Breakdown of Cette banane n'est pas encore jaune.
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
ce
this (before a noun)
encore
still, again
jaune
yellow
la banane
the banana
Questions & Answers about Cette banane n'est pas encore jaune.
Why is it pas encore instead of just pas?
In French, ne ... pas encore is a specific negative expression that means 'not yet.' Just like standard negation, the ne and the pas encore wrap around the conjugated verb (est).
Does the adjective jaune need an extra 'e' to agree with the feminine word banane?
No, it stays exactly as it is! Adjectives that already end in an unaccented -e in their base masculine form (like jaune, rouge, or facile) use that exact same spelling for feminine words too.
Why do we use cette instead of ce for 'this'?
Could I put encore at the very end of the sentence, like we do in English?
No, in French, you cannot separate pas and encore in this context. The phrase pas encore must stay glued together right after the conjugated verb, so you cannot say n'est pas jaune encore.
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