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Questions & Answers about La voiture est sale.
What does the sentence La voiture est sale mean, and how is it structured grammatically?
It means "The car is dirty." The sentence is structured with a subject (La voiture), a linking verb (est – the third person singular form of être, meaning “to be”), and a predicate adjective (sale) that describes the subject.
Why is the article la used instead of le in this sentence?
The article la is used because voiture is a feminine noun. In French, definite articles agree in gender with the noun they modify, so la is used for feminine nouns while le is used for masculine ones.
How does the adjective sale agree with the noun voiture in this sentence?
Adjectives in French must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Here, sale is in its singular form. Although many adjectives change form between masculine and feminine, sale happens to be the same for both in the singular form, so it remains sale when referring to the feminine noun voiture.
What role does the verb est play in the sentence, and how is it conjugated?
Est is the third person singular form of the verb être, which means “to be.” It serves as a linking verb that connects the subject (la voiture) with the predicate adjective (sale), indicating a state of being.
Why is the adjective sale placed after the verb est instead of directly following voiture?
In French, when an adjective is used as a predicate (that is, when it follows the verb être and describes the subject), it comes after the verb rather than directly modifying the noun. If the adjective were to directly modify the noun, its placement might differ, but in this construction, sale follows est to serve as the complement of the subject.
Are there any alternative ways to express "The car is dirty" in French?
Yes, while La voiture est sale is the most straightforward and common way, you could also rephrase it for emphasis or style. For example, one might say "La voiture paraît sale" (literally, "The car appears dirty"). However, the original sentence is the simplest and most natural expression in French for stating that the car is dirty.