L'eau est pure.

to be

Breakdown of L'eau est pure.

• l'eau: the water
• pure: pure

Questions & Answers about L'eau est pure.

What does L'eau est pure mean in English?

It means "The water is pure." In French, even uncountable nouns like water typically include a definite article when expressing general, inherent qualities.

Why is the article written as l'eau instead of la eau?

In French, when a noun begins with a vowel or a mute h, the definite articles le or la drop the final vowel and use an apostrophe for ease of pronunciation. Thus, la eau becomes l'eau.

Why is the noun eau considered feminine?

The gender of French nouns is largely arbitrary and must be learned with each word. By convention, eau (meaning water) is feminine.

Why does the adjective appear as pure instead of pur?

French adjectives must agree in gender (and number) with the nouns they describe. Since eau is feminine, the adjective takes its feminine form pure rather than the masculine pur.

What is the role of est in the sentence?