Question 1

Why does Nous avons sound like it has a "z" in the middle when spoken?

Accepted Answer

This is because of a pronunciation rule called "liaison". The word Nous ends in a silent "s", but because the next word, avons (the "we" form of the verb avoir, meaning "to have"), starts with a vowel, that "s" wakes up and makes a "z" sound. This connects the two words smoothly.

Question 2

What is the literal translation of salle de bain?

Accepted Answer

It literally means "room of bath". In French, you will often see rooms described by their purpose using the word salle (room) followed by de (of) or à (to).

Question 3

In English we say "without a window", so why is there no une before fenêtre?

Accepted Answer

In French, the word sans (without) is usually followed directly by the noun, skipping words like un or une (a/an). So instead of saying sans une fenêtre, you simply say sans fenêtre.

Question 4

Shouldn't bain have an "s" at the end?

Accepted Answer

You will actually see both salle de bain and salle de bains (room of baths) in French! Both are perfectly correct and mean the exact same thing. Spelling it without the "s" is a very common variation in everyday French.

Nous avons une salle de bain sans fenêtre.

Breakdown of Nous avons une salle de bain sans fenêtre.

Questions & Answers about Nous avons une salle de bain sans fenêtre.

Learn Nous avons une salle de bain sans fenêtre and more in French