Breakdown of Cette jupe va avec ce gilet.
Questions & Answers about Cette jupe va avec ce gilet.
Why does the sentence use cette for jupe but ce for gilet?
Because jupe is a feminine singular noun, while gilet is a masculine singular noun.
French demonstrative adjectives change to match the gender and number of the noun:
- ce = this/that for masculine singular
- cet = this/that for masculine singular before a vowel sound
- cette = this/that for feminine singular
- ces = these/those for plural
So:
- cette jupe = this skirt
- ce gilet = this cardigan / vest
How do I know that jupe is feminine and gilet is masculine?
Why is the verb va and not vont?
Because the subject is Cette jupe, which is singular.
The verb is aller, and here it is conjugated in the third person singular:
- je vais
- tu vas
- il/elle/on va
- nous allons
- vous allez
- ils/elles vont
Since cette jupe = it / this skirt, French uses va:
- Cette jupe va avec ce gilet.
If the subject were plural, you would use vont:
- Ces jupes vont avec ce gilet.
Does va avec literally mean goes with?
Is aller avec only used for clothes?
Could I also say something other than va avec?
Why is there no word for the in English before this cardigan? Is French doing something different?
No, this is normal. In French, ce / cette / cet / ces already mean this or that, so you do not also use le / la / les.
So:
- ce gilet = this cardigan
- not le ce gilet
Likewise:
- cette jupe = this skirt
- not la cette jupe
French uses either:
- an article: la jupe, le gilet
- or a demonstrative adjective: cette jupe, ce gilet
What is the difference between ce and cet?
How is Cette jupe va avec ce gilet pronounced?
A simple pronunciation guide is:
Set zhüp va ah-vek suh zhee-lay
A few notes:
- cette sounds like set
- jupe has the French u sound, which is different from English
- va sounds like vah
- avec is usually pronounced ah-vek
- gilet sounds like zhee-lay
Also, in natural speech, French rhythm matters a lot, so it helps to listen and repeat the whole sentence as one unit.
Can ce and cette also mean that, not just this?
Yes. In many cases, ce, cet, cette, and ces can mean either this or that, depending on context.
So:
- cette jupe can mean this skirt or that skirt
- ce gilet can mean this cardigan or that cardigan
If French speakers want to stress this one or that one, they can use:
- ce ...-ci = this ...
- ce ...-là = that ...
For example:
- Cette jupe-ci va avec ce gilet-là.
This skirt goes with that cardigan.
Why is avec placed after the verb?
Because avec is a preposition meaning with, and it follows the verb phrase va in the expression aller avec.
The structure is:
- subject + aller + avec + noun
So:
- Cette jupe = subject
- va = verb
- avec ce gilet = with this cardigan
This is the normal French word order here.
Does the sentence sound natural in everyday French?
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