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L'eau est toxique.

L'eau est toxique.
The water is toxic.
FromLesson 8inHardcore French

Breakdown of L'eau est toxique.

être
to be
l'eau
the water
toxique
toxic

Questions & Answers about L'eau est toxique.

Why is the article written as L'eau instead of La eau?
In French, when the feminine definite article la comes before a word that starts with a vowel sound, it contracts to l' for smoother pronunciation. That’s why la eau becomes L'eau.
What does the verb est mean in this sentence and how is it conjugated?
The word est is the third person singular form of the verb être, which means "to be." Here, it functions just like "is" in English.
Why doesn't the adjective toxique change to agree with the feminine noun eau?
The adjective toxique is invariable—it remains the same regardless of the gender or number of the noun it describes. So whether the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural, toxique does not change its form.
How does the sentence structure of L'eau est toxique compare to English?
The sentence follows a similar Subject + Verb + Adjective pattern as in English. L'eau (the water) is the subject, est (is) is the linking verb, and toxique (toxic) is the adjective describing the subject, making it easy for English speakers to understand the structure.
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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