Le riz est un peu salé, mais la soupe est parfaite.

Breakdown of Le riz est un peu salé, mais la soupe est parfaite.

être
to be
mais
but
la soupe
the soup
un peu
a little
le riz
the rice
salé
salty
parfait
perfect
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching French grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning French now

Questions & Answers about Le riz est un peu salé, mais la soupe est parfaite.

Why do we use le and la here? Could I say du riz or leave the article out like in English?
  • In French you almost always need an article with a noun.
  • Le riz / la soupe can refer to the specific dishes on the table or to rice/soup in general.
  • The partitive (du riz / de la soupe) means “some.” It’s fine as an object (e.g., Je veux du riz), but as a subject to talk about the dish you’re eating, you normally use the definite: Le riz est… Saying Du riz est un peu salé sounds odd in this context.
  • You can’t drop the article in standard French: Ø riz is incorrect in a full sentence.
What are the genders of riz and soupe, and how does that change the adjectives?
  • Riz is masculine singular; soupe is feminine singular.
  • Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun:
    • Masculine: salé, parfait
    • Feminine: salée, parfaite
    • Plural: add -ssalés/salées, parfaits/parfaites
  • Hence salé (for riz) but parfaite (for soupe).
Why is salé spelled with an acute accent, and how do I pronounce the sentence?
  • The accent in salé signals an “ay”-like sound: sa-LAY.
  • Quick pronunciation guide:
    • Le riz: luh ree (the final -z in riz is silent)
    • est un: eh, with optional t-link → eh tun; both eh un and eh tun occur
    • un peu: uhn puh (nasal uhn)
    • salé: sa-LAY
    • mais la: meh lah
    • soupe est: soop eh
    • parfaite: par-FET (the final -t is heard; sounds like “fet”)
  • Liaisons:
    • After a singular noun (riz), speakers usually avoid liaison before the verb: not ree-z-eh.
    • After est, liaison before a vowel is optional; here it may occur before un, but there’s no liaison before parfaite (starts with a consonant).
What nuance does un peu add? How is it different from peu or un petit peu?
  • un peu = a little, slightly (neutral).
  • un petit peu = a tiny bit (softer/colloquial).
  • peu (without un) = little/hardly, with a restricting/negative feel: peu salé ≈ not very salty.
  • Related options: légèrement (slightly), assez / plutôt (quite/rather), trop (too), pas assez (not … enough).
Is salé here “salty” or “savory”? I’ve seen salé used for non-sweet foods too.
  • Here salé describes saltiness.
  • As a category, le salé contrasts with le sucré (savory vs sweet): J’aime le salé le matin.
  • Colloquial meaning: salé(e) can mean “expensive/steep” with prices: L’addition est salée.
Where should un peu go? Can I say Le riz est salé un peu?
  • Adverbs of degree normally come before the adjective: est un peu salé, est très salé, est trop salé.
  • salé un peu is unidiomatic in standard French.
Why is the adjective after the verb here? Could I say une parfaite soupe?
  • After être, adjectives are predicative and follow the verb: la soupe est parfaite.
  • When modifying a noun directly, most adjectives follow the noun: une soupe parfaite.
  • A few common adjectives can precede the noun (e.g., bon, petit, grand). Parfait is normally after; une parfaite soupe is rare/literary.
Is the comma before mais required?
  • It’s common (and often recommended) to place a comma before mais between two independent clauses. Without the comma is also acceptable: Le riz est un peu salé mais la soupe est parfaite.
Can I replace mais with other contrast words?
  • Yes:
    • Neutral: mais
    • Informal contrast: par contre
    • Slightly formal: en revanche
    • More formal/adversative: cependant (often starts a new sentence/clause: Cependant, la soupe est parfaite.)
    • Stronger “whereas”: alors que: Le riz est un peu salé, alors que la soupe est parfaite.
Could I say Ce riz est un peu salé instead of Le riz?
  • Ce riz points clearly to this particular rice (this batch/serving).
  • Le riz usually also means the rice in the current context. Use ce when you want to point or distinguish it from other rice.
How would I make it negative?
  • Use ne … pas around the verb:
    • Le riz n’est pas salé.
    • Stronger: Le riz n’est pas du tout salé.
    • Second clause if needed: … mais la soupe n’est pas parfaite.
  • In casual speech, ne often drops: Le riz est pas très salé.
What about plurals?
  • Agreement:
    • Masculine plural: salés, parfaits
    • Feminine plural: salées, parfaites
  • Examples:
    • Les soupes sont parfaites.
    • Les riz sont un peu salés (rare; you’d only pluralize riz if contrasting types/servings).
  • For a single meal, singular is standard.
Any common mistakes to avoid with this sentence?
  • Wrong gender: not le soupe or la riz.
  • Forgetting agreement: la soupe est parfait → should be parfaite.
  • Misplacing un peu after the adjective.
  • Overdoing liaison: don’t force a [z] between riz and est in casual speech.
Does salé differ from sale?
  • Yes:
    • salé(e) = salty/savory
    • sale (no accent) = dirty
  • Mind the accent: un plat salé vs une assiette sale.