Question 1

Why is the sentence starting with cet instead of ce?

Accepted Answer

Cet is the masculine singular demonstrative adjective used before a vowel or mute h. Since article is masculine singular and begins with a vowel sound, we use cet rather than ce.

Question 2

When would we use ce, cet, cette, or ces?

Accepted Answer

• ce before masculine singular nouns starting with a consonant (ce livre)  
• cet before masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel or mute h (cet homme)  
• cette before all feminine singular nouns (cette table)  
• ces before all plural nouns, both masculine and feminine (ces idées)

Question 3

Why is the adjective long not longue?

Accepted Answer

Adjectives in French agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Article is masculine singular, so the adjective uses its masculine form long. Longue would be the feminine singular form.

Question 4

Why is est used here, and could it be confused with et?

Accepted Answer

Est is the third-person singular present of être (to be), meaning is. Et, without an s, means and. They are pronounced similarly but have different spellings and functions.

Question 5

Is there anything special about the position of long in the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Most French adjectives follow the noun they modify. Here long comes after article. Only a handful of common adjectives (often remembered by the acronym BAGS: Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size) typically precede the noun.

Question 6

How do you pronounce cet article est long?

Accepted Answer

In IPA: [sɛt aʁ.tikl ɛ lɔ̃].  
– cet: [sɛt]  
– article: [aʁ.tikl]  
– est: [ɛ]  
– long: [lɔ̃] (the ng ending makes a nasal vowel, no pronounced g)

Cet article est long.

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