Learn French: Le capitaine est le premier de l'équipe. - The captain is the first of the team.

Le capitaine est le premier de l'équipe.

The captain is the first of the team.

Breakdown of Le capitaine est le premier de l'équipe.

Questions & Answers about Le capitaine est le premier de l'équipe.

In English, we say "on the team" or "in the team." Why does French use de here?

French uses de (of) to express belonging to a group or being a part of a whole. While an English speaker naturally says "first on the team," French literally says "first of the team" (le premier de l'équipe).

If the captain were a woman, how would this sentence change?

The noun capitaine is used for both men and women, but its article changes to match the person. If referring to a female captain, the articles and the adjective premier must match her gender. The sentence would become La capitaine est la première de l'équipe.

Because l'équipe uses the contracted article l', how can I tell if it's masculine or feminine?

You can't tell just by looking at l'équipe! The word équipe is feminine, but because it starts with a vowel, the feminine article la drops its "a" to become l' for smoother pronunciation. You just have to memorize that it is une équipe.