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Cet acteur dont la nièce est égoïste va se marier.

Cet acteur dont la nièce est égoïste va se marier.
This actor whose niece is selfish is going to get married.
From Lesson 164:Possessive relative pronouns (dont)·French

Questions & Answers about Cet acteur dont la nièce est égoïste va se marier.

Why is there a la after dont? Doesn't dont mean "whose"?
Yes, dont means "whose" here, but French grammar works differently than English. In English, we say "whose niece", putting the noun right after "whose". In French, you must use a definite article (le, la, or les) before the noun being possessed. So, you literally say "whose the niece" (dont la nièce).
Why is it cet acteur instead of ce acteur?
Ce means "this" or "that" for masculine nouns, but because acteur starts with a vowel, you must use cet to make it easier to pronounce. It prevents two vowel sounds from clashing.
Why use the reflexive verb se marier instead of just marier?
In French, to express the action of "getting married" yourself, you use the reflexive verb se marier. If you just use marier, it means you are the person officiating the wedding (like a priest or a mayor) or a parent marrying off a child.
Does the adjective égoïste need an extra "e" because it refers to la nièce, which is feminine?
No, égoïste naturally ends in an "e" in its default masculine form. When an adjective already ends in an "e", it doesn't change spelling in the feminine form. It would be spelled exactly the same if it referred to a masculine noun like le neveu (the nephew).

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