Question 1

Why do we use c'est here instead of il est for 'it is'?

Accepted Answer

In French, we use c'est for a general 'it is' when talking about a situation, a place, or a fact. If we were referring to a specific masculine noun we just talked about (like a village, le village), we could use il est, but c'est is the standard and most natural way to introduce a general location like this.

Question 2

Is exactement formed the same way as 'exactly' in English?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is very similar! In English, we add '-ly' to an adjective to make an adverb (exact becomes exactly). In French, you usually add -ment to an adjective to do the same thing. Here, the base word exact becomes exactement.

Question 3

Why does it say à la instead of just à or au?

Accepted Answer

The word for border is feminine: la frontière. The preposition à means 'at' or 'to'. When we want to say 'at the', we use à la before a feminine noun. If the noun were masculine (like a port, le port), à and le would squish together into au, but à la never combines.

Question 4

Since this lesson is about d'où (from where), why does this sentence use à (at)?

Accepted Answer

D'où asks 'from where', and an answer to it usually uses de (from). This sentence tells us where something is currently located, answering où (where) with the word à (at). In real conversation, you might answer a d'où question by naming your hometown, and then add this exact sentence afterward to explain to the listener where your town is on the map!

C'est exactement à la frontière.

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