Un grand nuage gris annonce souvent la pluie.

A large gray cloud often signals rain.

Breakdown of Un grand nuage gris annonce souvent la pluie.

• souvent: often
• grand: large
• la pluie: the rain
• le nuage: the cloud
• gris: gray
• annoncer: to signal

Questions & Answers about Un grand nuage gris annonce souvent la pluie.

Why is the adjective grand placed before the noun while gris comes after in the phrase un grand nuage gris?

In French, the placement of adjectives depends on whether they convey an inherent, objective quality or a more subjective, evaluative aspect. Grand typically comes before the noun to express a general or evaluative quality (like size or importance), whereas gris follows the noun to describe a factual characteristic (its color).

What is the grammatical role of annonce in this sentence?

Annonce is the third person singular form of the verb annoncer. It serves as the main verb of the sentence, with un grand nuage gris as its subject. It means “announces,” conveying the idea that the cloud is signaling or foretelling rain.

How does the adverb souvent function, and why is it positioned after the verb?

Souvent is an adverb that modifies the verb annonce by indicating frequency (it means “often”). In French, adverbs like souvent typically follow the verb they modify, which is why it appears immediately after annonce in the sentence.

Why is the indefinite article un used with nuage while the definite article la is used with pluie?

The indefinite article un is used with nuage to refer to a nonspecific instance of a cloud. On the other hand, la preceding pluie conveys a general, almost universal concept of rain. This distinction helps clarify that while any cloud might signal rain, the rain mentioned is treated as a known or typical phenomenon.

How does the gender of nuage affect the adjectives paired with it?

Nuage is a masculine noun, so any adjectives that modify it must agree in gender and number. This means adjectives like grand and gris must appear in their masculine forms. If the noun were feminine, the adjectives would be altered accordingly (e.g., une grande nuage grise would be incorrect; it would instead use the appropriate feminine forms).

Is the word order in this sentence typical for French, and how does it compare to English structure?

Yes, the word order is typical for French declarative sentences. The subject (un grand nuage gris) comes first, followed by the verb (annonce), then the adverb (souvent), and finally the object (la pluie). While English may allow more flexibility, French generally adheres to this clear subject-verb-object (SVO) order, with adverbs usually placed right after the verb.