Log inSign up

Nous allons polir l'argenterie et de délicats couverts.

Nous allons polir l'argenterie et de délicats couverts.
We are going to polish the silverware and delicate place settings.
From Lesson 379:Purpose vs. contents prepositions (à vs. de)·French

Questions & Answers about Nous allons polir l'argenterie et de délicats couverts.

Why is it de délicats couverts and not des délicats couverts?
When a plural adjective comes directly before a plural noun, the plural indefinite article des changes to de. If the adjective came after the noun, you would use des instead: des couverts délicats.
Does the de here act like the preposition of contents from our current lesson, like in tasse de thé?
No, it is a coincidence! In this sentence, de is a plural article meaning 'some', not a preposition connecting two nouns. The current lesson focuses on noun-to-noun links, whereas here de is just introducing an adjective-noun pair.
Why is the adjective délicats placed before the noun couverts?
While most descriptive French adjectives follow the noun, placing one before the noun often makes it more poetic, subjective, or emphasizes the quality. Here, it highlights the speaker's appreciation for just how delicate the cutlery is.
What exactly does couverts mean in this context?
Les couverts refers to the utensils used for eating (cutlery) or a complete place setting for one person at a table. It is related to the verb couvrir (to cover), originating from an old custom of covering the dishes and utensils of royalty.

Learn Nous allons polir l'argenterie et de délicats couverts 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 →