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Le livre est cassé.

Le livre est cassé.
The book is broken.
FromLesson 14inHardcore French

Breakdown of Le livre est cassé.

être
to be
le livre
the book
cassé
broken

Questions & Answers about Le livre est cassé.

What is the function of est in the sentence Le livre est cassé?
est is the linking verb (a form of être) that connects the subject le livre with the adjective cassé, thereby describing the book’s condition.
Is cassé merely a past participle, or does it function as an adjective here?
Cassé comes from the past participle of the verb casser, but in this sentence it functions as an adjective describing the state of the book rather than indicating an action.
Why doesn’t cassé have an extra -e at the end?
In French, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since livre is masculine singular, the adjective remains cassé. If the noun were feminine (e.g., la chaise), it would be cassée.
What is the difference between saying Le livre est cassé and Le livre a été cassé?
Le livre est cassé describes the current state or condition of the book—simply stating that it is broken. In contrast, Le livre a été cassé (using the passé composé) focuses on the event or action of the book being broken, often implying that something or someone broke it.
Is Le livre est cassé considered a passive construction?
While it uses the structure être + past participle which is common in passive constructions, in this case the sentence emphasizes the resulting state of the book rather than focusing on the action or its agent. A full passive construction would typically include an agent introduced by par (e.g., Le livre a été cassé par quelqu’un).
Why is the definite article le used before livre?
In French, the definite article le is used when referring to a specific object or when making a general statement about something known to both the speaker and listener. Here, it indicates that we are talking about a particular book or a known type of book.
How does the accent on the final é in cassé affect its pronunciation and meaning?
The accent on é signals that the vowel is pronounced as /e/ (similar to “ay” in English). This accent is important because it affects the pronunciation and distinguishes cassé from other forms that might be pronounced differently, ensuring the correct reading and understanding of the word.
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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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