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La poignée de la porte est cassée.

La poignée de la porte est cassée.
The door handle is broken.
FromLesson 24inHardcore French

Breakdown of La poignée de la porte est cassée.

être
to be
de
of
la porte
the door
cassé
broken
la poignée
the handle

Questions & Answers about La poignée de la porte est cassée.

Why is it cassée and not cassé?

Because the subject la poignée is feminine singular. With être, a past participle used as an adjective agrees with the subject:

  • cassé (masc. sg.)
  • cassée (fem. sg.)
  • cassés (masc. pl.)
  • cassées (fem. pl.) Note: cassé and cassée are pronounced the same [kase]; the extra -e is only written.
What does de la express here, and why not du?

de marks “of/possession”: la poignée de la porte = the handle of the door.

  • de + la → de la (before a feminine singular noun like porte)
  • de + le → du (masc. sg.): la poignée du tiroir
  • de + les → des (plural): la poignée des portes
  • de + l’ before a vowel: la poignée de l’armoire
Can I say La poignée de porte est cassée?
Yes. poignée de porte (no article after de) expresses the type/kind (“a door handle”). poignée de la porte points to a specific door’s handle. In many real situations both are acceptable.
How do you pronounce the sentence?

Approximate IPA: [la pwaɲe də la pɔʁt ɛ kase].
Notes:

  • oi → [wa] in poignée.
  • gn → [ɲ] (like “ny” in canyon).
  • cassé(e) is [kase]; the written -e in cassée doesn’t change the sound.
  • Optional liaison in careful speech: est cassée → [ɛt kase].
Is cassée a verb tense here?
No. It’s the past participle cassé(e) used as an adjective after être to describe a state (“is broken”). To describe the event of breaking, say La poignée s’est cassée (“The handle broke”).
Do I need both articles: la in la poignée and la in de la porte?
Yes. Each noun has its own article: la poignée (the handle) of la porte (the door). If you drop the article after de, you get a generic type: poignée de porte (“door handle” as a category).
Which pronouns refer back to la poignée?
  • Subject: elle → Elle est cassée.
  • Direct object: la → Je vais la réparer.
  • Replacing à + thing with a pronoun: y → Je pense à la poignée → J’y pense. (verb-dependent)
How would I make this plural?
  • Several handles (e.g., both sides of one door): Les poignées de la porte sont cassées.
  • Multiple doors: Les poignées des portes sont cassées.
Could I use à instead of de?
No. For “of/possession,” French uses de: la poignée de la porte. à means “at/to” or marks use in some fixed patterns (e.g., clé à molette), not ownership/possession here.
What if I specifically mean a round doorknob?
Use le bouton de porte for a knob. For a lever-style handle, hardware terms include la béquille, and regionally la clenche (Belgium/Canada). In everyday speech, poignée de porte often covers both unless you need the distinction.
Is cassé(e) the best word here? What about brisé(e), abîmé(e), or en panne?
  • cassé(e): physically broken; doesn’t function. Most natural for a handle.
  • brisé(e): shattered/smashed; common for glass; stronger than cassé.
  • abîmé(e): damaged/worn, not necessarily broken.
  • en panne: out of order (machines/electronics), not for a simple handle.
Any spelling tips?
  • poignée: keep the accent aigu on é and the gn together; not poigne.
  • cassée: two s’s (ss) and a silent final -e for feminine agreement.
Are there any liaisons or elisions I should know about?
Can I shorten it in context?
Yes. If the door is obvious, say La poignée est cassée. Very informally, you might hear La poignée est pétée (slang for “busted”).
How can I tell that poignée and porte are feminine?
You learn genders with the noun. Many nouns ending in -ée (like poignée) and many in -e (like porte) are feminine (with exceptions). The agreement cassée also signals a feminine subject here.
How would I politely report this problem?
  • La poignée de la porte est cassée. Pourriez-vous la réparer, s’il vous plaît ?
  • Excusez-moi, la poignée de la porte est cassée.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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