Breakdown of Les couvre-lits sont dans la boîte. Je les ai pliés ce matin.
je
I
être
to be
dans
in, inside
avoir
to have
ce
this (before a noun)
le matin
the morning
la boîte
the box, a can
plier
to fold / to bend
le couvre-lit
the bedspread
Questions & Answers about Les couvre-lits sont dans la boîte. Je les ai pliés ce matin.
Why does only lits get an 's' in the plural compound noun couvre-lits?
What is the singular form of couvre-lits? Does it keep the 's' on lit?
The singular is un couvre-lit, with no 's'. Since one bedspread covers one bed, the noun part is singular. When the whole word becomes plural, the noun part becomes plural too. This is different from a word like un cure-dents (a toothpick), which always keeps its 's' because even a single toothpick cleans multiple teeth!
Why is there an 's' on pliés in the second sentence?
Because of past participle agreement! Normally, verbs conjugated with avoir in the passé composé don't change their endings. However, if a direct object comes before the verb, the past participle must agree with it in gender and number. Here, the pronoun les (replacing the masculine plural couvre-lits) comes before ai pliés, so plié gets an extra 's' to match.
Learn Les couvre-lits sont dans la boîte. Je les ai pliés ce matin and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free