Question 1

Why is it L'enfant instead of Le enfant?

Accepted Answer

When the singular words for "the" (le or la) come right before a noun starting with a vowel (like the "e" in enfant), they drop their vowel and become l'. This makes the words flow together more smoothly when speaking.

Question 2

Is the "p" in compte pronounced?

Accepted Answer

No, the p in compte (and its dictionary form, compter) is completely silent. It sounds a bit like "kohnt". This verb means "to count", which is very useful when learning how to ask about quantities with combien (how many).

Question 3

Could I just say compte fleurs without the les, like in English?

Accepted Answer

In French, nouns almost always need an article (like "the", "a", or "some") in front of them. You cannot say compte fleurs. Because the child is counting specific flowers here, we use the plural definite article les.

Question 4

If the "s" at the end of fleurs is silent, how do we hear that it is plural?

Accepted Answer

You can tell by listening to the article right before it! The singular "the flower" is la fleur, but the plural is les fleurs. The change from la to les (pronounced a bit like "lay" in English) is your ear's main clue that there is more than one flower.

L'enfant compte les fleurs.

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