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Questions & Answers about Le livre est mystérieux.
Why is the noun preceded by le in the sentence?
In French, every noun is used with an article. Since livre (meaning book) is a masculine noun, it takes the masculine singular definite article le, which is equivalent to "the" in English.
How does the adjective mystérieux agree with livre?
French adjectives must match the noun they describe in both gender and number. Here, livre is masculine and singular, so the adjective mystérieux is also in its masculine singular form. If the noun were feminine or plural, the form of the adjective would change accordingly.
Why is the adjective mystérieux placed after the noun rather than before it?
In French, many adjectives that describe inherent qualities or characteristics are placed after the noun. Although some adjectives come before the noun, mystérieux is one that naturally follows the noun it modifies, fitting the common descriptive structure in French.
How is mystérieux pronounced in French?
The pronunciation of mystérieux can be approximated as /mystɛʁjø/ in IPA. An English learner might approximate it as "mees-teh-ree-uh", keeping in mind that the final x is silent and that some vowel sounds differ from their English counterparts.
Is the overall sentence structure of Le livre est mystérieux. similar to English?
Yes, the sentence follows a simple Subject-Verb-Adjective order, which is very similar to the English structure in "The book is mysterious." This parallel makes it easier for English speakers to grasp the basic construction.