Breakdown of Le professeur donne un exemple clair pour expliquer la règle.
Questions & Answers about Le professeur donne un exemple clair pour expliquer la règle.
In French, le is the definite article (the), while un is the indefinite article (a / an).
- Le professeur suggests a specific teacher that both speaker and listener can identify (for example, the teacher of this class, the one we were just talking about).
- Un professeur would introduce a teacher in general or a non‑specific one, like a teacher (not yet identified).
So the sentence is talking about a particular, known teacher – hence le professeur.
Traditionally, professeur is a grammatically masculine noun, regardless of the actual gender of the person.
In modern usage you may see:
- le professeur used for both male and female teachers (most common and neutral).
- la professeure (with a final e) increasingly used to refer explicitly to a female professor/teacher, especially in France and in official or inclusive writing.
So you could say:
- Le professeur donne un exemple clair… (speaker might be talking about a man or a woman)
- La professeure donne un exemple clair… (clearly a woman, but somewhat more recent/less universal usage)
Grammatically, in your sentence le professeur is completely correct, even if the teacher is female.
The verb here is donner (to give), conjugated in the present tense, 3rd person singular (he/she/it).
- Je donne – I give
- Tu donnes – you give (informal singular)
- Il / elle / on donne – he / she / one gives
- Nous donnons – we give
- Vous donnez – you give (formal or plural)
- Ils / elles donnent – they give
Since the subject is le professeur (he or she), we use il/elle donne → donne without s or z.
So: Le professeur donne… = The teacher gives…
Yes, but donner un exemple is the most natural, everyday way to say “to give an example” in French.
Other options:
- Le professeur montre un exemple clair… – the teacher shows a clear example (focus on visually presenting it).
- Le professeur fournit un exemple clair… – the teacher provides a clear example (more formal or written).
- Le professeur illustre la règle avec un exemple clair. – the teacher illustrates the rule with a clear example.
However, for the idea “gives an example (to help explain)”, donner un exemple is the standard choice.
In French, every noun has a grammatical gender. Exemple is masculine, so it takes un (masculine a/an) instead of une (feminine a/an).
- un exemple – a(n) example (masculine)
- une règle – a rule (feminine)
There’s no logical reason from an English point of view; it’s just something you have to memorize: exemple = masculine.
In French, the default position of adjectives is after the noun:
- un livre intéressant – an interesting book
- une question importante – an important question
- un exemple clair – a clear example
Some adjectives, usually short and very common ones (often described as BANGS/BAGS: beauty, age, number, goodness, size), often come before the noun:
- un beau livre – a beautiful book
- une vieille maison – an old house
- un petit problème – a small problem
Clair does not belong to that special group by default, so you normally say un exemple clair.
You could say un clair exemple, but that sounds literary or rhetorical, not neutral, everyday French. The normal expression is un exemple clair.
Adjectives in French agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they modify.
Base form: clair (masculine singular)
- Masculine singular: un exemple clair
- Feminine singular: une explication claire
- Masculine plural: des exemples clairs
- Feminine plural: des explications claires
So you add:
- e for feminine: clair → claire
- s for plural: clair → clairs, claire → claires
In your sentence, exemple is masculine singular → clair (no extra ending).
To express purpose (what something is for), French very often uses:
- pour + infinitive
This corresponds closely to English “to + verb” meaning “in order to”:
- pour expliquer la règle – (in order) to explain the rule
- pour comprendre – to understand
- pour apprendre – to learn
Using à + infinitive after a full clause often does not mean purpose in the same way and can sound wrong here. For purpose after a complete clause, pour + infinitive is the standard pattern.
Just expliquer la règle on its own would simply be a verb phrase “explain the rule”, not linked as a purpose clause to what comes before. Pour expliquer clearly marks the explanation as the reason/purpose for giving the example.
Both express a kind of purpose, but they are used differently:
pour + infinitive
- Le professeur donne un exemple clair pour expliquer la règle.
- Literally: “The teacher gives a clear example in order to explain the rule.”
- Used when the subject is the same in both parts:
- The same teacher who gives the example is also the one explaining the rule.
pour que + subjunctive
- Le professeur donne un exemple clair pour que les élèves comprennent la règle.
- “The teacher gives a clear example so that the students understand the rule.”
- Used when the subject changes:
- The teacher gives the example; the students understand.
So:
- pour expliquer la règle – purpose with same subject (the teacher).
- pour que + subjunctive – purpose with a different subject.
Again, it’s the choice between definite and indefinite articles:
- la règle – the rule, a specific or already known rule
- une règle – a rule, any rule, not specified
In context, we usually assume the rule is known:
- maybe it’s the grammar rule currently being studied,
- or a rule that was just introduced.
So la règle suggests “the rule we’re talking about now”, not just any rule in general.
If you said:
- Le professeur donne un exemple clair pour expliquer une règle.
it would sound like: “The teacher gives a clear example to explain a (certain) rule” – introducing a rule that has not been identified yet.
Règle and règlement are related but not interchangeable:
une règle
- A single rule, like a grammar rule, a mathematical rule, or one item in a set of rules.
- la règle de grammaire – the grammar rule
- la règle du jeu – the rule of the game
un règlement
- A set of rules, a regulation, or a regulatory document.
- le règlement intérieur – internal rules / house rules
- le règlement de l’école – the school’s regulations
In your sentence, we are explaining one specific rule (most likely grammatical), so la règle is the natural choice. Le règlement would mean the entire body of rules or regulations, which is not what’s meant here.
Approximate pronunciation (in IPA):
- Le professeur donne un exemple clair pour expliquer la règle.
/lə pʁɔ.fɛ.sœʁ dɔn œ̃n‿ɛg.zɑ̃pl klɛʁ puʁ ɛks.pli.ke la ʁɛɡl/
Key points:
- Le: /lə/, the e is a schwa, often weak.
- professeur: /pʁɔ.fɛ.sœʁ/, the final r is pronounced in standard French.
- donne: /dɔn/, final e is not pronounced.
- un: nasal vowel /œ̃/.
- exemple: /ɛg.zɑ̃pl/, the final e is silent; you hear the pl cluster at the end.
- There is usually a liaison between un and exemple:
un exemple → /œ̃n‿ɛg.zɑ̃pl/ (you hear an extra /n/). - clair: /klɛʁ/, final r pronounced.
- pour: /puʁ/.
- expliquer: /ɛks.pli.ke/, every syllable pronounced; final er = /e/.
- la règle: /la ʁɛɡl/, final e usually very weak or silent; you hear /ʁɛɡl/ (the g is pronounced).
So look out for:
- Silent final letters (donne, exemple, règle),
- Nasal vowel un,
- Liaison in un exemple.