Le sac est sur la table.

to be

Breakdown of Le sac est sur la table.

• la table: the table
• sur: on
• le sac: the bag

Questions & Answers about Le sac est sur la table.

Why do we use Le instead of La for sac?

In French, the noun sac is masculine, so it takes the masculine definite article le. You generally have to learn the gender of each noun individually, as it isn’t always obvious.

Why do we say la table and not le table?

The noun table is feminine, so it uses the feminine article la. Again, this is something you often memorize or pick up through exposure to French vocabulary.

What does sur mean and how is it normally used?

The preposition sur in French usually means “on” or “on top of.” It indicates that one object is placed physically on top of or above something else (for example, Le livre est sur le bureau).

Why do we say est here?

Est is the third-person singular form of the verb être (to be). Here, it corresponds to “is” in English. The verb être must be correctly conjugated to match the subject—in this case, le sac (a singular subject).

How can I remember which nouns are masculine or feminine?

You’ll often need to memorize them or learn patterns over time. Some endings can give clues (for example, many nouns ending in -tion are feminine), but there are plenty of exceptions. Practice and frequent exposure to French will help reinforce gender patterns.