Questions & Answers about La brûlure est grave.
Why is it la brûlure and not just brûlure?
In French, nouns are usually used with an article much more often than in English. So la brûlure means the burn.
- la = the for a feminine singular noun
- brûlure = burn or burn injury
In English, you might sometimes say Burn is serious only in very special contexts, but normally you would say The burn is serious. French strongly prefers the article here.
How do I know that brûlure is feminine?
What does brûlure mean exactly?
What does the accent in brûlure do?
The accent is a circumflex: û.
In modern French, it usually does not dramatically change the pronunciation for learners, but it is part of the correct spelling. Historically, it often shows that an s used to be in the word long ago.
For example, in some words:
- forêt used to be related to an older form with s
- hôpital also reflects an older spelling history
For brûlure, the important thing for a learner is:
- write the accent correctly
- pronounce the word roughly like brü-lur with the French u sound, not like English oo
Why is it est?
Why does grave come after the noun?
In this sentence, grave does not directly come after the noun in the usual adjective position. It comes after est, because it is part of the structure:
- noun + être + adjective
So:
This is the same pattern as:
- Le problème est important.
- La situation est urgente.
The adjective is describing the subject through the verb être.
Why is it grave and not graves or some other form?
Because grave is agreeing with la brûlure, which is feminine singular.
For many French adjectives, agreement changes the ending. But grave is one of those adjectives whose masculine and feminine singular forms look the same:
- masculine singular: grave
- feminine singular: grave
- masculine plural: graves
- feminine plural: graves
So here, singular subject = singular adjective form: grave.
Does grave mean the same as the English word grave?
Not usually. In this sentence, grave means serious or severe, especially in a medical sense.
So:
- une blessure grave = a serious injury
- un état grave = a serious condition
It does not mean a grave as in a place where someone is buried. That English noun is a false friend here.
How is La brûlure est grave pronounced?
Do I pronounce the final e in brûlure or grave?
Can grave also mean serious in a general sense, not just for injuries?
Could I also say La brûlure est sérieuse?
You might hear sérieux/sérieuse in some contexts, but for a medical condition or injury, grave is usually the more natural and stronger choice.
Compare:
- La brûlure est grave. = The burn is serious/severe.
- La brûlure est sérieuse. = grammatically possible, but less idiomatic in many medical contexts
So for injuries, illnesses, and emergencies, grave is often the best word.
Is this sentence formal, neutral, or casual?
Can French change the word order here?
The normal order is:
You generally would not change it in ordinary statements.
French usually follows:
You could add emphasis in other ways, for example:
- Cette brûlure est grave. = This burn is serious.
- La brûlure est très grave. = The burn is very serious.
But the basic word order stays the same.
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