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- "A loaf of bread"
"A loaf of bread"
Translation:Un pain
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1560
There is no easy way to determine the gender of every noun, and you have to remember the gender with each word. But a number of patterns in suffixes and word endings are helpful: some tend to indicate masculine or feminine nouns (be careful with the exceptions).
Please have a look at this link:
It is a "noun of noun" case, where the second noun gives information (content, material, substance) about the first noun. In this case, the article is dropped:
- une feuille de papier = a sheet of paper (material)
- une miche de pain = a loaf of bread (substance)
- une bouteille de lait = a bottle of milk (content)
Note that "une miche du pain" = "a loaf of the bread", ie a specific bread, mentioned before.
You are right. And all the more if you consider that, at least in the Paris region, "un pain" is exactly like a baguette, but heavier (500g vs 250g). If you want to express the shape of "a loaf of bread" you will have to say "une miche de pain". Now, just for fun, in popular language "un pain" is a punch.
1560
"a loaf of bread" means either "un pain" or "une miche (de pain)".
See: http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/english-french/loaf%20of%20bread
1560
In French, every noun has a gender, and you have to remember the gender of each noun. In general, nouns ending in "e" are feminine (but there are exceptions to this rule).
Every noun has its own gender: une miche, un pain, une boisson, etc. whichever the sentence they are in, whether or not the matching article is present.
Sometimes, articles are dropped and the French will not be "une miche du pain" (a loaf of the bread) but "une miche de pain" (a loaf of bread).
"une miche de pain" exactly translates to "a loaf of bread", so "de" = "of", preposition.
This case is the same for all noun adjuncts ("nouns of nouns") where the 2nd noun gives information on the content or material of the 1st noun:
- une tasse de thé = a cup of tea (content)
- une feuille de papier = a sheet of paper (material)
- une miche de pain = a loaf of bread (material/substance)
1560
"un" is masculine, and refers to "pain" (masculine).
"une" is feminine, and refers to "miche" (feminine), which is made of bread (complement, masculine).