Breakdown of Ces beaux oiseaux ne mangent jamais les plantes.
ne
not (used before the verb)
ce
this (before a noun)
manger
to eat
beau
beautiful / handsome
jamais
never / ever
l'oiseau
the bird (m)
la plante
the plant
Questions & Answers about Ces beaux oiseaux ne mangent jamais les plantes.
Why do beaux and oiseaux end in -x instead of the usual plural -s?
In French, most nouns and adjectives that end in -eau or -eu take an -x to become plural instead of an -s. Since the singular forms here are beau and oiseau, we just add an -x to make them plural.
Do I pronounce the -x at the end of beaux?
Usually, the -x at the end of plural words is completely silent. However, because the next word (oiseaux) starts with a vowel, you must make a sound connection (a liaison) between the two words. The -x in beaux is pronounced like a 'z' sound, linking right into the vowel. The -x at the end of oiseaux, however, stays silent.
Why does the adjective beaux come before the noun oiseaux? I thought French adjectives usually go after.
How does 'never' work in the phrase ne mangent jamais?
To say 'never' in French, you use the two-part phrase ne ... jamais. Just like the basic negative ne ... pas (not), these two words act like a sandwich around the action word (the conjugated verb). Here, they wrap around mangent (eat) to create 'never eat'.
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