Question 1

How do you say twelve, and does it change if the noun is feminine?

Accepted Answer

The word for twelve is douze. Like most numbers in French (except for one, un or une), it does not change based on the gender of the noun. You use douze for both masculine nouns like châteaux and feminine nouns like régions.

Question 2

Why does the sentence use Il y a for "There are"? Shouldn't it be plural?

Accepted Answer

In French, the set phrase il y a translates to both "there is" and "there are". Even though there are twelve castles (which is plural), the phrase stays exactly the same!

Question 3

Why does the adjective beaux come before the noun châteaux?

Accepted Answer

While most French adjectives go after the noun, a special group of common, short adjectives always goes before it. You can remember them with the acronym BAGS: Beauty, Age, Goodness, and Size. Because beaux describes beauty, it goes before the noun.

Question 4

Why do beaux and châteaux end in an "x" instead of an "s" for the plural?

Accepted Answer

Normally, you add an "s" to make a French word plural. However, words that end in -eau are a common exception. To make them plural, you add an "x". This is why the singular beau château becomes beaux châteaux in the plural.

Il y a douze beaux châteaux dans notre région.

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