Breakdown of Le président voit son homologue, chancelier d'Allemagne.
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
voir
to see
son
his/her/its (son, sa, ses)
l'Allemagne
Germany
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
le président
the president
l'homologue
the counterpart (m)
le chancelier
the chancellor
Questions & Answers about Le président voit son homologue, chancelier d'Allemagne.
Why is there no le before chancelier?
In French, when a noun is placed right after another noun to give a title, role, or definition (a structure called nominal apposition), the article is usually dropped. So instead of son homologue, le chancelier, we just say son homologue, chancelier. This makes the sentence sound concise and professional, which is very common in journalism.
Would it be wrong to include the article and say son homologue, le chancelier d'Allemagne?
Why is it d'Allemagne instead of de l'Allemagne?
When linking a title or noun to a feminine country to show origin (like King of Spain or Chancellor of Germany), French uses just de or d' without the definite article. Since Allemagne is feminine and starts with a vowel, it becomes chancelier d'Allemagne. If it were a masculine country, you would keep the article and combine it with de, such as président du Brésil.
What exactly does homologue mean in this context?
Homologue translates to counterpart. In politics and business, it refers to the person who holds the same position as the subject but in a different country or organization. Here, the French president is meeting the person with the equivalent head-of-government job in Germany.
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