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Cette dame est très polie.

Cette dame est très polie.
This lady is very polite.
From Lesson 52:Please, sorry and thank you·French

Breakdown of Cette dame est très polie.

être
to be
très
very
poli
polite
la dame
the lady

Questions & Answers about Cette dame est très polie.

Why is it cette and not ce?
Cette is the feminine form of the word for 'this' or 'that'. We use it here because dame (lady) is a feminine noun. If you were talking about a masculine noun, like monsieur (gentleman), you would use ce, as in ce monsieur.
Does cette mean 'this' or 'that'?
It can mean either one! French does not use separate words for 'this' and 'that' in basic sentences. You can usually tell from the context whether the speaker means 'this lady' or 'that lady'.
Why does the word polie end with an 'e'?
In French, describing words (adjectives) must match the gender of the person or thing they describe. Because dame is feminine, we add an -e to the masculine word poli to make it polie.
Do I pronounce the 's' at the end of très?
No, the 's' is silent here. The 's' in très is only pronounced (making a 'z' sound) when the very next word starts with a vowel. Since polie starts with a consonant, the 's' stays silent.

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