La cuisine est propre maintenant.

The kitchen is clean now.

Breakdown of La cuisine est propre maintenant.

• être: to be
• maintenant: now
• propre: clean
• la cuisine: the cooking

Questions & Answers about La cuisine est propre maintenant.

Why is it la cuisine and not le cuisine?

In French, every noun has a grammatical gender, masculine or feminine.

• Cuisine is a feminine noun, so it takes the feminine singular article la.
  
  • la cuisine = the kitchen / the cooking
  • une cuisine = a kitchen

If it were masculine, it would be le (like le salon, the living room), but cuisine happens to be feminine, so it must be la.

Does cuisine mean “kitchen” or “cooking”?

It can mean both; the meaning depends on context.

1. Kitchen (the room)

   • La cuisine est propre maintenant.
     → The kitchen is clean now.

2. Cooking / cuisine (the activity or style of food)

   • J’aime la cuisine française.
     → I like French cooking / French cuisine.
   • Ta cuisine est excellente.
     → Your cooking is excellent.

In your sentence, because it’s described as propre (clean), it clearly refers to the room (the kitchen), not the activity.

Why do we need the article la? Could we just say Cuisine est propre maintenant?

In French, you almost always need an article (or another determiner like ma, cette, une) before a singular, countable noun.

• La cuisine est propre maintenant. ✅
• Ma cuisine est propre maintenant. ✅
• Cette cuisine est propre maintenant. ✅

But:

• Cuisine est propre maintenant. ❌ (incorrect)

Unlike English, French doesn’t normally allow a bare noun in this position. You can’t drop the article the way you sometimes can in English.

What is est here, and how is it conjugated?

Est is the 3rd person singular form of the verb être (to be) in the present tense.

• je suis – I am
• tu es – you are (informal singular)
• il / elle / on est – he / she / one is
• nous sommes – we are
• vous êtes – you are (formal or plural)
• ils / elles sont – they are

In La cuisine est propre maintenant, la cuisine is a 3rd person singular subject (like elle), so we use est:

• Elle est propre maintenant.
• La cuisine est propre maintenant.

Does propre always mean “clean”?

No, propre has two main common meanings, depending on position and context:

1. After the noun: “clean”

   • La cuisine est propre. → The kitchen is clean.
   • Tes mains sont propres. → Your hands are clean.

2. Before the noun: “own” (belonging to someone)

   • C’est ma propre chambre. → It’s my own room.
   • Chacun a ses propres problèmes. → Everyone has their own problems.

So:

• Une maison propre = a clean house
• Ma propre maison = my own house

In your sentence, propre comes after the verb être and describes the kitchen, so it clearly means “clean.”

Does propre change for masculine/feminine or singular/plural?

Yes, propre agrees in number (singular/plural), but its masculine and feminine singular forms look the same.

• Masculine singular: propre
  
  • Le sol est propre. – The floor is clean.
• Feminine singular: propre
  
  • La cuisine est propre. – The kitchen is clean.
• Masculine plural: propres
  
  • Les sols sont propres. – The floors are clean.
• Feminine plural: propres
  
  • Les cuisines sont propres. – The kitchens are clean.

Spoken French often doesn’t clearly pronounce the final -s, but in writing you must add it in the plural.

Can maintenant go somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes, maintenant (now) is a fairly flexible adverb. Common options:

• La cuisine est propre maintenant.
• Maintenant, la cuisine est propre.
• La cuisine est maintenant propre.

All are grammatical. The most neutral and common are:

• La cuisine est propre maintenant.
• Maintenant, la cuisine est propre.

Placing maintenant at the very beginning (with a comma) slightly emphasizes the time change: Now, the kitchen is clean.

How is the sentence pronounced, especially cuisine, est, and maintenant?

Approximate pronunciation (in IPA and then in plain English terms):

• La → /la/

  • like “la” in la-la, with a clear “a” as in father.

• cuisine → /kɥi.zin/

  • cui- = /kɥi/ → a “k” plus a y-like w
    • “ee”: somewhere between kwee and kwee-yin.
  • -sine = /zin/ → like “zeen”.

• est → /ɛ/

  • like the “e” in English bet.
  • The final -st is silent here; you do not say /est/ like in English.

• propre → /pʁɔpʁ(ə)/

  • first syllable pro-: like French pro with a guttural r, vowel like o in not (but shorter).
  • second -pre: another pr with the same guttural r; the final e is often very light or not clearly pronounced in casual speech.

• maintenant → /mɛ̃t.nɑ̃/ or /mɛ̃t(ə).nɑ̃/

  • main-: nasal vowel /mɛ̃/, like “meh” but with air going through the nose.
  • -te-: often very reduced, sometimes almost just a t sound.
  • -nant: /nɑ̃/, another nasal vowel like “nah” through the nose.

No liaison is required between est and propre here; est propre is /ɛ pʁɔpʁ(...)/, not */ɛt pʁɔpʁ(...)/.

Could you say La cuisine, propre maintenant without est?

In normal, neutral French you need the verb est here:

• La cuisine est propre maintenant. ✅

Something like La cuisine, propre maintenant might occur in headlines, notes, or stylized/poetic writing, but it is not a standard full sentence in everyday speech. For regular use, always include est.

What’s the difference between cuisine, cuisinier, cuisinière, and cuisinière (the appliance)?

They’re related but refer to different things:

• la cuisine

  • the kitchen (room)
  • or cooking / cuisine (activity / style of food)

• un cuisinier

  • a male cook / chef

• une cuisinière

  • a female cook / chef
  • also: a stove / cooker (the kitchen appliance)

So:

• La cuisine est propre maintenant. – The kitchen is clean now.
• Le cuisinier travaille dans la cuisine. – The (male) cook works in the kitchen.
• La cuisinière travaille bien, mais la cuisinière est cassée.
  → The (female) cook works well, but the (kitchen) stove is broken.