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Questions & Answers about Le rapport imprimé est prêt.
What are imprimé and prêt grammatically in this sentence?
They’re adjectives agreeing with the noun rapport (masculine singular).
- imprimé is a past participle of imprimer used as an adjective meaning “printed.”
- prêt is a descriptive adjective meaning “ready,” used after être.
Why does imprimé come after rapport?
Most descriptive adjectives, including past participles used as adjectives (like imprimé), follow the noun in French. Adjectives that commonly precede the noun are a limited set (e.g., petit, grand, bon, beau, nouveau), which doesn’t include imprimé.
How does adjective agreement work here?
Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun:
- Masculine singular: rapport imprimé, prêt
- Feminine singular: lettre imprimée, prête
- Masculine plural: rapports imprimés, prêts
- Feminine plural: lettres imprimées, prêtes
Could I say Le rapport est imprimé instead? Does it mean the same thing?
Almost, but the focus differs:
- Le rapport imprimé est prêt = “The printed report is ready” (attributes an inherent/state quality to the noun).
- Le rapport est imprimé can be read as a passive state (“The report is printed”), without necessarily implying it’s ready for something. If you want the action in the past, use: Le rapport a été imprimé (“has been printed”).
How do I say “The report is ready to be printed”?
- Neutral: Le rapport est prêt à être imprimé.
- Publishing/tech context: Le rapport est prêt à imprimer or prêt pour impression. (The first is very common in practice.)
Why is it Le and not La?
Because rapport is a masculine noun in French: le rapport. If the noun were feminine, the adjectives would change too (e.g., la lettre imprimée est prête).
Is French rapport a false friend with English “rapport”?
Partly. French un rapport commonly means “a report.” It can also mean “relation” in certain fixed phrases (par rapport à). The English sense “a good rapport (chemistry) with someone” is more naturally une bonne relation or un bon contact in French.
Pronunciation tips for Le rapport imprimé est prêt?
- Le [lə]
- rapport [ʁapɔʁ] (final -t is silent)
- imprimé [ɛ̃pʁime] (the im before p is a nasal vowel [ɛ̃])
- est [ɛ]
- prêt [prɛ] (final -t silent) Speech flows smoothly: [lə ʁapɔʁ ɛ̃pʁime ɛ pʁɛ]. In the plural with a following vowel, you’ll get liaison, e.g., les rapports imprimés → [le ʁapɔʁ.z‿ɛ̃pʁime].
What about the accents in imprimé and prêt?
- imprimé ends with é (accent aigu), the typical past participle ending of -er verbs.
- prêt has ê (accent circonflexe). The feminine keeps it: prête. Omitting these accents is considered a spelling mistake.
Can imprimé be a noun?
Yes. Un imprimé can mean a printed form/leaflet. In the sentence here, imprimé is an adjective modifying rapport, not a noun.
Could I use a different adjective instead of prêt?
Yes, depending on nuance:
- disponible (available)
- fini/terminé/achevé (finished/completed)
- prêt à être envoyé (ready to be sent), etc. Example: Le rapport imprimé est disponible.
How do I make this plural?
- Les rapports imprimés sont prêts. Spelling: add -s to the noun and both adjectives. Pronunciation: the final -s in imprimés and prêts is silent; you may make a liaison from rapports to imprimés ([z] sound).
How do I turn it into a question: “Is the printed report ready?”
- Neutral/formal: Le rapport imprimé est-il prêt ?
- Common: Est-ce que le rapport imprimé est prêt ?
- Colloquial: Le rapport imprimé, il est prêt ?
How do I negate it?
- Le rapport imprimé n’est pas prêt. Other options: n’est toujours pas prêt (still not ready), n’est plus prêt (no longer ready).
Is L’imprimé rapport est prêt acceptable?
No. Adjectives like imprimé don’t go before the noun here. Keep: Le rapport imprimé est prêt. You could front a participle in a stylistic construction: Imprimé, le rapport est prêt, but that’s marked/literary and not the neutral word order.