La revanche suit la défaite.

Because both revanche and défaite are feminine singular nouns.

• la revanche = the revenge / the comeback / the rematch
• la défaite = the defeat / the loss

French nouns have grammatical gender, so you must use the matching article:

• le for masculine singular
• la for feminine singular
• l’ before a vowel sound
• les for plural

Also, French often uses the definite article (le / la / les) in places where English might be more flexible or even leave it out.

Revanche can be a tricky word because it does not always mean only revenge in the dramatic sense.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• revenge
• payback
• a comeback
• a return victory
• a rematch or chance to make up for a previous defeat

So in this sentence, the exact nuance depends on context. It could sound like:

• after defeat comes revenge
• defeat is followed by a comeback
• a rematch follows a loss

That is why revanche is broader than simple English revenge.

Because suit is the present tense, third-person singular form of the verb suivre (to follow).

Here is the present tense:

• je suis
• tu suis
• il / elle / on suit
• nous suivons
• vous suivez
• ils / elles suivent

So in La revanche suit la défaite, the subject is la revanche, which is third-person singular, so the correct form is suit.

This verb is a little irregular, so the form does not look exactly like the infinitive suivre.

In French, suit is pronounced roughly like swee, but with more rounded lips.

A few helpful points:

• the t is silent
• the vowel sound is not exactly the English sweet, but that is a useful approximation
• it is the same pronunciation as suis in many contexts

So:

• suit ≈ swee

The whole sentence is roughly:

• la ruh-VAHNSH swee la day-FET

That is only an approximation, but it helps.

Because the French verb suivre usually takes a direct object.

So French says:

• suivre quelqu’un = to follow someone
• suivre une défaite = to follow a defeat / come after a defeat

There is no preposition needed here.

This is similar to English follow, which also often takes a direct object:

• Revenge follows defeat.

So the structure is straightforward:

• La revanche = subject
• suit = verb
• la défaite = direct object

No, the word order is very normal.

It follows the standard French pattern:

• Subject + Verb + Object

So:

• La revanche = subject
• suit = verb
• la défaite = object

This is one reason the sentence is fairly easy grammatically, even though the vocabulary may feel literary or abstract.

Yes. The word défaite has é, which is pronounced like a clear ay sound.

So:

• dé- sounds roughly like day
• faite sounds roughly like fet

Together: défaite ≈ day-fet

The accent on é matters because it tells you the vowel is pronounced clearly. Without the accent, the pronunciation would be different or the spelling would simply be wrong.

It sounds somewhat literary, abstract, or aphoristic rather than like everyday conversation.

A native speaker would understand it, but in normal speech people might more often say something more specific, depending on what they mean, for example:

• Après la défaite vient la revanche.
• La revanche vient après la défaite.

The original sentence is perfectly grammatical, but it has a compact, dramatic feel.

Yes, absolutely. That is one of the most common uses.

For example, in sports:

• prendre sa revanche = to get revenge / to beat someone after losing before
• un match revanche = a rematch

So if this sentence appeared in a sports context, La revanche suit la défaite could suggest that after losing, the next step is the rematch or the chance to win back honor.

That sports meaning is very natural in French.

Not exactly.

• défaite usually means defeat, especially in competition, war, politics, or any clear losing situation
• perte usually means loss, often in a broader sense

For example:

• une défaite électorale = an electoral defeat
• une défaite militaire = a military defeat
• une perte financière = a financial loss
• la perte d’un ami = the loss of a friend

So in this sentence, défaite suggests being beaten or losing against someone or something, which fits well with revanche.

Yes.

It can mean physically following someone:

• Le chien suit son maître.
• The dog follows its owner.

But it can also mean one event coming after another:

• La nuit suit le jour.
• Night follows day.

In La revanche suit la défaite, it is the abstract meaning: one event or stage comes after another.