Les oranges et les pommes sont sous la table.

Breakdown of Les oranges et les pommes sont sous la table.

être
to be
la table
the table
la pomme
the apple
l'orange
the orange
et
and
sous
under

Questions & Answers about Les oranges et les pommes sont sous la table.

In English, we can just say 'The oranges and apples.' Do I have to repeat 'les' in French?
Yes! In French, you cannot skip the article (the word for 'the', 'a', or 'some'). You must use les before every plural noun in your list: les oranges et les pommes.
How do you pronounce les oranges? Does the 's' make a sound?
Yes, the 's' makes a 'z' sound here. Normally, the 's' in les is silent, like in les pommes. But because oranges starts with a vowel, the 's' connects to it to make a smooth 'z' sound. This connection is called a liaison.
Why do we use sont here?
sont is the form of the verb être (to be) that means 'are' for 'they'. Because you are talking about multiple things (les oranges et les pommes), you use this 'they' form.
Do sont and sous rhyme?
No, they sound quite different! The 'on' in sont is a nasal sound, meaning the air goes through your nose. The 'ou' in sous makes an 'oo' sound, like in the English word 'soup'. The final consonants on both words are completely silent.

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