Learn Hardcore French: Paul a un rendez-vous chez le coiffeur ce matin. - Paul has an appointment at the hairdresser’s this morning.

The a is the present tense of avoir, and it means "has". Here, it indicates that Paul possesses or is involved in something—in this case, an appointment.

Why is the word rendez-vous hyphenated, and what does it mean?

Rendez-vous is a fixed compound noun in French meaning "appointment" or "meeting". The hyphen is a standard part of its written form, linking the parts of the compound to show that they combine into one idea.

What role does the preposition chez play in the phrase chez le coiffeur?

The preposition chez is used in French to indicate someone's place or establishment (like a residence or business). In chez le coiffeur, it means "at the hairdresser's", showing that Paul’s appointment takes place at that specific location.

How does the phrase ce matin function in the sentence?

Ce matin means "this morning". It specifies the time when the appointment is scheduled, providing temporal context to the sentence.

Why is the indefinite article un used before rendez-vous?

In French, countable nouns like rendez-vous require an article. The indefinite article un indicates that Paul has one appointment. It’s similar to saying “an appointment” in English.

How is the overall sentence structured in terms of subject, verb, and complements?

The sentence follows a subject-verb-object pattern. Paul is the subject, a is the verb meaning "has", and un rendez-vous serves as the direct object. The location (chez le coiffeur) and time (ce matin) are added as prepositional phrases, similar to how English sentences are constructed.

What does the use of le before coiffeur indicate about the noun?

The article le indicates that coiffeur is a masculine noun. It is the definite article used to refer to "the hairdresser" in a general sense. If referring to a female hairdresser, the term and article would change to la coiffeuse.