Learn French: Leur puits est très vieux.

Leur puits est très vieux.

Their well is very old.

Breakdown of Leur puits est très vieux.

their (singular and plural forms: leur, leurs)

vieux

old

Questions & Answers about Leur puits est très vieux.

Since puits ends in an 's', how do we know it is singular in this sentence?

You can tell it is singular because of the singular verb est and the singular possessive adjective leur. The noun puits (well) is one of those French words that always ends in 's', even in the singular. If they had multiple wells, the sentence would be Leurs puits sont très vieux.

How is the word puits pronounced?

The t and the s are both completely silent. It is pronounced similarly to 'pwee' in English.

Why does vieux end in an 'x' if the subject is singular?

The base masculine singular form of the adjective for 'old' is vieux, so the 'x' is just part of its normal spelling, not a plural marker. Its masculine plural form is exactly the same. You only change it for feminine (vieille) or when a masculine singular noun starts with a vowel sound (vieil).