French Phrase
Le contrat de location dure douze mois.
Meaning
The sentence states that the rental agreement lasts for a period of twelve months. It uses the verb durer to talk about the length of time something continues.
When to use
Use this sentence when you need to specify the duration of a lease, either in a conversation with a landlord, in a written contract, or when explaining the terms of a rental to a friend.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lecontratdelocationduredouzemois.
Definite article (Le)
Le is the masculine singular definite article used before a masculine noun like contrat.
Noun phrase (contrat de location)
Contrat is a masculine noun; de introduces the complement ‘of rental’, forming a compound noun meaning ‘rental contract’.
Verb (dure)
Durer is a regular -er verb meaning ‘to last’; it is conjugated in the present third‑person singular to agree with le contrat.
Number + noun (douze mois)
When a number modifies a noun of time, the noun stays in the singular form (mois) even though the quantity is plural.
🗨In Conversation
Le contrat de location dure douze mois, donc il faut le renouveler à la fin de l'année.
The rental agreement lasts twelve months, so it needs to be renewed at the end of the year.
D'accord, je préparerai les documents avant la date d'échéance.
Okay, I’ll prepare the paperwork before the due date.
✕Common Mistakes
Le contrat de location est douze mois.
Avoid using ‘est’ (to be) here; the correct verb for duration is ‘durer’.
Le contrat de location dure douze moises.
Do not add an ‘s’ to ‘mois’; the word stays singular even for plural quantities.
Le contrat de location dure douze le mois.
When the number is before a noun of time, the noun stays singular; the number itself is fine.
↔Alternatives
Le bail dure un an.
The lease lasts one year.
Le contrat de location est valable pendant douze mois.
The rental contract is valid for twelve months.
La durée du contrat est de douze mois.
The contract’s duration is twelve months.
Cultural Tip
In France, most residential leases are standard one‑year contracts (bail d'un an) that automatically renew unless either party gives notice three months before the end. When you mention the duration, using durer is common in spoken French, while written contracts often prefer ‘est valable pendant…’. Also, note that ‘mois’ never takes an ‘s’ in the plural form.