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L'eau est pure.

L'eau est pure.
The water is pure.
FromLesson 13inHardcore French

Breakdown of L'eau est pure.

être
to be
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?
Est is the third person singular present tense of the verb être (to be). It serves as the linking verb that connects the subject l'eau with its predicate adjective pure.
How is the sentence L'eau est pure structured in terms of grammar?
The sentence follows a simple subject–verb–predicate adjective pattern: l'eau is the subject, est is the verb, and pure is the predicate adjective describing the subject.
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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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