Breakdown of Certains bâtiments modernes sont des cubes ou des cylindres.
être
to be
des
some (plural indefinite)
ou
or
moderne
modern
le bâtiment
the building
certain
certain / some (certains, certaine, certaines)
le cube
the cube
le cylindre
the cylinder
Questions & Answers about Certains bâtiments modernes sont des cubes ou des cylindres.
Why use Certains here instead of Quelques to mean "some"?
While both can translate to "some," certains refers to a specific subset of a larger group ("certain" buildings, contrasting them with others). Quelques focuses purely on a small quantity, meaning "a few."
Why do we need des before cubes? Couldn't we just say sont cubes like we say ils sont médecins?
Is Certains acting as a pronoun or an adjective in this sentence?
Here, it acts as an indefinite adjective because it directly modifies the noun bâtiments. If we dropped the noun and just said Certains sont des cubes (Some are cubes), it would be acting as a pronoun.
How does the pronunciation of Certains differ from its feminine counterpart, Certaines?
The masculine plural Certains ends with a nasal vowel sound, similar to the French word vin or matin. The feminine plural Certaines loses that nasal quality, and the "n" is pronounced clearly, sounding like "enn."
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