Breakdown of Est-ce que le tailleur coupe le quart de la longueur ?
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
est-ce que
is it that / do / does (question marker)
le quart
the quarter
couper
to cut
le tailleur
the tailor
la longueur
the length
Questions & Answers about Est-ce que le tailleur coupe le quart de la longueur ?
Why does the French sentence say le quart de instead of un quart de for "a quarter of"?
When talking about fractions of a specific whole, French typically uses the definite article: la moitié de (half of), le tiers de (a third of), and le quart de (a quarter of). You will see un quart used mostly as a standalone measurement, like un quart d'heure (a quarter of an hour).
Since we are saying "of the", why is it de la instead of just de?
The core expression is le quart de (the quarter of), but you must still include the definite article for the specific noun that follows. Since longueur is feminine, we use la, giving us de la longueur. If the tailor were cutting a quarter of the fabric (le tissu), de and le would contract to make du tissu.
la longueur means "the length." How is this related to the adjective for "long"?
Is it okay to ask this question using inversion instead of Est-ce que?
Yes, but it sounds much more formal. Because the subject is a noun (le tailleur) rather than a pronoun, you would have to state the noun and then add the inverted pronoun: Le tailleur coupe-t-il le quart de la longueur ? For everyday spoken French, sticking with Est-ce que is usually much more natural.
Learn Est-ce que le tailleur coupe le quart de la longueur and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free