Le coffre contient un trésor.

The chest contains a treasure.

Breakdown of Le coffre contient un trésor.

• une: a
• le trésor: the treasure
• le coffre: the chest
• contenir: to contain

Questions & Answers about Le coffre contient un trésor.

What does coffre mean in this sentence?

coffre means “chest” or “trunk.” It’s a masculine noun referring to a sturdy box or container, often made of wood or metal.

Why is the definite article le used before coffre?

Le is the masculine singular definite article in French (equivalent to “the” in English). It signals that you’re talking about a specific, identifiable chest.

Why is the indefinite article un used before trésor?

Un is the masculine singular indefinite article (“a” or “an” in English). It introduces trésor as one unspecified treasure, not a particular one previously known to the listener.

Could you use du trésor instead of un trésor?

No—du is the partitive article (meaning “some”) and is used with uncountable or mass nouns (e.g. du pain = “some bread”). Trésor here is countable (one whole treasure), so you need un trésor. Saying du trésor would be unnatural unless you’re referring to an unspecified portion of treasure (e.g. gold pieces).

Why is the verb contient used rather than a (from avoir)?