La pizza est grande avec des légumes verts et jaunes.

Breakdown of La pizza est grande avec des légumes verts et jaunes.

être
to be
et
and
grand
big
avec
with
des
some
le légume
the vegetable
vert
green
la pizza
the pizza
jaune
yellow
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Questions & Answers about La pizza est grande avec des légumes verts et jaunes.

Why is it la pizza and not une pizza?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things.

  • La pizza est grande… = The pizza is big…
    You are talking about a specific pizza that both speakers know (for example, the one on the table or on the menu).

  • Une pizza est grande… = A pizza is big…
    This sounds more like a general statement (talking about any pizza) or introducing a pizza for the first time, which is less natural here.

Because we usually describe a particular pizza we see or are about to eat, la (the) is more natural in this sentence.

Why is it est and not c’est?
  • La pizza est grande.
    The subject is clearly la pizza, so you use the normal verb form: [subject] + est.

  • C’est une grande pizza.
    Here the subject is ce (it/this/that), followed by est. You use c’est before a noun with an article (like une pizza, un livre, la voiture, etc.).

So:

  • La pizza est grande. = The pizza is big. (adjective directly after the verb)
  • C’est une grande pizza. = It’s a big pizza. (noun phrase after c’est)
Why is grande after est instead of before the noun (la grande pizza)?

Both word orders are grammatically correct, but the meaning and focus change slightly.

  1. La pizza est grande.

    • Structure: subject + verb + adjective
    • Neutral description of the pizza’s size.
    • Typical pattern for saying how something is.
  2. La grande pizza est…

    • Structure: article + adjective + noun
    • You’re using grande as part of the noun phrase to identify which pizza you're talking about (the big pizza, as opposed to the small one).
    • Feels more like you’re distinguishing it from other pizzas.

In your sentence, you’re simply describing the pizza, so La pizza est grande is more natural.

Why is it grande and not grand?

Because pizza is feminine in French.

  • Masculine singular: grand (e.g. un grand livre – a big book)
  • Feminine singular: grande (e.g. une grande maison – a big house)

Pizza = la pizza, a feminine noun, so the adjective has to agree:

  • la pizzagrande
What does avec mean here, and could we leave it out?

Avec means with.

  • La pizza est grande avec des légumes verts et jaunes.
    = The pizza is big with green and yellow vegetables.

You normally need avec to connect the pizza and the vegetables.
Without avec, the sentence breaks:

  • La pizza est grande des légumes… (incorrect)

So you can’t simply leave out avec. If you want to change structure, you would change the sentence, for example:

  • Sur la pizza, il y a des légumes verts et jaunes. (On the pizza, there are green and yellow vegetables.)
Why is it des légumes and not de légumes?

Des is the indefinite plural article (the plural of un/une):

  • un légume = a vegetable
  • des légumes = (some) vegetables

You use des before a plural noun when you mean “some” in a general way:

  • J’achète des légumes. = I’m buying (some) vegetables.

You often see de instead of des:

  • after certain quantity expressions: beaucoup de légumes (a lot of vegetables)
  • after a negative: Je n’achète pas de légumes. (I’m not buying any vegetables.)

But after avec in a neutral statement, you keep des:

  • avec des légumes = with (some) vegetables
Why is légumes plural?

Because the sentence talks about vegetables in general, and there are obviously more than one type and more than one piece:

  • un légume = a vegetable
  • des légumes = vegetables

When you say des légumes verts et jaunes, it implies several vegetables that are green and yellow (for example, green peppers, yellow peppers, zucchini, corn, etc.), so légumes is plural.

Why are the adjectives verts and jaunes plural and not vert and jaune?

In French, adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun they describe.

  • Noun: légumes → masculine plural
  • Adjectives must also be masculine plural: verts, jaunes

Singular forms:

  • vert (masculine singular)
  • jaune (masculine or feminine singular)

Plural forms for a masculine plural noun:

  • verts
  • jaunes

So:

  • des légumes verts et jaunes (correct)
  • des légumes vert et jaune would be wrong here, because légumes is plural.
Why isn’t there an extra s on jaunes pronounced?

In French, final -s is usually silent.

  • jaune = [ʒon]
  • jaunes = pronounced the same: [ʒon]

The -s is written to show plural agreement in spelling, but you don’t hear it in normal pronunciation. The same is true for verts: the final -s is silent too (except in liaison situations, which don’t apply here).

Could the colors come before légumes, like des verts et jaunes légumes?

No. In French, most adjectives, including colors, come after the noun:

  • des légumes verts et jaunes (correct)
  • des verts et jaunes légumes (incorrect)

Only a small group of adjectives (like grand, petit, beau, bon, nouveau, vieux, etc.) usually come before the noun. Color adjectives do not belong to that group, so they stay after the noun.

Is there any difference if I say des légumes verts et jaunes vs des légumes verts et des jaunes?

Yes.

  • des légumes verts et jaunes
    → One group of vegetables that are green and yellow. It’s a simple, natural way to list the colors of the vegetables.

  • des légumes verts et des jaunes
    → Sounds like two separate groups: some green vegetables and some yellow ones (where the word légumes is understood but omitted in the second part).
    This structure is possible but less common in a simple descriptive sentence like this. The original is more natural.

Could I say La pizza a des légumes verts et jaunes instead of La pizza est grande avec des légumes verts et jaunes?

You can say:

  • La pizza a des légumes verts et jaunes. = The pizza has green and yellow vegetables.

This is grammatically correct and focuses on possession (the pizza “has” vegetables).

Your original sentence:

  • La pizza est grande avec des légumes verts et jaunes.
    Emphasizes that:
    1. the pizza is big (est grande), and
    2. it comes with vegetables (avec des légumes).

So yes, La pizza a des légumes verts et jaunes is correct, but the focus shifts slightly: from “a big pizza with vegetables” to “a pizza that has vegetables.” You would also lose the idea that it is big, unless you add that somewhere else.