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Questions & Answers about Le sac est plein.
What does the sentence Le sac est plein mean in English?
It means "The bag is full." In this sentence, sac translates to bag, est is the third person singular of être (to be), and plein means full.
Why is the definite article le used before sac?
Every French noun has a gender, and sac is masculine. Therefore, the masculine singular article le is used, indicating "the" in English.
What is the function of the verb est in this sentence?
Est is the third person singular form of être (to be). It serves as a linking verb that connects the subject le sac to the predicate adjective plein, describing the state of the bag.
Why is the adjective plein placed after est and not directly after sac?
In French, adjectives that describe a state or condition typically follow the verb être. Here, plein is a predicate adjective that comes after est, following the subject-verb-predicate structure.
Does the adjective plein agree with sac in gender and number, and what would change if it were modifying a feminine noun?
Yes, adjectives in French must agree with the noun they modify. Since sac is masculine singular, plein remains in its masculine singular form. If you were describing a feminine noun (for example, la boîte), the adjective would typically change to pleine.
Is there any difference between using plein and rempli when saying that something is full?
While both adjectives indicate that something is full, there is a subtle difference. Plein suggests that the bag is completely full, at capacity, or cannot hold any more. Rempli tends to emphasize that the bag has been filled (with a specific substance or items). In Le sac est plein, the focus is on the state of being full rather than describing the act of filling.