Breakdown of La surface est parfaite. En revanche, l'isolation est très mauvaise.
être
to be
très
very
parfait
perfect
mauvais
bad
en revanche
on the other hand (formal)
l'isolation
the insulation (f)
la surface
the surface area
Questions & Answers about La surface est parfaite. En revanche, l'isolation est très mauvaise.
How is en revanche different from par contre?
Both translate to "on the other hand" or "however" and are used to show contrast. En revanche is considered slightly more formal and elegant, especially in writing, whereas par contre is very common in everyday spoken French. You could easily swap it for Par contre in this sentence.
Does surface mean the same thing in French as it does in English?
Yes, but with an extra meaning! When talking about apartments or houses, la surface specifically refers to the "surface area" or floor space. So here, they are saying the size of the place is perfect.
Why are parfaite and mauvaise spelled with an -e at the end?
They are describing la surface and l'isolation, which are both feminine nouns. Because of this, the adjectives must match them in gender, so we use the feminine forms parfaite (from parfait) and mauvaise (from mauvais).
Could I place en revanche at the very end of the sentence, like we do with "though" in English?
No, unlike the English "though," en revanche cannot go at the very end of a sentence. It usually goes at the beginning of the contrasting sentence, as it does here, or sometimes right after the verb.
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