Log inSign up

L'éléphant boit beaucoup d'eau.

L'éléphant boit beaucoup d'eau.
The elephant drinks a lot of water.
From Lesson 260:Animals and the countryside·French

Questions & Answers about L'éléphant boit beaucoup d'eau.

Why is it d'eau instead of de l'eau?
After expressions of quantity like beaucoup, un peu, or trop, French uses the preposition de (or d' before a vowel) without the definite article (le, la, or l'). Therefore, it is always beaucoup d'eau, never beaucoup de l'eau.
What is the infinitive of boit, and how does it conjugate in the plural?
The infinitive is boire (to drink). It is an irregular verb that B1 learners should watch out for. While the singular forms use the oi sound (such as il boit), the plural forms change the stem, giving us nous buvons, vous buvez, and ils boivent.
Since we see l'éléphant, how do we know if éléphant is masculine or feminine?
The l' does not tell us the gender because both le and la shrink to l' before a vowel. You just have to memorize that éléphant is masculine (un éléphant). If it were a female elephant, you would specify by saying une éléphante.

Learn L'éléphant boit beaucoup d'eau and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →