L'appartement est rénové.

to be

Breakdown of L'appartement est rénové.

• l'appartement: the apartment
• rénové: renovated

Questions & Answers about L'appartement est rénové.

What does the sentence L'appartement est rénové mean?

It means "The apartment is renovated." The sentence indicates that the apartment has undergone renovation and is currently in a renovated state.

Why is the verb form "est" used instead of "a été" in this sentence?

The use of est (the present tense of être) emphasizes the apartment’s current condition as renovated. In contrast, a été rénové (using the passé composé) would focus on the action of renovating that took place in the past. Here, the simple present stresses the state rather than the process.

What does the contraction "L'" in L'appartement stand for?

The L' is a contraction of the definite article le. In French, you contract le to l' before a noun that begins with a vowel sound (as in appartement) to ensure smoother pronunciation.

How does the adjective "rénové" agree with the noun in this sentence?

The adjective rénové is in the masculine singular form to match l'appartement, which is a masculine singular noun. If the noun were feminine, the adjective would change accordingly—typically adding an extra -e (for example, rénovée).

Is the sentence using the passive voice, and if so, how does it work here?

Yes, the sentence employs a passive construction. The past participle rénové is used with the verb être to indicate that the apartment has been renovated, without indicating who performed the renovation. This form focuses on the state or result rather than the doer of the action.

How can you tell that the sentence emphasizes a state rather than the action of renovating?

The form est rénové highlights the present condition of the apartment—its state of having been renovated. If the intention were to describe the action as a past event, one might say a été rénové to stress the occurrence of the renovation rather than its resulting state.

What is the overall grammatical structure of this sentence?

The structure is: Subject (L'appartement) + Verb (est) + Adjective/Past Participle (rénové). Here, rénové functions both as the past participle of rénover and as an adjective describing the apartment’s condition. This compact structure is common in French for expressing a state that results from a previous action.