Question 1

Why is it ta cousine and not ton cousine?

Accepted Answer

In French, words for "your" have to match the gender of the person or thing being talked about, not the person who "owns" it. Because cousine (female cousin) is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine word for "your", which is ta.

Question 2

How do I know if cousine is a male or female cousin?

Accepted Answer

The -e at the end of cousine tells you it refers to a female cousin. A male cousin is cousin (no -e). If you were talking about a male cousin, you would use the masculine word for "your" and say ton cousin.

Question 3

What does the word a mean in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

a is the "he/she/it" form of the verb avoir (to have). Here, Ta cousine a means "Your cousin has". Make sure not to confuse it with à (with an accent mark), which means "to" or "at".

Question 4

Why is joli placed before vélo? Don't French adjectives usually come after the noun?

Accepted Answer

You are right that most French adjectives go after the noun! However, a few common, short adjectives go before the noun. A helpful trick is the "BAGS" rule: adjectives describing Beauty, Age, Goodness, or Size go before the noun. Because joli (pretty) describes beauty, it goes in front of vélo.

Question 5

Why is it un joli and not une jolie?

Accepted Answer

vélo (bike) is a masculine noun. Everything describing it must also be masculine, so we use the masculine word for "a" (un) and the masculine spelling of "pretty" (joli).

Ta cousine a un joli vélo.

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