La serrure de l’entrée ne fonctionne plus, alors j’appelle le serrurier.

Because entrée begins with a vowel sound, so de combines with the article la to become de l’.

• de + la porte → de la porte
• de + l’entrée → de l’entrée

Here, entrée is feminine, but before a vowel, both le and la become l’.

So la serrure de l’entrée means the lock of the entrance or more naturally the entrance lock / the front-door lock, depending on context.

Ne ... plus means no longer or not anymore.

So:

• ne fonctionne plus = no longer works / doesn’t work anymore

This is a very common French negative structure:

• Je mange encore = I am still eating
• Je ne mange plus = I am not eating anymore

In everyday spoken French, people often drop ne, so you may hear:

• La serrure fonctionne plus

But in standard written French, ne ... plus is the full form.

French avoids a clash of vowel sounds. Since appelle starts with a vowel, je becomes j’.

So:

• je appelle → j’appelle
• je aime → j’aime
• je habite → j’habite

This is called elision. It happens very often in French with words like je, le, la, de, ne, que before a vowel or silent h.

They are related words, but they mean different things:

• la serrure = the lock
• le serrurier = the locksmith

A useful pattern to notice:

• -ure often appears in nouns for things
• -ier can appear in professions or people associated with something

So in this sentence:

• the lock is broken
• the speaker calls the locksmith

In French, fonctionner often means to work, to function, or to be operating properly.

It is very common for machines, devices, systems, and even things like locks.

So:

• La serrure fonctionne = The lock works
• La serrure ne fonctionne plus = The lock doesn’t work anymore

English might also say:

• The lock is broken
• The lock isn’t working

French could also say est cassée in some contexts, but ne fonctionne plus focuses on the fact that it no longer operates correctly.

Both are possible, but they do not mean exactly the same thing.

• j’appelle le serrurier = I’m calling the locksmith
• j’appelle un serrurier = I’m calling a locksmith

Using le serrurier can suggest:

• the locksmith is understood in context
• the usual or appropriate professional is being called
• the speaker has a particular locksmith in mind

French often uses the definite article in places where English might use a or even no article, depending on context.

L’entrée literally means the entrance or entryway.

In this sentence, la serrure de l’entrée most likely refers to:

• the lock on the main entrance
• the entrance door lock
• the front-door lock

The exact English translation depends on context. French often uses a slightly broader noun, and English may translate it more specifically.

French often uses the present tense for actions happening now or as an immediate reaction.

Here the sequence is:

• The lock no longer works
• so I call the locksmith

This sounds like a present, immediate situation. English can do the same:

• The lock doesn’t work anymore, so I call the locksmith but English often prefers:
• so I’m calling the locksmith or
• so I call a locksmith

French present tense covers a range that in English may be translated by either the simple present or the present progressive, depending on context.

Here, alors means so, therefore, or then.

It links cause and result:

• La serrure de l’entrée ne fonctionne plus = The entrance lock no longer works
• alors j’appelle le serrurier = so I call the locksmith

In other contexts, alors can also mean:

• then
• well then
• a filler word in conversation

But in this sentence, it clearly introduces the consequence.

The comma helps separate the two parts of the sentence:

1. the problem: La serrure de l’entrée ne fonctionne plus
2. the result: alors j’appelle le serrurier

This is similar to English punctuation with so. The comma is natural and helps readability, though punctuation can vary depending on style.

Because grammatical gender in French is a property of the noun itself, and related words do not always have the same gender.

• la serrure is feminine
• le serrurier is masculine

This does not mean the locksmith must be male in real life. If you want to refer specifically to a female locksmith, you may see la serrurière.

For learners, the key point is: always learn French nouns together with their article.

Yes. In ne ... plus, the pronunciation of plus depends on meaning and context.

When plus means more, the final s is often pronounced. When it means no more / no longer in ne ... plus, the final sound is often not pronounced in careful speech.

So ne fonctionne plus is often pronounced roughly like plu.

That said, pronunciation can vary, especially in connected speech or different accents. For a learner, the main thing is to recognize ne ... plus as the negative expression meaning not anymore.

Yes. In spoken French, people often drop ne:

• La serrure de l’entrée fonctionne plus, alors j’appelle le serrurier.

This is very common in conversation, but in writing and in careful French, ne is normally kept:

• La serrure de l’entrée ne fonctionne plus, alors j’appelle le serrurier.

So as a learner:

• learn the full form first
• expect to hear the shorter spoken form often