Log inSign up

L'église du village est très ancienne.

L'église du village est très ancienne.
The village church is very old.
From Lesson 240:Around town·French

Questions & Answers about L'église du village est très ancienne.

Why does the French say église du village instead of just village église?
In English, we often stack nouns together, like 'village church' or 'water bottle.' French doesn't do this. Instead, you connect the nouns using de (of). Since village is masculine (le village), de and le combine into du, literally making it 'the church of the village.'
Why is ancienne used here instead of vieille?
Both can mean 'old,' but vieille (feminine of vieux) often just means old in age or worn out. Ancienne is frequently used for historical buildings or things from a past era, giving a sense of historical age which fits perfectly for a village church.
What would it mean if ancienne was placed before the noun, as in l'ancienne église?
The adjective ancien changes meaning depending on its position. After the noun, or after the verb est as in this sentence, it means 'old' or 'ancient.' If placed before the noun, it means 'former,' so l'ancienne église would mean 'the former church' (one that perhaps serves a different purpose now).
Why is it spelled ancienne with a double N?
The adjective must agree with l'église, which is a feminine noun. The masculine form is ancien. For French adjectives ending in -en, you must double the final consonant and add an E to make them feminine, resulting in ancienne.

Learn L'église du village est très ancienne 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
Start learning French →