Learn French: Cet agriculteur vend ses légumes au marché. - This farmer sells his vegetables at the market.

Cet agriculteur vend ses légumes au marché.

This farmer sells his vegetables at the market.

Breakdown of Cet agriculteur vend ses légumes au marché.

Questions & Answers about Cet agriculteur vend ses légumes au marché.

Why does the sentence use cet instead of ce for 'this'?

Even though agriculteur is masculine, it starts with a vowel. French uses cet instead of ce before masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel or a silent H to make pronunciation smoother.

Since it's just one farmer, why do we use the plural ses for 'his'?

In French, possessive adjectives always match the thing being owned, not the owner. Because there are multiple vegetables (légumes), you must use the plural ses. It does not matter that they belong to a single man.

Could I use the word fermier instead of agriculteur here?

Yes, but there is a slight nuance. Fermier is the traditional word for someone who runs a farm (une ferme), often with animals. Agriculteur is a broader, more professional term for anyone working in agriculture or crop production.

Why do we say au marché instead of just à marché or à le marché?

In French, you say you are selling 'at the' market. Marché is a masculine word, so 'the' is le. Whenever the preposition à meets le, they must combine into the single contracted word au.