Breakdown of L'artisan modèle l'argile.
l'artisan
the craftsman (m)
modeler
to shape
l'argile
the clay (f)
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Questions & Answers about L'artisan modèle l'argile.
Why does modèle have an accent grave (è) here?
The infinitive is modeler, which has no accent. It is a stem-changing verb, similar to acheter. In the present tense, for the "boot" subjects (je, tu, il/elle, ils/elles), the unaccented e changes to è so the syllable can be stressed. For nous and vous, it reverts to the unaccented e (for example, nous modelons).
If I added jusqu'à ce que (until) before this sentence, would modèle change to the subjunctive?
It would legally become the subjunctive mood, but its spelling wouldn't change at all! For regular -er verbs like modeler, the present indicative and the present subjunctive are identical for the il/elle form. So, jusqu'à ce que l'artisan modèle l'argile (until the craftsman shapes the clay) looks exactly the same as the standalone sentence.
What's the difference between un artisan and un artiste?
Is argile masculine or feminine?