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Questions & Answers about Le film est terminé.
What does “Le film est terminé.” mean in English?
It means The film is finished or The film is over. The sentence tells us that the film has ended.
Why does the sentence use “est terminé” instead of a different verb construction?
In French, when describing a state or condition, the verb être is used as a linking verb followed by an adjective. In this sentence, terminé functions as a predicate adjective that describes the film’s current state.
Is terminé an adjective or a past participle, and how does agreement work here?
Terminé started as the past participle of the verb terminer, but in this context it is used as a predicate adjective. Because le film is a masculine singular noun, no further modification is needed. If the subject were feminine, the form would change to terminée, and if plural, you would adjust accordingly (e.g., terminés or terminées).
What tense is the verb “est” and why is it appropriate in this sentence?
“Est” is the third-person singular present tense of the verb être. It is appropriate here because it links the subject le film to its state of being terminé, indicating that the film is finished right now.
Could the sentence be structured using the auxiliary verb “avoir” instead, or would that change the meaning?
Using avoir (as in Le film a terminé) would change the meaning and is generally incorrect in this context. That construction would suggest that the film itself performed an action of finishing something else. To express that the film has ended or is over, the correct structure is Le film est terminé.
Why is the definite article “Le” used before “film” in this sentence?
The article Le is used because film is a masculine noun in French and the speaker is referring to a specific film. It corresponds to “the film” in English, indicating that the film in question is already known or identified by the speaker and listener.