Question 1

What does the accent in À do, and how is it different from a?

Accepted Answer

à is a preposition meaning roughly “to/at/in.” a (no accent) is the verb avoir in the 3rd person singular (“has”), as in il a. At the start of a sentence, the capital should keep the accent: À, not A.

Question 2

Could I say Selon moi or Pour moi instead of À mon avis?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but the tone varies:
- Selon moi: neutral/slightly formal.
- Pour moi: often “for me” (preference), and can sound more subjective; it’s fine in speech but not always ideal in careful writing.
- D’après moi is also common.
À mon avis is the safest general choice for “in my opinion.”

Question 3

Why mon and not ma in mon avis?

Accepted Answer

Because avis is masculine, so the possessive is mon. Note: you also use mon before a feminine noun starting with a vowel sound for euphony (e.g., mon amie), but here avis is masculine anyway.

Question 4

Is à mon opinion correct?

Accepted Answer

No. It’s not idiomatic. Say à mon avis, selon moi, de mon point de vue, or start with je pense que… You can say mon opinion est que…, but not à mon opinion.

Question 5

Why is there a comma after À mon avis? Can it move?

Accepted Answer

It’s an introductory phrase, and French normally sets it off with a comma. You can also move it:
- Cette ville est magnifique, à mon avis.
- Cette ville, à mon avis, est magnifique.

Question 6

Why is it cette ville and not ce ville or cet ville?

Accepted Answer

Because ville is feminine singular. Demonstratives agree:
- Masculine before consonant: ce (ce parc)
- Masculine before vowel or mute h: cet (cet arbre, cet homme)
- Feminine: cette (cette ville)
- Plural (both genders): ces (ces villes, ces parcs)

Question 7

Does cette mean “this” or “that”?

Accepted Answer

Both. Context decides. To force the distinction:
- cette ville‑ci = this city
- cette ville‑là = that city

Question 8

Could I say la ville instead of cette ville?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but it changes the nuance. La ville = “the city” (already known/assumed). Cette ville points to a particular city you’re indicating as this/that one.

Question 9

Why elle/il est here and not c’est? Could I say C’est magnifique?

Accepted Answer

With a specific noun as subject, use il/elle est: Cette ville est magnifique.  
Use c’est:
- Before a noun with an article/possessive: C’est une ville magnifique.
- For broad reactions or pointing to a situation: C’est magnifique !  
Both are correct in their contexts.

Question 10

Does magnifique change for gender/number?

Accepted Answer

Gender: no (same for masculine/feminine). Number: yes (add s in the plural).
- Cette ville est magnifique.
- Ce parc est magnifique.
- Ces villes sont magnifiques.

Question 11

Is très magnifique natural?

Accepted Answer

It sounds odd to most natives because magnifique is already very strong. Prefer vraiment/absolument/particulièrement magnifique, or use très beau/belle.

Question 12

How does magnifique compare to beau/belle, superbe, splendide?

Accepted Answer

All are very positive:
- beau/belle: common, broad “beautiful/nice.”
- magnifique: stronger, “gorgeous/stunning.”
- superbe: very positive, a touch formal.
- splendide: very strong, sometimes literary.

Question 13

How do I pronounce the whole sentence?

Accepted Answer

[a mɔ̃n‿avi, sɛt vil ɛ maɲifik]  
Tips:
- À = [a].
- mon avis has a liaison: [mɔ̃n‿avi].
- cette = [sɛt]; ville = [vil].
- est = [ɛ] (final t silent here).
- gn in magnifique = [ɲ] (like Spanish ñ).

Question 14

Where are the liaisons?

Accepted Answer

- Standard: mon‿avis (you pronounce the linking n).
- No liaison in est magnifique (next word starts with consonant). Before a vowel you do link: est‿incroyable [ɛt‿ɛ̃kʁwajabl].

Question 15

How do I make it negative?

Accepted Answer

Wrap the verb with ne … pas (elision before a vowel sound):  
À mon avis, cette ville n’est pas magnifique.

Question 16

Does à contract here like au/aux?

Accepted Answer

No. Contractions occur with definite articles: à + le → au, à + les → aux. With a possessive it does not contract: à mon avis (not “au mon avis”).

Question 17

Is ville always feminine, and how do I refer back to it?

Accepted Answer

Yes: la ville, une ville, cette ville. Refer back with elle: Elle est magnifique. For several cities: Elles sont magnifiques.

À mon avis, cette ville est magnifique.

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Master French — from À mon avis, cette ville est magnifique to fluency