Elle est ton amie.

to be

Breakdown of Elle est ton amie.

• ton: your
• elle: she
• l'amie: the friend

Questions & Answers about Elle est ton amie.

Why do we use Elle instead of Il?

In French, elle means "she" and is used to refer to a feminine subject. Since amie also indicates a female friend, the sentence keeps everything in feminine form.

Why do we use amie with an e instead of ami?

In French, words often change their endings to denote gender. Ami (without the "e") is the masculine form meaning "male friend," and amie (with the "e") is the feminine form meaning "female friend."

Why is it ton amie and not ta amie if amie is feminine?

Usually, you would expect ta for a feminine noun. However, when a feminine noun begins with a vowel (like amie, which starts with "a"), French uses ton for ease of pronunciation. It avoids the awkward sound of "ta amie" by making it ton amie.

When should I use ton versus votre?

Ton is the informal form of "your," used with people you know well (friends, family, etc.). Votre is the more formal or plural form of "your." You’d use votre if you don’t know the person well or if you’re addressing more than one person.

Why is there an e at the end of amie, but it's not strongly pronounced?

In French, a final -e is usually silent. This is true even though it indicates the word is feminine. You’ll still pronounce the "ee" sound (like in "me") for ami(e), but the very last -e is not given additional emphasis as in some other languages.