ELONIO
Log inSign up

Ne te brûle pas, ce four est chaud.

Ne te brûle pas, ce four est chaud.
Don't burn yourself, this oven is hot.
From Lesson 114:Negative commands with reflexive pronouns (ne te lève pas)·French

Questions & Answers about Ne te brûle pas, ce four est chaud.

Why is it ne te brûle pas instead of ne brûle-toi pas?
In affirmative commands (like brûle-toi, meaning 'burn yourself'), the pronoun comes after the verb and changes to toi. But in negative commands, the pronoun stays as te and is placed before the verb, right between ne and the verb. So it becomes ne te brûle pas.
Since the command is for 'you', why isn't there an 's' at the end of brûle?
For regular verbs ending in -er (like se brûler), you always drop the final 's' in the tu form when giving a command. So while the normal present tense is tu te brûles, the command form drops the 's' to become brûle.
Why do we use ce for 'this' in ce four? Could I use cet?
Ce is the masculine singular word for 'this' or 'that'. You only use cet before a masculine noun that starts with a vowel or a silent 'h' (like cet arbre). Since four (oven) starts with a consonant, we must use ce.
Do you pronounce the 'd' at the end of chaud?
No, the 'd' in the masculine form chaud is silent. However, if you were describing a feminine noun, you would use chaude and the 'd' would be pronounced. Since four is masculine, it stays chaud and the 'd' is silent.

Learn Ne te brûle pas, ce four est chaud 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 →