cultural Tip
France has a strong consumer‑protection tradition, embodied by the DGCCRF (Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes). When speaking about consumer rights, it’s common to mention this agency or the European consumer‑rights directives, which are often invoked in everyday conversation and media.