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Cette période est difficile.

Cette période est difficile.
This period is difficult.
FromLesson 13inHardcore French

Breakdown of Cette période est difficile.

être
to be
difficile
difficult
la période
the period

Questions & Answers about Cette période est difficile.

Why is the demonstrative adjective cette used before période in this sentence?
Période is a feminine noun in French, so the feminine demonstrative adjective cette must be used. For masculine nouns you’d use ce (or cet before a vowel), while for feminine nouns cette is correct.
What is the basic structure of the sentence Cette période est difficile?
The sentence follows a subject–verb–adjective pattern. Cette période is the subject, est is the third-person singular form of the verb être (to be), and difficile is an adjective functioning as the predicate that describes the subject.
Does the adjective difficile change form based on gender or number?
No, difficile is invariable. It remains the same regardless of whether the noun it modifies is masculine or feminine, and whether it is singular or plural.
How would I make this sentence negative?
To form the negative, you wrap the conjugated verb with ne and pas. Therefore, the negative version is: Cette période n'est pas difficile. Remember that ne contracts to n' before a vowel for smoother pronunciation.
How would I express this sentence in the plural?
For multiple periods, change the components to their plural forms: Ces périodes sont difficiles. Here, ces is the plural demonstrative adjective, périodes is the plural of période, sont is the plural form of être, and difficiles shows agreement with the plural noun.
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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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