Question 1

Why is en effet used here instead of en fait?

Accepted Answer

En effet is used to confirm or agree with something that was just said, meaning "indeed" or "that's right". It shows that the balance really is an advantage, just as expected. En fait, on the other hand, means "actually" or "in fact" and is used to contradict or add unexpected information to a previous statement.

Question 2

Does en effet mean "in effect"?

Accepted Answer

Not exactly, though they look like false friends. While they share a root, en effet translates to "indeed" or "yes, exactly". If you want to say "in effect" or "in reality", you would usually use en pratique or dans les faits.

Question 3

Why does the sentence use cet instead of ce before équilibre?

Accepted Answer

Équilibre is a masculine word, so normally you would use ce for "this". However, because it starts with a vowel, you must change it to cet to make pronunciation smoother by linking the "t" sound to the "é". If the word were feminine, you would use cette regardless of the starting letter.

Question 4

Is there a trick to remembering that avantage is masculine?

Accepted Answer

Yes! In French, almost all nouns ending in -age are masculine, like un avantage, un voyage (a trip), or le fromage (cheese). There are only a few common feminine exceptions to watch out for, such as une image, une page, and une plage (a beach).

En effet, cet équilibre est un avantage.

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