LFC: C'est vs il est
C'est vs il est
By now you should understand the subject pronouns and how they are used.
However, there is one more thing we have not yet addressed: the pronoun IT.
In French, this is a bit different than in English, but once you know the rule, it is easy to remember and apply.
Unlike in English, il and elle can also mean it.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | je = I | nous = we |
| 2nd Person | tu = you |
vous = you (singular formal) vous = you plural |
| 3rd Person |
il = he elle = she on = one, people in general on = shorter way to refer to 'we' |
ils = they (m, pl) elles = they (f, pl) |
View the full text from the image above.
Three examples with illustrations explaining pronoun usage in French
Example 1: Je n'aime pas le cours parce qu'il est difficile Il = le cours
Example 2: J'adore la tarte! Elle est délicieuse! Elle = la tarte
Example 3: J'ai une sœur. Elle est amusante. Elle = she
C'est and Ce sont
- c'est = (singular)
- ce sont = (plural)
Review the chart to the right. Do you see how c'est can mean he and she, but also it? Meanwhile, ce sont is used for the plural (they), but can refer to either humans or things.
But how can you know when to use il est and when to use c'est?
View the full text from the image above.
Voici Jean-Pierre. C’est un ami. (Image of teenage boy)
Voici Magali et Sophie. Ce sont mes sœurs. (Image of two girls building a sandcastle)
Voici Max. C’est mon chien. Voilà un livre. (Image of dog)
C’est un livre très intéressant. (Image of book)
Look at the following chart and try to identify a rule.
|
c'est vs il est |
|
|---|---|
|
C'est |
Il est |
|
C'est un ami. He is a friend. |
Il est marrant. He is funny. |
|
C'est une amie. She is a friend. |
Elle est intelligente. She is smart. |
|
Ce sont des frères. They are brothers. |
Ils sont canadiens. They are Canadian. |
|
Ce sont les gâteaux. They are cakes. |
Ils sont délicieux ! They are delicious! |
Think for a moment: what type of word followed c'est or ce sont? What type of word followed il est or ils sont?