L’horloge de la cuisine indique qu’il est l’heure de dîner.

The clock in the kitchen shows that it is dinnertime.

Breakdown of L’horloge de la cuisine indique qu’il est l’heure de dîner.

• être: to be
• il: he
• de: of
• que: that

Questions & Answers about L’horloge de la cuisine indique qu’il est l’heure de dîner.

Why is there an apostrophe in l’horloge instead of writing la horloge?

The apostrophe shows that the article la has been elided before a vowel. Since horloge begins with a vowel sound, French uses l’ to ease pronunciation.

What does the phrase de la cuisine do in this sentence?

The phrase de la cuisine is a prepositional phrase acting as an adjective. It specifies which clock is meant—namely, the one located in the kitchen, i.e., the kitchen clock.

What does the verb indique mean, and what does its form tell us about the subject?

Indique means “shows” or “indicates.” It is conjugated in the third person singular to agree with the subject l’horloge de la cuisine.

How is the subordinate clause qu’il est l’heure de dîner structured, and why is it introduced by que?

The subordinate clause qu’il est l’heure de dîner explains what the clock indicates. It is introduced by the conjunction que, linking the main clause to the subordinate clause. This clause has its own subject (il) and verb (est), forming a complete idea that translates to “it is time for dinner.”

Why is contracted to in the sentence?