Breakdown of Ce magazine parle de la mode.
Questions & Answers about Ce magazine parle de la mode.
Ce is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this” or “that” before a masculine singular noun.
- Magazine is masculine and starts with a consonant sound, so we use:
- ce magazine = this/that magazine
Other forms:
- cet: used before masculine nouns starting with a vowel or mute h
- cet homme, cet appareil
- cette: used before any feminine singular noun
- cette revue, cette voiture
- ces: plural (masculine and feminine)
- ces magazines, ces revues
- ceci: means “this (thing)” on its own, not before a noun
- Ceci est important. = This is important.
So ce magazine = “this magazine / that magazine,” not “this” as a standalone pronoun.
Both are masculine singular, but they express different ideas:
- ce magazine = this/that magazine (points to a specific one in the situation)
- You’re identifying it: “this magazine (here) talks about fashion.”
- le magazine = the magazine (more general/definite, but not “this/that”)
- Could be “the magazine (we already know about) talks about fashion.”
Examples:
Ce magazine parle de la mode.
This/that particular magazine talks about fashion.Le magazine parle de la mode.
The magazine (maybe a magazine we’ve already mentioned) talks about fashion.
If you want the same ambiguity as English “this magazine” / “that magazine”, French just uses ce magazine for both. Context shows whether it feels like “this” or “that.”
In French, when parler means “to talk about / to be about”, it is almost always followed by de:
- parler de quelque chose = to talk about something / to be about something
So:
- Ce magazine parle de la mode.
Literally: This magazine talks of fashion. → “This magazine is about fashion.”
Using parler without a preposition has a different meaning:
- parler une langue = to speak a language
- Elle parle français. = She speaks French.
- Il parle anglais. = He speaks English.
You cannot say ✗ Ce magazine parle la mode. That would sound wrong in French. With topics, you must use parler de.
Several things are happening here:
“Mode” is feminine
- la mode (not le mode) = fashion
So you need de la, not de le.
- la mode (not le mode) = fashion
Contraction rules
- de le contracts to du
- de la does not contract
So with a feminine noun like la mode, de la stays de la mode, never ✗ du mode.
Why not just “de mode”?
- de la mode = about fashion as a general topic
- de mode sometimes appears after certain adjectives or nouns (un défilé de mode = a fashion show), but with parler de, the most natural form for the general concept is de la mode.
So parler de la mode is the normal way to say “talk about fashion” / “be about fashion.”
La mode commonly means “fashion” (clothes, style):
- Elle s’intéresse à la mode. = She is interested in fashion.
But mode has other meanings, especially in technical or abstract contexts:
- le mode d’emploi = the user manual / instructions for use
- le mode avion = airplane mode
- en mode silencieux = in silent mode
- un mode de vie sain = a healthy lifestyle / way of living
So in Ce magazine parle de la mode, the article la plus context tells you it’s the fashion meaning, not “mode” as in setting or method.
Unfortunately, grammatical gender in French is often arbitrary and must be memorized.
- magazine is masculine → un magazine, le magazine, ce magazine.
There’s no reliable rule from the spelling alone that tells you magazine is masculine. A practical tip:
- Always learn French nouns with an article:
- un magazine (not just magazine)
- une voiture
- un livre, etc.
That way the gender becomes part of the word in your memory.
Approximate pronunciation (using English-like hints):
- Ce → “suh”
- magazine → “ma-ga-zeen” (final e pronounced: -zeen)
- parle → “parl” (final e silent, r is French, -le not “par-luh”)
- de → “duh”
- la → “la”
- mode → “mod” (short o as in “mop”; final e silent)
Put together smoothly:
- Ce magazine parle de la mode.
≈ suh ma-ga-zeen parl duh la mod
There are no strong liaisons here; each word mostly keeps its own sound.
You can say something similar, but the nuance changes:
Ce magazine parle de la mode.
Literally “This magazine talks about fashion” → The content is about fashion.C’est un magazine sur la mode.
“It’s a magazine on fashion” → It is a type of magazine whose subject is fashion.
Native speakers normally say:
- Ce magazine parle de la mode. (about its content)
- C’est un magazine de mode. or C’est un magazine sur la mode. (describing the kind of magazine)
✗ Ce magazine est sur la mode is technically understandable but sounds odd or too literal. French rarely uses être sur for “be about (a topic)” the way English sometimes does.
In French, the simple present tense (parle) usually covers both English “talks” and “is talking”. Context decides.
- Ce magazine parle de la mode.
Can be translated as:- “This magazine talks about fashion.”
- “This magazine is about fashion.”
If you absolutely need to stress an action happening right now (“is talking right now”), you can use:
- être en train de + infinitive
- Il est en train de parler. = He is in the middle of talking.
But for general statements like the sentence you gave, parle is perfect and natural.
To replace de la mode (introduced by de) with a pronoun, you use en.
- Ce magazine parle de la mode.
- Ce magazine en parle. = This magazine talks about it / is about it.
Key point:
- en usually replaces de + noun (things, not people)
- Je parle de ce sujet. → J’en parle.
- Nous avons besoin de sucre. → Nous en avons besoin.
So:
- de la mode → en
- Ce magazine en parle.
Yes, De la mode, ce magazine parle is grammatically correct, but it sounds more literary or emphatic.
Nuance:
Ce magazine parle de la mode.
Neutral, everyday word order: Subject–Verb–Complement.De la mode, ce magazine parle.
You’re fronting de la mode for emphasis, something like:
“It’s fashion this magazine talks about.”
This might appear in written, rhetorical, or poetic style, but not in normal conversation.
In ordinary speech and writing, Ce magazine parle de la mode is the natural choice.