Breakdown of Le patient attend dans la salle d'attente.
dans
in
attendre
to wait
la salle d'attente
the waiting room
le patient
the patient
Questions & Answers about Le patient attend dans la salle d'attente.
Why is it Le patient and not Un patient?
Le patient uses the definite article le, which usually means the.
It suggests a specific patient that both speaker and listener can identify (for example, the patient we’re talking about in this context).
Un patient would mean a patient, more general or introducing a new, unspecified patient into the conversation. Both are grammatically correct; the choice depends on whether the patient is specific or not.
Is patient masculine? How would I say “the (female) patient”?
Yes, patient here is masculine, so it takes le: le patient.
For a female patient, you say la patiente (with final -e):
- Le patient attend… = The (male) patient is waiting…
- La patiente attend… = The (female) patient is waiting…
In the plural:
- Les patients = male patients or mixed group
- Les patientes = only female patients
Does attend mean “attends” (like “attends a meeting”) in English?