Log inSign up

Il y a quatorze cadeaux sur la petite table.

Il y a quatorze cadeaux sur la petite table.
There are fourteen gifts on the small table.
From Lesson 28:Numbers 1 to 20·French

Questions & Answers about Il y a quatorze cadeaux sur la petite table.

Why does quatorze end in -ze?
In French, the numbers 11 through 16 all end in -ze: onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, and seize. Think of it like the "-teen" ending in English, but it also applies to 11 and 12!
Why does cadeaux end in an "x" instead of an "s" for the plural?
Most French words get an -s at the end to become plural, but words ending in -eau (like cadeau, meaning gift) are an exception. They take an -x instead. So, one gift is un cadeau and fourteen gifts are quatorze cadeaux. The -x is silent!
Il y a usually means "there is". Why is it used for "there are" fourteen gifts here?
In French, il y a does double duty! It means both "there is" and "there are". You do not need to change it when talking about multiple things. So, il y a un cadeau (there is one gift) and il y a quatorze cadeaux (there are fourteen gifts) both start the exact same way.
Why is petite placed before table? I thought French adjectives go after the noun.
You are right that most French adjectives come after the noun. However, a small group of very common adjectives describing Beauty, Age, Goodness, and Size (often called the BAGS rule) go before the noun. Since petite describes size, it comes right before table.

Learn Il y a quatorze cadeaux sur la petite table and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →