Cette table est trop large pour la cuisine, mais elle est très utile quand nous avons des invités.

to be

Breakdown of Cette table est trop large pour la cuisine, mais elle est très utile quand nous avons des invités.

• avoir: to have
• la table: the table
• nous: we
• pour: for
• des: some
• quand: when
• mais: but
• trop: too
• cette: this
• la cuisine: the kitchen
• très: very
• l'invité: the guest
• elle: it
• large: wide
• utile: useful

Questions & Answers about Cette table est trop large pour la cuisine, mais elle est très utile quand nous avons des invités.

Why is it cette table and not ce table?

Because table is feminine. French demonstrative adjectives agree with gender and number:

• ce (masc. sg. before consonant): ce livre
• cet (masc. sg. before vowel/mute h): cet arbre
• cette (fem. sg.): cette table
• ces (plural): ces tables / ces livres

How can I tell that table is feminine?

You have to learn the gender with the noun. Many nouns ending in -e are feminine (la table, la voiture), but not all (le problème). Always memorize the article: la table.

Does large mean the same as English “large”?

No—false friend. In French, large means “wide/broad.” The general idea of “big/large” is grand(e). So here it means the table is too wide for the kitchen space.

Could I say trop grande or trop grosse instead of trop large?

• trop grande = too big (overall dimensions), very common and natural.
• trop large = too wide (focuses on width).
• trop grosse = too thick/bulky; for furniture it can sound a bit clumsy or inelegant unless you really mean “bulky.”

What’s the difference between trop and très?

• trop = “too” (excess, often problematic): Elle est trop large.
• très = “very” (high degree, not necessarily negative): Elle est très utile. Colloquially, trop can mean “really/so” (trop bien !) but that’s informal.

When do I use trop vs trop de?

• trop + adjective/adverb: trop large, trop vite.
• trop de + noun: trop de bruit, trop d’invités. You can’t say “très de.”

Why pour la cuisine and not dans la cuisine?

• pour la cuisine = “for the kitchen (as a space/purpose),” i.e., it’s not suitable for that room.
• dans la cuisine = “in the kitchen,” i.e., located there. The sentence is about suitability, not location.

Does la in la cuisine mean “our” kitchen?

It likely does from context. French often uses the definite article with familiar places or body parts when the possessor is obvious: la cuisine (our kitchen). You could also say notre cuisine to be explicit.

Can cuisine also mean “cooking”? How do we know it’s “kitchen” here?

Yes, la cuisine can mean “cooking/cuisine” (e.g., J’aime la cuisine italienne). Here, talking about a table being too wide “for the cuisine” makes sense only as the room.

Why is the pronoun elle used? Could it be il?

In French, inanimate nouns have grammatical gender. Table is feminine, so the pronoun is elle. You cannot use il for a feminine noun.

Can I say C’est très utile instead of elle est très utile?

Both are possible but not identical:

• Elle est très utile points back to that specific table.
• C’est très utile is a more general comment (about the situation or about having the table). Both would be understood; the original keeps focus on the table.

Does utile agree with table?

Yes, but utile has the same form in masculine and feminine singular. Plural adds -s:

• sing.: Elle est utile.
• pl.: Elles sont utiles.

Why quand nous avons and not quand nous aurons?

Present here expresses a habitual situation (“when we have guests”). If you mean a future event, French uses the future in both clauses: Quand nous aurons des invités, elle sera très utile.

Can I use lorsque instead of quand?

Yes. Lorsque is a near-synonym of quand, a bit more formal or literary. Meaning unchanged here.

Could I say on a des invités instead of nous avons des invités?

Yes. On is very common in everyday speech for “we”: on a des invités. It’s less formal than nous avons and the verb stays 3rd person singular with on.

Why des invités and not les invités or d’invités?

• des invités = some guests (unspecified).
• les invités = the guests (specific group already known).
• d’invités appears when a plural adjective precedes the noun: de bons invités (not “des bons invités”).

How do I refer specifically to female guests?

Use the feminine forms: singular une invitée, plural des invitées. For mixed groups, use the masculine plural invités.

Any tricky pronunciation or liaisons in the sentence?

• est: final -t is silent.
• trop: final -p is silent.
• Usually no liaison after mais: say “mai elle,” not “mai-z-elle.”
• Obligatory liaison: nous avons → “nouz‿avon,” des invités → “déz‿invité.”
• large: the -ge sounds like the “zh” in “measure.”

Is the comma before mais necessary?

It’s standard to put a comma before mais when connecting two clauses. Not absolutely mandatory in every short sentence, but it’s good style.

Are there more idiomatic ways to say the second clause?

Yes, common alternatives:

• … mais elle est très pratique quand nous avons des invités.
• … mais elle est très pratique quand on reçoit du monde.
• … mais elle nous rend de grands services quand on a des invités.

Can I start the sentence with the quand-clause?

Yes: Quand nous avons des invités, elle est très utile, mais elle est trop large pour la cuisine. The meaning is unchanged; you just change the emphasis.