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Le repas familial commence.

Le repas familial commence.
The family meal begins.
FromLesson 11inHardcore French

Breakdown of Le repas familial commence.

le repas
the meal
commencer
to begin
familial
family

Questions & Answers about Le repas familial commence.

What is the English translation of Le repas familial commence?
The sentence translates as “The family meal begins.” It indicates that a meal shared by family members is starting.
How is the noun phrase le repas familial structured?

In this noun phrase: • le is the definite article for masculine singular nouns. • repas means “meal” and is a masculine noun. • familial is an adjective modifying repas, meaning “family” in the sense of something relating to or shared by a family. French typically places descriptive adjectives after the noun.

Why is the adjective familial placed after the noun repas?
Unlike in English where adjectives usually precede the noun, French generally positions many adjectives after the noun they modify. Familial is one such adjective that follows repas to describe its nature, adhering to standard French word order.
What is the form and tense of the verb commence?
Commence is the third person singular form of the verb commencer in the present tense. It is used with singular subjects and indicates that the action (the meal beginning) is happening now.
Can le repas familial be expressed in another way, for example by using a prepositional phrase?
Yes, you could also say le repas de la famille to express “the family meal.” Both forms communicate the same idea, though using the adjective familial is a more concise and common way in French to attribute a family-related quality to the meal.
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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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