French language Q&A Forum

I was doing the exercise (https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/my-languages/french/exercises/judge/1833/14548249?response=4150265&page=7) to answer a question and now have one of my own:

There's the phrase: visiter les ruines du vieux château.

How come the rule that the definite article is omitted if there's an adjective intervening between de and the noun is not applicable here? I would have thought this should be ...de vieux château.

Why is it "en weekend" instead of "un weekend"?  Surely,the article is called for rather than the preposition.  Thanks.

... s'il  vous plait.

On est très proches, ma sœur et moi. On est gentils.

Here we have est with proches/gentils. Is it a general rule?

May I suggest that it would be useful to include this link with the list of related grammar and vocab. It explains how Quebec is treated as a country rather than a province, ie. "au Quebec" rather than "dans le Quebec."

This excerise, says 'soudain' instead of 'soudainment'... can someone speak to this for me please :) Or point me to a lesson! Thank you.

And sudden -- instead of And suddenly.

Is it possible to translate this as:

Après que CharlesVIII lui-même lui en fit son épouse. 

As the sentence was that he made her his wife ?

I find the difference between singular and plural to be very subtle in spoken French, even when spoken slowly and carefully as in the audio lessons.

des (¨day¨) vs de (¨duh¨) 

J'adore aussi l'odeur des châtaignes (plural)

J'adore aussi l'odeur de châtaigne (singular)

Any hints on how to pick up that difference when listening?