Question 1

Why use donc here instead of alors?

Accepted Answer

Both mean "so" or "therefore" and indicate a consequence. However, donc sounds a bit more logical, formal, or conclusive. Since this sentence is about scientific concepts (la théorie, l'hypothèse), the slightly more formal donc is a perfect fit, though alors would not be grammatically wrong.

Question 2

Why is there an "es" at the end of vraies?

Accepted Answer

In French, adjectives must match the gender and number of the nouns they describe. Here, vraies describes both la théorie and l'hypothèse. Since both of these nouns are feminine, the adjective becomes feminine plural, which means adding -es to the base masculine word vrai.

Question 3

What would happen to vraies if one of the nouns in this sentence was masculine?

Accepted Answer

If you have a mix of masculine and feminine nouns, the masculine form "wins" for the shared adjective. For example, if the sentence were about le résultat (a masculine noun) and l'hypothèse (a feminine noun), the adjective would take the masculine plural form and simply be written as vrais.

Question 4

Why is it l'hypothèse and not la hypothèse?

Accepted Answer

The word hypothèse starts with a silent H, known as a "mute H". In French, words starting with a mute H act exactly like words starting with a vowel. To avoid an awkward pause between two vowel sounds, la drops its A and merges with the noun to become l'hypothèse.

Nous voyons les résultats, donc la théorie et l'hypothèse sont vraies.

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