Breakdown of Il écrit un rapport sur cette affaire.
il
he
sur
on
ce
this (before a noun)
écrire
to write
le rapport
the report
l'affaire
the matter (f)
Questions & Answers about Il écrit un rapport sur cette affaire.
I see écrit ends in a 't'. Is this a regular verb conjugation?
Écrit comes from the irregular verb écrire (to write). In the present tense for il, elle, or on, it drops the -re ending and adds a -t to become écrit. The other singular forms end in -s: j'écris and tu écris.
I thought sur meant 'on'. Why is it translated as 'about' here?
You are right that sur usually means physically 'on' (like a book on a table). However, when talking about a topic or subject, such as a report, a movie, or a conversation, sur is used to mean 'about' or 'on the subject of'.
Since affaire starts with a vowel, shouldn't it be cet affaire?
Affaire is a feminine noun. The feminine demonstrative adjective (a pointing word meaning 'this' or 'that') is always cette, even when the noun starts with a vowel. You only use the special form cet for masculine nouns that start with a vowel sound.
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