Anne et Antoine se promènent avec leur chien. - Present or near future?

The lesson explains that in French there are different verbs with different meanings that relate generally to walking - just as in English we can stroll, walk, hike, travel on foot etc A significant point of difference is that French uses the reflexive verb ‘se promener’ meaning to ‘walk (one) self’ etc, but the non-reflexive verb ‘promener’ to ‘walk someone or something else’. 

So, ‘ils se promènent avec leur chien’ - they walk with their dog (their purpose is ‘to go for a walk’) - does not have the same meaning as ‘ils promènent leur chien’ - they walk their dog (their purpose is for the dog ‘to be walked’). Both are correct expressions, but not equivalent.

There is also the same difference in meaning/emphasis between the 2 sentences in English. 

Hi Marcelo,

In English, yes!    It is implied that Anne and Antoine are also walking themselves as well as the dog.

But in French, no! "Anne and Antoine are walking their dog" does not make it clear who is walking Anne and Antoine? 

It is acceptable to say that "they are going for a walk with the dog."

This is the point of the lesson se promener - to go for a walk (by walking oneself)

This is how I understand it  --  hope this helps.

Bonne continuation.

Jim

The English sentence "They are going for a walk" is actually present tense. "Near future tense" in English would be "They are going to go for a walk".

Ils se promènent avec leur chien. -- They are going for a walk with their dog.
Ils promènent leur chien. -- They are walking their dog.

Notice that the first sentence uses a reflexive se, and that the dog is an indirect object. Only in the second sentence is leur chien the direct object, and there is no reflexive anymore. Therefore, your suggested translation would not be correct in this case.

Hi Marcelo, 

in English and in French your second answer isn't correct and has nothing to do with the near future tense. let me explain first in English, Anne and Antoine are going on a walk with their dog please note the dog is only accompaning them. The emphasis is on them going on a walk while in Anne and Antoine are both taking their dog for a walk, the walking the dog is where the emphasis is. This is the same thing in french. The verb 'se promener' means that the subject is walking for itself while 'promener' without the 'se' is simply taking something out for a walk. I hope this helps