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L'éléphant est le plus gros animal.

L'éléphant est le plus gros animal.
The elephant is the biggest animal.
From Lesson 260:Animals and the countryside·French

Questions & Answers about L'éléphant est le plus gros animal.

Why is it le plus gros animal and not l'animal le plus gros?
The placement of a superlative depends on where the adjective normally goes. Because gros describes size, it is part of the short list of adjectives (often remembered by the acronym BANGS: Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, Size) that come before the noun. Therefore, its superlative form le plus gros also goes before the noun.
Could I say le plus grand animal instead of using gros here?
You could, but it changes the meaning slightly. Grand usually refers to height or length (tall or long), whereas gros refers to volume, mass, or overall bulk. Because elephants are so heavily built and massive, gros is the most natural choice to describe their size.
Do I pronounce the 's' at the end of gros in this sentence?
Yes, you do! Even though the 's' in gros is normally silent, it is immediately followed by a word starting with a vowel (animal). This creates a spoken link called a liaison. You pronounce the 's' like a "z" sound: "gro-za-ni-mal".
In English we usually say "Elephants are the biggest animals." Can I use the plural in French too?
Absolutely. You can say Les éléphants sont les plus gros animaux. However, both languages allow you to use a singular noun with a definite article (L'éléphant / "The elephant") to represent an entire species or category, which is the stylistic choice made in this sentence.

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