Learn French: C'est une grande ville.

C'est une grande ville.

It is a big city.

Breakdown of C'est une grande ville.

it / this (with être)

grand

big / tall

Questions & Answers about C'est une grande ville.

Why do we use 'C'est' here instead of 'Il y a', which we are learning in this lesson?

Il y a means "there is" or "there are" and is used to state that something exists. C'est means "it is" or "this is" and is used to identify or describe a specific thing. Here, you are describing the city ("It is a big city"), not just pointing out that it exists, so c'est is the right choice.

Why is 'grande' placed before 'ville'? Don't adjectives usually come after the noun in French?

Yes, most French adjectives do come after the noun. However, there is a small group of common, short adjectives that go before the noun. They usually describe Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, or Size (often remembered by the acronym BANGS). Since grande describes size, it goes before ville.

Why does 'grande' have an 'e' at the end?

French adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. The word for city, ville, is feminine (which we can also tell by the feminine article une). Therefore, we have to add an -e to the masculine adjective grand to make it feminine: grande.

Does adding the 'e' change how 'grande' is pronounced?

It does! In the masculine word grand, the final "d" is silent. But when you add the -e to make it grande, you clearly pronounce that "d" sound.