Cette voie n’est pas trop difficile, n’est-ce pas ?

not

Breakdown of Cette voie n’est pas trop difficile, n’est-ce pas ?

• n'est-ce pas?: right?
• trop: too
• cette: this

Questions & Answers about Cette voie n’est pas trop difficile, n’est-ce pas ?

Why does the sentence start with cette voie? What does cette mean?

Cette means this.

French demonstratives change depending on the gender and number of the noun:

• ce = this / that (masculine singular)
• cet = this / that (masculine singular before a vowel or silent h)
• cette = this / that (feminine singular)
• ces = these / those (plural)

Because voie is a feminine singular noun, French uses cette.

So:

• ce chemin = this path
• cette voie = this route / this way

What does voie mean here?

Voie usually means something like way, route, track, lane, or path, depending on context.

It is a somewhat flexible word. In different situations, it can refer to:

• a physical route or path
• a lane on a road
• a railway track
• a figurative way or course
• in climbing, a climbing route

So the exact English translation depends on context, even though the French word stays the same.

Also, voie is feminine: la voie.

Why is it n’est pas? How does that make the sentence negative?