Learn French: Ce lieu est sinistre et très isolé. - This place is eerie and very isolated.

Lieu and endroit both mean a physical location and are often interchangeable. However, lieu is slightly more formal and often refers to a specific site or scene. Remember that the French word place is a false friend for English speakers: it usually refers to a town square, a seat, or physical space, not a general location like this.

Does sinistre mean exactly the same thing as the English word sinister?

Not exactly. While it can mean sinister or malicious, when describing a place in French, sinistre usually means gloomy, eerie, bleak, or depressing. It describes an unsettling or dark atmosphere rather than evil intent.

Why is it Ce lieu and not Cet lieu?

Ce is the masculine singular demonstrative adjective (meaning this or that). You only use cet before a masculine noun that starts with a vowel or a mute H (like cet homme). Since lieu starts with a consonant, ce is the correct choice here.

Would the ending of isolé change if we were talking about a feminine noun, like a house (une maison)?

Yes! Because lieu is masculine, isolé is in its standard masculine singular form. If you were describing a feminine noun, you would add an extra E to the end to make it isolée (for example: Cette maison est très isolée).