Learn Hardcore French: Le jardinier coupe une branche du vieux pommier. - The gardener cuts a branch from the old apple tree.

Because le is the definite article (“the”) and indicates a specific, known gardener. If you simply wanted to say “a gardener,” you would use un jardinier. In this sentence, both speaker and listener know which gardener is meant, so we use le.

Why is une branche used here instead of la branche or des branches?

Une branche is the indefinite singular feminine article-plus-noun (“a branch”), showing that it’s one branch among many and not previously specified.
– La branche would be “the branch” (a particular, already identified branch).
– Des branches would be “some branches” (plural, indefinite).

What does du stand for in une branche du vieux pommier?

Here du is the contraction of de + le, meaning “of the” or “from the.” It links branche and vieux pommier and tells us the branch comes from that specific apple tree.

Could we say d'un vieux pommier instead? What would change?

Yes. D’un is de + un (“of an”/“from an”).
– une branche du vieux pommier = “a branch of (from) the old apple tree” (a particular tree).
– une branche d’un vieux pommier = “a branch of (from) an old apple tree” (any one, not specified).

Why is vieux placed before pommier? I thought most French adjectives come after the noun.

Most adjectives do follow the noun, but vieux belongs to the BAGS category (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size) and typically comes before. So “le vieux pommier” feels more natural than “le pommier vieux.”

When would we use vieil instead of vieux?

Before a masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel or mute h, vieux changes to vieil for ease of pronunciation:
– un vieil homme (an old man)
– un vieil ami (an old friend)

How do you pronounce coupe, and how do I know it’s a verb here?

Coupe is pronounced [kup] (one syllable; the final -e is silent, but the p is pronounced). It’s the 3rd-person singular present form of the verb couper (“to cut”). Context and the -e ending (present indicative for il/elle) signal that it’s a verb, not the noun une coupe (a cup or haircut).

Is couper transitive? What object does it take in this sentence?

Yes, couper is a transitive verb, which means it requires a direct object. In our sentence, une branche is that direct object—le jardinier coupe quoi ? He cuts a branch.

Why is pommier masculine, and is there a rule for this?

Pommier (“apple tree”) is grammatically masculine. Unfortunately, French noun gender often must be memorized. A helpful hint is that many nouns ending in -ier are masculine, but there are exceptions. Always learn the noun together with its article (un/une or le/la).