Learn Hardcore French: L'univers est grand.

L'univers is formed by contracting the definite article le with univers. In French, when a masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel sound follows le, it becomes l' to ensure smooth pronunciation.

What is the gender of the noun univers and why is that important?

The noun univers is masculine in French. This fact matters because adjectives and other modifiers must agree with the noun in gender and number. In this sentence, the adjective grand is in its masculine singular form to match univers.

Why is the adjective grand placed after l'univers instead of before it?

In French, most descriptive adjectives follow the noun rather than preceding it. Although some adjectives can come before the noun and even change meaning when they do, grand here is placed after univers following the common structure for descriptive adjectives in French.

What role does the verb est play in the sentence?

Est is the third person singular form of the verb être, which means "to be." It links the subject (l'univers) with its description (grand) and translates to "is" in English.