Breakdown of Il parle de la coloration, du balayage et du brushing.
il
he
et
and
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
parler
to speak
du
of the / from the (masculine singular, with plural des)
la
her, it (feminine direct object pronoun)
la coloration
the coloring
le brushing
the blow-dry
le balayage
the balayage
Questions & Answers about Il parle de la coloration, du balayage et du brushing.
Why do we have to say du balayage and du brushing instead of just le balayage and le brushing?
In French, the prepositions à, de, and en must be repeated before every single item in a list. Because he is talking about (parle de) three things, the preposition de (or its contractions) has to be placed in front of each noun.
Why did de change to du for the last two items in the list?
Even when repeating prepositions in a list, you must still follow standard contraction rules. Because balayage and brushing are masculine nouns, the repeated preposition de combines with the masculine definite article le to form the mandatory contraction du.
Is le brushing just the French word for brushing your hair?
No, le brushing is a classic French faux ami (false friend) borrowed from English. It specifically means a salon blow-dry. If you want to talk about the everyday action of brushing your hair or teeth, you would use the reflexive verb se brosser.
Does le balayage mean the same thing in French as it does in English?
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