| Grammar Notes: La photo montre une jeune fille en robe jaune. Elle serre dans ses bras un gros chien. Translation: The photo shows a young girl in a yellow dress. She clutches a big dog in her arms. ### Word-by-word La — definite article, feminine singular. Meaning: the. Used because *photo* is feminine singular. photo — feminine noun. Meaning: photo, photograph. It is short for *photographie*. montre — verb, third person singular present tense. Meaning: shows, is showing. Infinitive: montrer. Subject: *la photo*. une — indefinite article, feminine singular. Meaning: a, an. jeune — adjective. Meaning: young. It has the same form for masculine and feminine. fille — feminine noun. Meaning: girl; also daughter, depending on context. Here: girl. en — preposition. Meaning: in, wearing, made of, etc. Here: in / wearing. robe — feminine noun. Meaning: dress. jaune — adjective. Meaning: yellow. It has the same form for masculine and feminine; plural is *jaunes*. Elle — personal pronoun, third person singular feminine subject. Meaning: she. It refers back to *une jeune fille*. serre — verb, third person singular present tense. Meaning: clutches, holds tightly, squeezes. Infinitive: serrer. dans — preposition. Meaning: in, inside. ses — possessive adjective, plural. Meaning: his/her/its, depending on the owner. Here: her. It agrees with the noun owned, *bras*, which is plural. bras — masculine noun. Meaning: arm; arms. The spelling is the same for singular and plural. Here it is plural: her arms. un — indefinite article, masculine singular. Meaning: a. gros — adjective, masculine singular. Meaning: big, fat, large. It agrees with *chien*. chien — masculine noun. Meaning: dog. ### Grammar notes *La photo montre une jeune fille en robe jaune.* This is subject + verb + object. *La photo* is the subject, *montre* is the verb, and *une jeune fille en robe jaune* is the direct object. The phrase *en robe jaune* describes what the girl is wearing. French often uses *en* + clothing item without an article: *en robe*, *en jean*, *en manteau*. *Elle serre dans ses bras un gros chien.* *Elle* replaces *une jeune fille*. *Serre* is present tense. *Un gros chien* is the direct object. *Dans ses bras* tells where or how. The object can come after *dans ses bras* in French: *Elle serre un gros chien dans ses bras* is also possible. *Gros* comes before the noun; many common short adjectives do this, such as *grand*, *petit*, *jeune*, *beau*, *bon*, *mauvais*. ### General grammar tip Regular *-er* verbs in the present tense drop *-er* and add these endings: je -e, tu -es, il/elle/on -e, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils/elles -ent. So: montrer → je montre, tu montres, il/elle/on montre, nous montrons, vous montrez, ils/elles montrent. serrer → je serre, tu serres, il/elle/on serre, nous serrons, vous serrez, ils/elles serrent. The *-ent* ending for *ils/elles* is silent. Possessive adjectives agree with the noun owned, not the owner: *son bras* = his/her arm, *ses bras* = his/her arms. ### Related words *la photographie* = photograph *photographier* = to photograph *un photographe* = photographer *une jupe* = skirt *une chemise* = shirt *un pantalon* = trousers *des chaussures* = shoes *un chiot* = puppy *une chienne* = female dog *petit* = small *mince* = thin *serrer la main* = to shake hands *se serrer* = to squeeze together *une étreinte* = embrace, hug |
