Bateau

Nouns in French have a gender (masculine or feminine). 'Bateau' is a masculine noun. This means you'll use masculine articles with it, like 'le' (the) or 'un' (a/an).

Le bateau est grand. (The boat is big.) / J'ai vu un bateau. (I saw a boat.)

To make 'bateau' plural, you add an 'x' to the end, making it 'bateaux'. This is a common pattern for nouns ending in -eau.

Les bateaux sont sur l'eau. (The boats are on the water.)

When talking about going 'by boat' or 'on a boat', you often use the preposition 'en' or 'sur'. 'En bateau' is generally for the mode of transport, and 'sur le bateau' is for location.

Nous voyageons en bateau. (We travel by boat.) / Je suis sur le bateau. (I am on the boat.)

Adjectives describing 'bateau' will agree in gender and number. Since 'bateau' is masculine singular, the adjective will also be masculine singular.

Un beau bateau. (A beautiful boat.) / Les petits bateaux. (The small boats.)

When using 'bateau' in a sentence with a verb, the verb conjugation will depend on the subject. If 'bateau' is the subject (singular), the verb will be conjugated in the third person singular.

Le bateau flotte. (The boat floats.) / Les bateaux naviguent. (The boats sail.)