Log inSign up

Le club ferme ses portes en août.

Le club ferme ses portes en août.
The club closes in August.
From Lesson 244:Jobs, school and sport·French

Breakdown of Le club ferme ses portes en août.

son
his/her/its
fermer
to close
la porte
the door
août
August
le club
the club

Questions & Answers about Le club ferme ses portes en août.

Why does the French sentence add ses portes when the English translation just says "closes"?
In French, fermer ses portes (literally "to close its doors") is a common expression used for businesses, clubs, or institutions shutting down, either temporarily (like for a summer holiday) or permanently. You could just say Le club ferme en août, but adding ses portes is a very natural way to talk about a venue.
Since "the club" is singular, why do we use ses instead of son for "its"?
In French, possessive adjectives agree with the noun they are attached to, not the owner. Since portes (doors) is plural, you must use the plural possessive ses, even though the owner (le club) is singular.
Is en always the preposition used for months?
Yes! To say "in" a specific month, you always use en (like en août or en décembre). The other correct option is to use the longer phrase au mois de (meaning "in the month of"), which would make this au mois d'août.
How do you pronounce août?
The spelling is definitely unusual! The most standard pronunciation in France sounds exactly like ou (similar to the "oo" in the English word "boot"), making both the "a" and the "t" completely silent. However, depending on the region, you will sometimes hear the "t" pronounced at the end.

Learn Le club ferme ses portes en août 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 →