ELONIO
Log inSign up

Il y a un grand lit près du mur.

Il y a un grand lit près du mur.
There is a large bed near the wall.
From Lesson 92:Complex prepositions of location (près de, à côté de)·French

Questions & Answers about Il y a un grand lit près du mur.

Why does it say près du mur instead of près de le mur?
The expression for "near" is près de. Because mur (wall) is a masculine noun, it takes the definite article le ("the"). In French, the preposition de and the article le must always combine to become du. You can never write or say de le.
Why does près need a de (or du) after it? English just says "near the wall".
Many location words in French are "complex prepositions" that require de at the end. While English just uses the single word "near", French uses près de (which functions a bit like the English phrase "close to"). That de is a mandatory part of the phrase!
Why does grand come before lit? I thought French adjectives usually go after the noun.
Most French adjectives do go after the noun. However, short, common adjectives that describe Beauty, Age, Goodness, or Size (often remembered by the acronym BAGS) go before the noun. Since grand describes size, it is placed before lit.
If there were two beds near the wall, would Il y a change to match the plural?
No, il y a is a fixed expression. It translates to both "there is" and "there are" and never changes form to match what comes after it. If the sentence was "There are two large beds", it would still start with Il y a deux grands lits.

Learn Il y a un grand lit près du mur and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →