Masculine adjectives ending in -c do change in the feminine form.
The feminine form of adjectives ending in -c in French
Look at these examples:
Note that :
- If the -c is mute in the masculine form, then the feminine ends in -che.
- If we hear the -c in the masculine form - i.e. a [k] sound - then the feminine becomes -que, to preserve the pronunciation.
ATTENTION: Each rule has its exceptions!
- grec (Greek) keeps the c and adds que : grecque.
- sec (dry): you do hear the -c in the masculine form, and yet its feminine is sèche.
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Forming the feminine of adjectives ending in -c in French
Autre chose et quelques chose d'autre
I thought that "turc" referred to a Turkish man and that "turque" referred to a Turkish woman. The correct answer indicates that "turque" refers to a Turkish man. Please explain why my answer was marked as incorrect.
Harlan
Bonjour Harlan,
You are right that 'turc' -> masculine and that 'turque' -> feminine. I have checked the questions from this kwiz and each time the answer is correct. If the issue persists, please report it via your 'report it' button in your correction board.
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !
It is better to report this through the quiz report issue button, as your answer and the question can both be checked, with any correction made to the quiz if needed. Turc is the masculine noun, turque is the feminine noun, as you note.
Autre chose et quelques chose d'autre
I thought that "turc" referred to a Turkish man and that "turque" referred to a Turkish woman. The correct answer indicates that "turque" refers to a Turkish man. Please explain why my answer was marked as incorrect.
Harlan
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"chaque" pronounciation
Hi Hillary,
I cannot find these examples in the lesson you pinned with your query but if you find the correct location I should be able to change the unsatisfactory audio.
We are always trying to improve the audios so your question is important to us.
"chaque" pronounciation
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"c" ou pas le "c"
turc --> turque (pas le "c")
grec --> grecque (avec le "c")
pourquoi ??
Because that's the way it is. Sorry for the curt reply, but there just is no reason. It's a language and not math :)
Not a definitive answer, just a hypothesis here. If one uses the name of the country as the root of the feminine adjective, la Turquie vs la Grèce, perhaps that could explain it ?
Interesting observation ! I hadn't noticed it before.
"c" ou pas le "c"
turc --> turque (pas le "c")
grec --> grecque (avec le "c")
pourquoi ??
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English translation of "une ovation publique".
English translation of "une ovation publique".
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No liaison between "et" and "une"
There are certain words in French where the liaison is omitted in the oral and this is one of those:
Forbidden liaison
Finally, certain liaisons are impossible:
1) after et ("and") - which allows it to be distinguished from est ("is") in speech.
2) after the silent final consonant of a singular common noun: coup X intéressant ("interesting deed"), rat X énorme ("enormous rat") - which allows a distinction between a noun and an adjective: un précieux‿insolent is a precious insolent person, while un précieux X insolent is an insolent member of the fr:préciosité literary movement.
3) after verbs with the second-person singular ending -es : tu manges X en paix ("you eat in peace"); the ending is elided instead.
4) before a word beginning with an "aspirated h": les X haricots (green beans), ils X halètent ("they are gasping"). (Note that even the so-called "aspirated h" is not actually pronounced in modern French.) In the regulated language, hiatus is required here. In everyday registers, this phenomenon is frequently omitted, especially with little-known words.
5) before certain words that start with vowels, such as onze ("eleven"), un when used to mean "one," and oui ("yes").
There are other rules of liaisons, i.e. obligatory liaison, optional liaison, etc.
J'espère que ma réponse vous aiderait.
Bonne chance et bonne continuation dans vos études en français, la langue de Molière et qui a été utilisé par le monde français depuis l’époque d’Hugues Capet
No liaison between "et" and "une"
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Why is the "s" in "vois" silent in,"Dans un jardin public, je vois une ovation publique.".
Generally, when speaking French, the final consonant is always silent, one exception are words ending in the letter «x» which is generally pronounced, i.e. six, dix, etc. If you are not involved in a conversation French class, I suggest that you try to locate one to enroll in so you can have the practice speaking and listening to French as it is meant to be spoken. That being said, the Alliance Française has chapters in many large cities throughout the US, Canada and Europe; also a lot of colleges and universities offer non-credit courses for adults and some of those have French conversation classes. There is also the option of private French lessons with a native French speaker; however, this is by far the most costly on a per hour basis.
Bonne chance
Why is the "s" in "vois" silent in,"Dans un jardin public, je vois une ovation publique.".
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