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Questions & Answers about La fenêtre est grande.
Why is it la fenêtre and not le fenêtre?
In French, fenêtre is a feminine noun. French nouns have grammatical genders, which can be either masculine or feminine. Since fenêtre is feminine, you must use the feminine definite article la instead of le.
Why do you say est grande instead of est grand?
Adjectives in French must agree with the gender (and number) of the noun they describe. Fenêtre is feminine, so the adjective must be in its feminine form grande. If the noun were masculine, you would use grand.
Why does the adjective grande come after est?
In French, when using the verb être (to be), the descriptive adjective typically appears after the verb. This is similar to saying in English: “The window is big.” In both languages, the adjective comes after the verb is or est.
Could I have said La grande fenêtre instead?
Yes, but that would slightly change the structure and emphasis. La grande fenêtre translates to The big window, focusing on the window as a subject with its quality up front. La fenêtre est grande is more like making a statement: The window is big. Both are correct, but their usage depends on the context or emphasis.
How would I pronounce fenêtre correctly?
The word fenêtre can be broken down as feh-nɛ-tr(uh). Make sure the ê (the “e” with a circumflex) is pronounced with an open ɛ sound, similar to the “e” in bed. The final -tre is a muted “truh” sound, with a soft “uh” at the end.