Word
Parmi toutes les stations de métro, celle du centre‑ville est la moins propre.
Meaning
Among all the subway stations, the downtown one is the least clean.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Parmi toutes les stations de métro, celle du centre‑ville est la moins propre.
être
to be
de
of
tout
all
propre
clean
Questions & Answers about Parmi toutes les stations de métro, celle du centre‑ville est la moins propre.
Why is it celle du centre‑ville and not la station du centre‑ville?
French often avoids repeating a noun that was just mentioned by replacing it with a demonstrative pronoun.
- les stations de métro = the metro stations
- celle = the one (feminine singular, referring back to une station)
So the structure is:
- Parmi toutes les stations de métro, celle du centre‑ville…
= Among all the metro stations, the one downtown…
If you said:
- Parmi toutes les stations de métro, la station du centre‑ville est la moins propre.
it would be correct, just a bit heavier and more repetitive. Native speakers strongly prefer celle du centre‑ville here.
What exactly does celle mean, and what are the other forms?