Learn French: L'orange est ici. - The orange is here.

L'orange est ici.

The orange is here.

Breakdown of L'orange est ici.

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Questions & Answers about L'orange est ici.

Since the sentence says l'orange, how do I know if the word is masculine (un) or feminine (une)?

Because orange starts with a vowel, the words for 'the' (le and la) both shrink to l'. You cannot tell the gender just by looking at l'orange! This is why it is incredibly helpful to memorize nouns with their indefinite articles. Learning it as une orange (an orange) will always remind you that it is a feminine noun.

Why is it l'orange and not la orange?

French avoids having two vowel sounds right next to each other. When a short word like la comes right before a vowel, the 'a' is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe. This is called elision, and it makes the phrase flow more smoothly when spoken.

Are the fruit and the color the same word in French?

Yes! Just like in English, the fruit and the color share the same name. As a fruit, it is a feminine noun (une orange). Keep in mind that the French pronunciation is quite different from English, ending with a soft 'zh' sound instead of a hard 'j' sound.

How do I pronounce the word est?

The word est means 'is' and comes from the verb être (to be). The letters 's' and 't' at the end are completely silent! It is pronounced like a short 'eh' sound, similar to the vowel in the English word 'pet'.