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À la campagne, l’air est plus pur qu’en ville.

À la campagne, l’air est plus pur qu’en ville.
In the countryside, the air is purer than in the city.
FromLesson 13inHardcore French

Breakdown of À la campagne, l’air est plus pur qu’en ville.

être
to be
en
in
la ville
the city
plus
more
à
in
que
than
la campagne
the countryside
l’air
the air
pur
pure

Questions & Answers about À la campagne, l’air est plus pur qu’en ville.

What does À la campagne mean in this sentence?
It means “in the countryside.” This phrase is a common idiomatic expression used in French to refer to rural areas or the countryside as opposed to urban environments.
Why is the noun l’air preceded by a definite article?
In French, l’air (“the air”) is often used with the definite article when referring to a general quality or state—here, the overall quality of the air in a given location. It’s similar to saying “the air” in English when you’re talking about a specific characteristic.
How is the comparative form structured in this sentence?
The sentence uses the comparative construction plus [adjective] que [complement]. In this case, l’air est plus pur qu’en ville translates to “the air is purer than in town.” This is the standard way to compare qualities in French.
Why is the adjective written as pur rather than pure?
The adjective must agree in gender with the noun it describes. Since air is a masculine noun in French, the masculine form pur is used. If the noun were feminine, the adjective form would change accordingly (to pure).
Why is que en ville contracted to qu’en ville?
In French, it’s common to contract que with a following word that starts with a vowel to facilitate pronunciation. Thus, que en becomes qu’en before the vowel sound in ville.
What is the purpose of the comma after À la campagne?
The comma separates the introductory adverbial phrase À la campagne (indicating location) from the main clause of the sentence. This punctuation helps to clearly set the context (the countryside) for the statement that follows about the air being purer.
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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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