Breakdown of Elle est rationnelle et tu l'es aussi.
être
to be
tu
you (informal singular)
elle
she
et
and
aussi
also / too
rationnel
rational
Questions & Answers about Elle est rationnelle et tu l'es aussi.
Why is there an l' in tu l'es? Doesn't "you are too" translate to just tu es aussi?
In English, we can drop the adjective and just say "you are too." French grammar doesn't allow leaving the verb être (to be) without its complement like that. You must use the neuter pronoun le (which contracts to l' here) to replace the previously mentioned adjective rationnelle. Literally, it's like saying "you it are too."
Since rationnelle is feminine, shouldn't the pronoun be the feminine la?
No, because the pronoun here is replacing an adjective, not a specific noun. When replacing an adjective or a general state of being, French always uses the invariable neuter pronoun le. It never changes to agree with the gender or number of the subject, although here it contracts to l' because es starts with a vowel.
Can I drop the l' in casual spoken French and just say et tu es aussi?
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