Marie est sûre.

Marie is sure.

Breakdown of Marie est sûre.

• être: to be
• Marie: Marie
• sûr: sure (adjective)

Questions & Answers about Marie est sûre.

Why is it sûre and not sûr?

Because Marie is feminine singular, and adjectives in French agree with the person or thing they describe.

With sûr:

• masculine singular: sûr
• feminine singular: sûre
• masculine plural: sûrs
• feminine plural: sûres

So:

• Paul est sûr.
• Marie est sûre.

Why is there an e at the end of sûre?

That e marks the feminine form of the adjective. It is very common in French for the feminine form to add a silent e.

In this word, the extra e changes the spelling, but not much in pronunciation. The final e itself is silent.

What does the accent in sûre do?

The accent is a circumflex: û.

In sûr / sûre, it is part of the correct spelling. It also helps distinguish the adjective sûr(e) from the preposition sur.

Compare:

• sûr / sûre = sure, certain
• sur = on

In modern French, they are usually pronounced the same, so the accent mainly matters in writing.

How do you pronounce Marie est sûre?