Learn French: La hauteur de ce pilier est impressionnante. - The height of this pillar is impressive.

La hauteur de ce pilier est impressionnante.

The height of this pillar is impressive.

Breakdown of La hauteur de ce pilier est impressionnante.

être

to be

this (before a noun)

of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)

impressionnant

impressive

Questions & Answers about La hauteur de ce pilier est impressionnante.

Why is it la hauteur instead of l'hauteur?

The word hauteur begins with an h aspiré (aspirated h). Even though the letter 'h' is completely silent when spoken, it acts grammatically like a consonant. This means you cannot use elision (so it must be la hauteur, never l'hauteur) or make a liaison with the preceding word.

Why is impressionnante in the feminine form when pilier is masculine?

The adjective impressionnante agrees with the core subject of the sentence, which is la hauteur (feminine). Even though ce pilier (masculine) sits right next to the verb, it is part of a prepositional phrase (de ce pilier). It's the height that is impressive here, not necessarily the pillar itself.

How would I add a specific measurement, like "a height of 5 meters", using the dimension noun structure from this lesson?

To use the lesson's dimension syntax with a noun, you generally switch from the verb être to the verb avoir. You would phrase it as: Ce pilier a une hauteur de 5 mètres (This pillar has a height of 5 meters).

If I wanted to use the dimension adjective instead of the noun hauteur to express a measurement, how would that look?