"We used to come to this restaurant often."

Translation: Nous venions souvent dans ce restaurant.

[acolz]

it could also be "nous venions souvent à ce restaurant"

[Ripcurlgirl]

Technically, yes, but it implies that we visited the building facade, not that we actually entered the restaurant to dine.

[M.McFarlane]

So why do we say "Nous allons au restaurant" That would mean that we aren't actually dining

[HereIgoaga]

"Nous allons au restaurant" would mean that you are planning to go to the restaurant or are on your way to the restaurant but that you are not actually inside or (in the case of the sentence) have been inside, the restaurant. ('au' = to the, 'dans' =inside).

[DougCarter0]

The restaurant that we often went "à" was an outdoor one i.e. there was nothing to go "dans".

[NikolaiYourin]

What about this then?
https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/26832395

"She used to pay when we went to the restaurant."
Translation: Elle payait quand nous allions au restaurant.

Did she pay on her way to the restaurant?

[STRADS1551]

Exactly! From the Eng version, I think both "dans" & "à" should be accepted as a correct translation.

[STRADS1551]

In another exercise, "Every Summer, I used to go to that restaurant." Both "dans" and "à" are accepted - "Chaque été, j'allais dans/à ce restaurant."

https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/8360618

But I think, "dans un restaurant" must have been more frequently used.

[lit060]

Tout à fait

[Oxelot]

"Nous avions l'habitude de souvent venir dans ce restaurant" is the same as "Nous venions souvent dans ce restaurant". They're both proper translation of "We used to come to this restaurant". Trust me, I'm french.

[doublelingot]

"On venait souvent dans ce resto" is also common to say.

[GenevaJ.]

why is
nous venions souvent à ce restaurant not accepted?

[HellsBells101]

Is the placement of 'souvent' important? Is 'Nous venions dans ce restaurant souvent' incorrect?

[Birdy582648]

Most of the time in french, adverbs go right after the verb.

[Lisaskier]

Having read all the posts I understand that "dans" indicates that one actually entered the restaurant.
However, the sentence we were given to translate doesn't specify that we went inside so I don't understand why Duo doesn't accept "Nous venions souvent à ce restaurant" .

Sitesurf, n6zs, George, please could you help clarify this for me?

[Baibin2]

Could someone please explain why Duo uses 'dans ce restaurant' to mean 'to this restaurant' in this exercise instead of 'a ce restaurant' ? I thought 'a' (w/an accent grave) meant 'to, in, or at' & 'dans' meant 'in'.

[Sucy-en-Brie94]

On venait souvent dans ce restaurant. Accepted :)

[PercyPonce1]

Where do we need to insert "used to", or is it even needed? I am a little confused: this has nothing to do with the "past participle" (have come). Correct? Please some one please explain all this to me. Thanks! Hope to hear from somebody..

[Suchiththa]

Here venions implies the imperfect past, and so venions means used to come. Not just came/have come. That would be passe compose.

[JasonSnipe1]

nous venions souvent à ce restaurant marked wrong??