Questions & Answers about Ils sont prêts et contents.
Why use ils here instead of elles since both mean "they"?
Ils is the masculine plural pronoun, used for a group of males or a mixed group of males and females. Elles is the feminine plural, used only for a group of exclusively females. When the gender of the group is unknown or mixed, French always defaults to ils. How do I know sont means "are"?
Sont is the plural "they" form of the highly irregular verb être (to be). Just like you previously learned je suis (I am) and il est (he is), you have to memorize that ils sont means "they are". Why is there an s at the end of prêts and contents?
Adjectives in French must change to match the subject they describe. Because the subject ils is plural (more than one person), you must add an s to the singular adjectives prêt (ready) and content (happy) to make them plural as well. Are the s endings on ils, prêts, and contents pronounced?
No, the final s on all of those words is completely silent. You pronounce them exactly like their singular forms: il, prêt, and content. The extra s is just there to show the plural in writing. Learn Ils sont prêts et contents and more in French
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