Breakdown of Ils ont construit cette grande statue il y a un mois.
un
a / an (masculine)
grand
big / tall
ils
they (masculine/mixed)
avoir
to have
ce
this (before a noun)
le mois
the month
il y a
ago
construire
to build
la statue
the statue
Questions & Answers about Ils ont construit cette grande statue il y a un mois.
Why does il y a mean 'ago' here instead of 'there is'?
Can I put il y a un mois at the beginning of the sentence instead?
Yes! Time expressions with il y a can go at the very end of the sentence or at the very beginning. You could absolutely say Il y a un mois, ils ont construit cette grande statue. Just avoid putting it in the middle of the sentence.
What verb is construit from, and why does it not end in -é?
Construit is the past participle of the irregular verb construire (to build). Because it is irregular, it does not follow the normal pattern of ending in -é like regular verbs. It pairs with the helper verb avoir to make ils ont construit (they built).
Why does grande come before statue? I thought adjectives went after nouns in French.
Most do, but short common adjectives describing Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, or Size (often remembered with the acronym BANGS) go before the noun. Because grande describes size, it is placed right before statue.
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