Le chat est calme.

The cat is calm.

Breakdown of Le chat est calme.

• être: to be
• le chat: the cat
• calme: calm

Questions & Answers about Le chat est calme.

What does the article le signify in this sentence?

Le is the definite article equivalent to the in English. It is used here to refer to a specific cat, indicating that the speaker assumes the listener knows which cat is being discussed, much like in English.

How is the verb est functioning in this sentence?

Est is the third person singular present form of the verb être, which means to be. In this sentence, it connects the subject le chat with the adjective calme, forming the idea that the cat is in a calm state.

Why does the adjective calme remain unchanged, and does it agree with le chat?

In French, adjectives typically agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. However, calme is one of those adjectives that looks the same in both masculine and feminine forms (and in singular form, it remains unchanged). Since le chat is masculine singular, calme is correctly used without any modification.

How does the structure of Le chat est calme compare with an equivalent English sentence?

The structure of Le chat est calme is very similar to the English sentence The cat is calm. Both use a Subject-Verb-Adjective order, making this French sentence straightforward for native English speakers to understand.