Question 1

Why does froide have an -e at the end, but chaud doesn't?

Accepted Answer

In French, adjectives change to match the gender of the noun they describe. Café is a masculine noun, so it uses the masculine adjective chaud. Eau (water) is a feminine noun, so we add an -e to the masculine word froid to make the feminine version: froide.

Question 2

Does adding the -e to froide change how it is pronounced?

Accepted Answer

Yes! In the masculine form froid, the final d is silent. But when you add the feminine -e to make froide, it forces you to pronounce that d sound at the end of the word.

Question 3

Is the d at the end of chaud silent too?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the final d in chaud is silent because it is in its masculine form. If you were describing a hot feminine noun (like la soupe), you would add an -e to make it chaude, and then you would pronounce the d.

Question 4

If l'eau uses l' instead of la, how can I tell it's feminine?

Accepted Answer

Both le and la shrink to l' before a vowel, so you can't tell the gender just from the word l'eau. You simply have to memorize that water is feminine in French! However, in this sentence, seeing the feminine adjective froide gives you a helpful clue.

Le café est chaud et l'eau est froide.

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