Learn French: Où est le chat ? Sous la table. - Where is the cat? Under the table.

Où est le chat ? Sous la table.

Where is the cat? Under the table.

Breakdown of Où est le chat ? Sous la table.

Questions & Answers about Où est le chat ? Sous la table.

Why does où have an accent mark?

The accent mark on où helps you tell it apart from the word ou (without an accent), which means "or". They are pronounced exactly the same way, but the accent lets you know this one means "where".

Can I put où at the end of the question, like Le chat est où ?

Yes! In everyday spoken French, it is very common to put the question word at the end. Asking Le chat est où ? is perfectly fine in casual conversation, while Où est le chat ? is the standard way to write it.

Is the "s" in sous pronounced?

No, the final "s" in sous is silent. You just pronounce it like the English word "sue". In French, the last consonant of a word is usually silent unless the next word starts with a vowel sound. Since la starts with a consonant, the "s" stays silent.

If sous means "under", how would I say the cat is "on" the table?

To say "on", you would use the word sur. It is very common for beginners to mix up sous (under) and sur (on) because they sound similar and are both used to answer où questions, so it helps to learn them together!