Le courrier recommandé est plus cher, mais il est souvent plus pratique.

Registered mail is more expensive, but it is often more practical.

Breakdown of Le courrier recommandé est plus cher, mais il est souvent plus pratique.

• être: to be
• souvent: often
• mais: but
• plus: more

Questions & Answers about Le courrier recommandé est plus cher, mais il est souvent plus pratique.

Why does the sentence start with Le instead of Un or no article at all?

French often uses the definite article to talk about something in a general sense.

So Le courrier recommandé means registered mail, as a category.

Compare:

• Le courrier recommandé est plus cher. = Registered mail is more expensive.
• Un courrier recommandé est arrivé. = A piece of registered mail arrived.

English often drops the article in general statements, but French usually does not.

What exactly does courrier recommandé mean?

Courrier recommandé is the standard French expression for registered mail or recorded delivery.

Word for word:

• courrier = mail, post
• recommandé = literally recommended

But in this context, recommandé does not mean recommended in the English sense. It is the normal postal term for registered.

Why is recommandé placed after courrier?