Le tuteur est près de la bouture.

The stake is near the plant cutting.

Breakdown of Le tuteur est près de la bouture.

• être: to be
• près de: near
• la bouture: the plant cutting
• le tuteur: the plant stake

Questions & Answers about Le tuteur est près de la bouture.

Why does tuteur not mean tutor here?

In this sentence, un tuteur means a plant stake or support stake—the stick used to help a plant grow upright.

This is a useful false friend for English speakers, because tuteur can also mean guardian or mentor in some contexts, but in gardening it usually means a stake/support.

So here, Le tuteur is not a person—it is the support next to the plant.

What does bouture mean exactly?

Une bouture is a cutting—a piece of a plant that is used to grow a new plant.

It is a feminine noun, which is why the sentence has la bouture and not le bouture.

Why is it près de and not just près la bouture?

In French, près is used with de when it means near.

So you say:

• près de la maison = near the house
• près du jardin = near the garden
• près de la bouture = near the cutting

You cannot say près la bouture in standard French.

Why does de become de la here?