Notre maison est belle.

Our house is beautiful.

Breakdown of Notre maison est belle.

• être: to be
• la maison: the house
• beau: beautiful, handsome
• notre: our

Questions & Answers about Notre maison est belle.

Why is the adjective "belle" used instead of "beau"?

"Maison" is a feminine noun in French, so we use the feminine form of the adjective—"belle"—instead of the masculine form, "beau."

Is "maison" a masculine or a feminine noun in French?

"Maison" is feminine. French nouns have grammatical gender, and "maison" happens to be feminine, which affects the form of articles and adjectives used with it.

What does "Notre" mean, and why isn't it "Nos"?

"Notre" means "our" when referring to a single (singular) owned item. "Nos" means "our" as well, but it is used when referring to more than one, such as "nos maisons" (our houses). Since we are talking about one house here, we say "Notre maison."

How is "est" used in this sentence?

"Est" is the third-person singular of the verb "être" (to be) in the present tense. It corresponds to "is" in English, linking the subject "maison" with the adjective "belle."

Do we ever replace "Notre maison est belle" with something like "C’est une belle maison"?

Yes, you can sometimes say "C’est une belle maison," which literally translates to "It’s a beautiful house." But that slightly changes the focus of the sentence. "Notre maison est belle" emphasizes that it is "our" house that is beautiful.