Breakdown of Ce sont de bons presse-agrumes !
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
bon
good
ce sont
they are, those are
le presse-agrumes
the citrus juicer
Questions & Answers about Ce sont de bons presse-agrumes !
Why doesn't presse-agrumes change its spelling in the plural here?
Presse-agrumes is a compound noun made of a verb (presse) and a noun (agrumes). In French compound nouns, the verb part never takes a plural -s. The noun part usually does take an -s in the plural, but agrumes already has an -s in its singular form because even a single juicer presses multiple citrus fruits! Therefore, the singular and plural forms are completely identical: un presse-agrumes and des presse-agrumes.
How do I recognize that presse is a verb and shouldn't get an -s?
Think about what the object does. A presse-agrumes is a tool that presses (presser) citrus. Many French tools and household items are formed using this verb-plus-noun structure, such as a porte-manteau (coat rack) or grille-pain (toaster). Because the first word describes the action the object performs, you know it is a verb and must remain invariable.
Why is it de bons instead of des bons?
When a plural adjective (like bons) comes directly before a plural noun, the plural indefinite article des changes to de. If the adjective were placed after the noun, the article would stay des (for example, des presse-agrumes exceptionnels).
Why does the sentence start with Ce sont instead of Ils sont?
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