In French, all nouns have a gender (masculine or feminine), and the word for "a" or "an" has to match it. Because femme (woman) is a feminine noun, we use the feminine articleune. If the noun were masculine, like homme (man), we would use un.
Why does on use the verb est?
The pronounon (which can mean "one", "we", or "people") always acts like a third-person singular pronoun for grammar purposes. This means it uses the exact same verb form as il (he) and elle (she). Therefore, we use est from the verb être (to be).
How do you pronounce On est? Do the words run together?
Yes, they do! Because on ends in a consonant and est starts with a vowel, you make a linking sound called a liaison. You carry the "n" sound over to the beginning of the next word, so it sounds like on-nest.
Does une femme always mean "a woman"?
It usually means "a woman", but depending on the context, une femme can also mean "a wife". In this general sentence, "a woman" makes the most sense!
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