Language/French/Grammar/Measurements-and-comparisons-Numbers-with-length,-height,-depth-etc
With the verb être, numbers specifying length, height, depth, width, distance and so on, are preceded by de:
- La piscine est longue de 50 mètres
- La longueur de la piscine est de 50 mètres
The swimming pool is 50 metres long
- Cette tour est haute de 20 mètres
- La hauteur de cette tour est de 20 mètres
This tower is 20 metres high
- Le lac est profond de 300 mètres
- La profondeur du lac est de 300 mètres
The lake is 300 metres deep
- Le fleuve est large de 2 kilomètres à cet endroit
- La largeur du fleuve à cet endroit est de 2 kilomètres
The river is 2 kilometres wide at this point
- La distance de Londres à Paris est de 500 kilomètres
The distance from London to Paris is 500 kilometres
An alternative way of describing some of these measurements is with the verbs faire a n d avoir; in this case de precedes long, haut, large, etc., which remain invariable in form:
- La piscine fait/a 50 mètres de long
- Cette tour fait/a 20 mètres de haut
- Le fleuve fait/a 2 kilomètres de large
In talking about how tall people are, the verbs mesurer, faire are usually used:
- Je mesure 1,97 mètres
I am 1.97 metres tall
- Elle fait 1,80 mètres
She is 1.80 metres tall
The verbs mesurer, faire are the equivalent of English 'is' in describing dimensions:
- La table mesure (or fait) trois mètres sur deux
The table is three metres by two
Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, Easy way of generating the Future and Conditional & “être” and “avoir” with verbs used intransitively and transitively.
Other Chapters[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Non agreement of direct object numerals with coûter, peser and mesurer
- How to tell the time
- Plural of words in Al
- Use of jamais
- Easy way of generating the present tense
- Relative Clause
- Ditransitive verbs
- Subject verb agreement — Verb agreement with fractions
- Adjectives which regularly occur before and after the noun, but with a change of meaning
- Stressed pronouns used as the object of a preposition
- Location of adverbs modifying adjectives, prepositions, noun phrases and other adverbs
- Subjunctive Mood
- Restrictions on possible combinations
- Auxiliary
- Position of object pronouns with imperatives