Breakdown of Le lion est un animal sauvage.
être
to be
l'animal
the animal (m)
sauvage
wild
le lion
the lion
Questions & Answers about Le lion est un animal sauvage.
Why do we use Le lion instead of just Lion to talk about lions in general?
In French, when you make a general statement about an entire species or category, you must use a definite article (le, la, or les). While in English you might just say "Lions are wild animals" without an article, French requires it, making it Le lion est... or Les lions sont....
Does sauvage mean "savage" here?
Not exactly! While it can mean "savage" or "fierce" in some contexts, when talking about animals or nature, sauvage simply means "wild" as opposed to domestic or tame.
Why does the adjective sauvage come after animal?
Most descriptive adjectives in French come after the noun they describe. Only a small group of common adjectives related to beauty, age, goodness, and size typically go before the noun. Because sauvage does not fall into those special categories, it follows the standard rule and goes after the noun.