Learn French: L'étoile de mer est tout étonnée par le crabe. - The starfish is completely surprised by the crab.

L'étoile de mer est tout étonnée par le crabe.

The starfish is completely surprised by the crab.

Breakdown of L'étoile de mer est tout étonnée par le crabe.

être

to be

par

by, through / out of (motive)

Questions & Answers about L'étoile de mer est tout étonnée par le crabe.

Why is it tout étonnée and not toute étonnée if the starfish is feminine?

In this sentence, tout is an adverb meaning "completely". Adverbs normally don't change form to agree with nouns. There is an exception where tout agrees (becoming toute or toutes) before feminine adjectives that start with a consonant or an aspirated 'h'. Because étonnée starts with a vowel, tout follows the normal adverb rule and stays exactly as it is!

Is étoile de mer masculine or feminine?

It is feminine. The main noun is étoile (star), which is a feminine word (une étoile). You can see this reflected in the adjective étonnée, which gets an extra -e at the end to match the feminine subject.

Should I pronounce the 't' at the end of tout here?

Yes, you should! Because tout is followed directly by a word starting with a vowel (étonnée), you make a mandatory liaison. You pronounce the 't' to connect the words, which makes the phrase flow smoothly.

Why do we use par instead of de for "by" in this sentence?