Le fruit est petit.

The fruit is small.

Breakdown of Le fruit est petit.

• être: to be
• le fruit: the fruit
• petit: small

Questions & Answers about Le fruit est petit.

Why is le used instead of la?

In French, nouns have grammatical gender. Fruit is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine article le instead of the feminine article la.

Why do we say petit and not petite in this sentence?

Because fruit is masculine, the adjective must match the gender of the noun. Petit is the masculine form of the adjective meaning "small," while petite is the feminine form.

Is petit an adjective or another part of speech?

Petit is an adjective describing the noun fruit. It tells us the size or characteristic of the fruit (that it is small).

Can I use any other French verb instead of est in Le fruit est petit?

Est is the third-person singular form of être ("to be"), and it’s typically used to link a noun and an adjective. You could use other verbs in different contexts, for instance, Le fruit paraît petit ("The fruit seems small"), but the simplest direct statement of being is with est.

Does the adjective always come after the noun in French?

Many French adjectives come after the noun, but some adjectives, especially those referring to BANGS (Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, Size), can come before it (e.g., un petit fruit). However, in this construction with être, we say Le fruit est petit (noun + verb + adjective).