C'est une belle histoire d'amour.

Questions & Answers about C'est une belle histoire d'amour.

Why does belle come before histoire instead of after it?
In French, most adjectives come after the noun. However, short and common adjectives that describe Beauty, Age, Goodness, or Size (often remembered as BAGS) go before the noun. Because belle describes beauty, it goes in front of histoire.
Since histoire is feminine, why do we use C'est instead of Elle est?
When you want to say 'It is' or 'He/She is' followed by a noun with an article (like une belle histoire), you must use C'est. You only use Il est or Elle est when they are followed directly by an adjective, like in Elle est belle (She is beautiful).
Why is it d'amour and not de l'amour?
When linking two nouns together to show what type of thing something is, French uses de (which becomes d' before a vowel). You drop the extra article (like le or la) because you are talking about the general category of love, not a specific love. So 'love story' translates to histoire d'amour.
Do I pronounce the 'h' in histoire?
No, the 'h' in histoire is silent. In French, words starting with a silent 'h' act as if they start with a vowel. This means you make a smooth connection when speaking, blending the 'n' sound in une right into the 'i' sound in histoire.

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