La santé de Paul est bonne.

to be

Breakdown of La santé de Paul est bonne.

• Paul: Paul
• de: of
• bon: good

Questions & Answers about La santé de Paul est bonne.

Why is santé preceded by la?

In French every noun has a grammatical gender. Santé (health) is feminine, so it takes the feminine singular definite article la. You would never say le santé.

What is the role of de in la santé de Paul?

The preposition de expresses possession or belonging. La santé de Paul literally means “the health of Paul.” In English we often contract this with ’s (“Paul’s health”).

Could you use a possessive adjective instead of la santé de Paul, for example sa santé?

Yes. Sa santé also means “his (or her) health.”
– La santé de Paul is more formal or emphatic (“the health of Paul”).
– Sa santé est bonne is a direct way to say “His health is good.”
Both are correct; choosing one depends on style and emphasis.

Why is bonne spelled with an -e at the end?

French adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since santé is feminine singular, bon becomes bonne (feminine singular form). If you were talking about a masculine noun, you’d keep bon (no final -e).