La poignée de la porte est cassée.

The door handle is broken.

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?

• No elision in de la (you only use de l’ before a vowel: de l’armoire).
• Optional liaison between est and cassée: [ɛt kase] in careful speech.

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.