Questions & Answers about Ces rues sont très familières.
Why is it familières with a grave accent?
Familières describes rues (streets), which is a femininepluralnoun. The masculine singular form of this adjective is familier. Adjectives ending in -er change to -ère in the feminine, becoming familière. Then we just add an -s because it is plural!
Does the accent change the pronunciation from the masculine familier?
Yes! In the masculinefamilier, the final -er sounds like the end of the English word 'say', and the r is silent. In the feminine familières, the grave accent on the è gives it a short 'eh' sound, and you clearly pronounce the r. The plural-s is silent.
Why is it ces rues and not cettes rues?
Ces is the plural demonstrative adjective, meaning both 'these' and 'those'. Unlike the singular forms ce (masculine) and cette (feminine), the plural form ces is the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. There is no such word as cettes.
Does the spelling of très change because the streets are feminine and plural?
No, très is an adverb meaning 'very', and adverbs in French are invariable. This means they never change their spelling to match masculine, feminine, singular, or plural words.
familier
familiar
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