why is it not la grande-mere but la grand-mere since it is feminine?
why not grande-mère??good question
400 years ago, the feminine was grand'mère, grand'tante... the ' simbolized the feminine
in 1932, l'"académie française" changed the ' by -
so it became grand-mère, grand-tante
to the plurial there are two posibilities : grand-mères or grands-mères
Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. Here are your choices:
grande mère (no hyphen) = a large mother!
grand-maman, grand-mère (with hyphen) = grand mother
Why? Because! Here are some other words to compare:
grand aunt = grand-tante
grand duchess = grande-duchesse (surprise!)
mémé = granny
In French, the adjective "grand" which means "big" or "tall" has different forms depending on the noun it accompanies. When the noun is masculine, it is "grand," as in "le grand-père" (the grandfather). However, when the noun is feminine, the adjective changes to "grande," as in "la grande-mère" (the grandmother). This change in form is due to the agreement of the adjective with the gender of the noun.
In French, the word "grand-mère" is feminine, but the adjective "grand" (meaning "big" or "grand") undergoes changes based on the gender and number of the noun it modifies. This is known as adjective agreement.
When the noun that follows "grand" begins with a consonant or a vowel that is not pronounced "e," the masculine form "grand" is used. For example, "le grand-père" (the grandfather).
However, when the noun that follows "grand" begins with a vowel or a silent "h," the masculine form "grand" becomes "gran." For example, "le grand-oncle" (the great-uncle). This change is made to improve pronunciation.
Now, when modifying a feminine noun starting with a vowel or a silent "h," the masculine form "grand" becomes "grande." For example, "la grande ville" (the big city).
Hence, when modifying the feminine noun "mère" (mother), which begins with a vowel, the adjective "grand" changes to "grande." This is why it is "la grande-mère." The same rule applies to other feminine nouns starting with a vowel or silent "h."
It's important to pay attention to these changes in adjective agreement to ensure grammatical correctness in French.