Learn French: Les petits pois sont verts.

Les petits pois sont verts.

Peas are green.

Breakdown of Les petits pois sont verts.

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Questions & Answers about Les petits pois sont verts.

Why is there a Les at the beginning when the English translation just says Peas?

In French, you must use a definite article (le, la, or les) when making a general statement about a whole category or concept. Because this sentence is about peas in general, it requires les.

Why does the adjective petits come before the noun, but verts comes after?

Most adjectives in French are placed after the noun, which is why the color verts comes at the end. However, a small group of common adjectives describing Beauty, Age, Goodness, and Size (often called the BAGS rule) go before the noun. Since petit describes size, it goes before pois.

Do I always have to say petits pois, or can I just say pois for peas?

To talk about the green vegetable, you should always say les petits pois (literally little peas). If you just use pois, it usually means dots (like on a polka-dot shirt, à pois) or it forms part of other names like les pois chiches (chickpeas).

Do I pronounce the plural s at the end of petits, pois, and verts?

No, all three of those final s consonants are silent. In French, an s at the end of a word is usually only pronounced if it links to a vowel at the start of the next word. Here, you just hear the base words.