Learn Hardcore French: Cette poêle est meilleure que l’ancienne; elle chauffe mieux. - This pan is better than the old one; it heats better.

Because when poêle means “frying pan,” the noun is feminine in French, so you use the feminine demonstrative adjective cette. If you were talking about a “stove” (same spelling, different meaning), poêle is masculine, and you’d say ce poêle.

What’s the difference between meilleure and mieux?

meilleure is an adjective (feminine singular of meilleur) and modifies a noun: Cette poêle est meilleure…
mieux is an adverb and modifies a verb: elle chauffe mieux (“it heats better”). Think: adjective for things (nouns) → meilleur(e); adverb for actions (verbs) → mieux.

Why does meilleure end in -e here?

Agreement. Meilleure matches the gender and number of poêle (feminine singular). Forms:

masculine sing.: meilleur
feminine sing.: meilleure
masculine plural: meilleurs
feminine plural: meilleures

Can I say plus bon or plus bien instead?

Standard French prefers meilleur(e), not plus bon. You will hear plus bon in casual speech, but it’s often marked as nonstandard.
Plus bien is wrong in this meaning; use mieux: elle chauffe mieux.

Why is it que after meilleure, not de?

For direct comparisons, French uses plus/moins/aussi + adj/adv + que: meilleure que l’ancienne. Use de with superlatives or quantities, e.g. la meilleure poêle de la maison, plus de chaleur.

What does l’ancienne refer to, and why the apostrophe?

L’ancienne is a shorthand for “the old/previous one,” standing in for la poêle understood from context. La elides to l’ before a vowel sound: l’ancienne (not “la ancienne”).

Does ancien/ancienne change meaning depending on position?

Yes:

Before the noun: une ancienne poêle = a former/previous pan.
After the noun: une poêle ancienne = an old (aged/antique) pan. In meilleure que l’ancienne, the standalone l’ancienne most naturally means “the previous one.”

Could I say que l’ancienne poêle instead of que l’ancienne?

Yes. Adding the noun removes any ambiguity: meilleure que l’ancienne poêle. Often French omits the repeated noun when it’s obvious.

Why is there a semicolon? Could I use a period or a comma?

The semicolon separates two closely related independent clauses. A period would also be fine: two sentences. A comma alone is less formal and can be seen as a comma splice; better to use ;, ., or a conjunction (et, donc, car). In French typography, a (narrow) space is traditionally placed before ;.

How do you pronounce the key words?

poêle ≈ “PWAHL” (French “ch” is not here; note the two diacritics).
meilleure ≈ “meh-YEUR” (the “-illeu-” gives a y-glide).
chauffe ≈ “shoff” (French ch = “sh”).
ancienne ≈ “ahn-syen”. Don’t pronounce any final consonants you don’t hear above.

Why is it elle for “it”?

French uses grammatical gender even for things. Since poêle (pan) is feminine, you refer to it as elle. If you meant a stove (poêle, masculine), you’d say il: Ce poêle (à bois) est meilleur; il chauffe mieux.

Could I say elle chauffe meilleure?

No. Meilleure is an adjective and can’t modify the verb chauffe. You need the adverb mieux: elle chauffe mieux.

How would I say “the best” instead of “better”?

Use the superlative:

Noun: la meilleure poêle = “the best pan.”
Verb: elle chauffe le mieux = “it heats the best.”

Is elle chauffe transitive or intransitive here? What does it mean exactly?

Here it’s intransitive: “it gets hot/heats up.” Chauffer can also be transitive: Elle chauffe l’huile = “It heats the oil.” Context disambiguates.

Could I say elle est plus chaude instead of elle chauffe mieux?

Different idea. Elle est plus chaude = “It is hotter” (state/result). Elle chauffe mieux = “It heats better” (how it performs: faster, more evenly, etc.). Use the one that matches your meaning.

Any pitfalls with spelling poêle?

Write poêle with both the circumflex (ô) and the tréma (ë) in standard spelling. You may see poele online, but stick to poêle. The same spelling covers both meanings (“pan,” feminine; “stove,” masculine).