Question 1

How do verb-noun compound nouns like ouvre-boîtes and presse-agrumes work in the plural?

Accepted Answer

Both are made of a verb (ouvre, presse) and a noun (boîtes, agrumes). In traditional French spelling, the verb part never changes. The noun part takes an -s even in the singular if the tool acts on multiple things (a can opener opens multiple cans). This means their singular and plural forms are identical: un ouvre-boîtes and des ouvre-boîtes. Under the newer 1990 spelling reform, this was simplified so they take an -s only in the plural, but you will still encounter both styles widely.

Question 2

Is there a spoken liaison between Ces and ouvre-boîtes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Because ouvre-boîtes starts with a vowel sound, you must make a mandatory liaison. The -s at the end of Ces is pronounced as a Z sound, connecting smoothly to the next word.

Question 3

What does the word agrumes mean in presse-agrumes?

Accepted Answer

Un agrume is the general French term for a citrus fruit. While in English we might specify a lemon squeezer or orange juicer, French uses this catch-all categorical term for the kitchen gadget designed to juice any citrus.

Question 4

Why does pratiques have an -s at the end?

Accepted Answer

Adjectives must always agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe. Since the sentence is talking about plural items (Ces ouvre-boîtes and ces presse-agrumes), the adjective pratique takes a plural -s to become pratiques.

Ces ouvre-boîtes et ces presse-agrumes sont très pratiques.

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