Le chat est noir.

The cat is black.

Breakdown of Le chat est noir.

• être: to be
• le chat: the cat
• noir: black

Questions & Answers about Le chat est noir.

Why is it Le chat and not La chat?

In French, chat (cat) is usually a masculine noun, so you use the masculine article Le instead of La, which is used for feminine nouns. There is a feminine form of the word cat, la chatte, but this is less common unless you explicitly want to indicate a female cat.

Why does noir end in -r here, while I sometimes see noire with an -e at the end?

French adjectives often change their endings based on the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun they modify. Noir is the masculine singular form. If you’re describing a feminine noun (e.g., la chatte), you would normally say noire.

Is there a difference in pronunciation between chat and chats (plural)?

They’re pronounced the same way. Both chat (singular) and chats (plural) end with the same voiced a sound. The final -s in chats is silent in French.

How do I pronounce Le chat est noir naturally?