C’EST and CE SONT are followed by determined nouns
Using the French expressions c’est and il est can be problematic because they mean the same thing, but they are not interchangeable. Which one to use completely depends on grammar, and not on meaning. You’re going to be surprised at how easy it is to learn a few rules, and then you can master this tricky grammar topic.
Look for “determiners” like: un, une, de la, du, des, mon, ma, mes, ce, cette, etc.
| Le chien | The dog | C’est le chien de ma soeur. | It’s my sister’s dog. |
| Une Française | A French woman | C’est une Française qui chante cette chanson. | It’s a French woman who sings this song. |
| Mes affaires | My belongings | Ce sont mes affaires que tu vois sur la table. | It’s my belongings that you see on the table. |
C’EST and CE SONT are followed by a proper noun or a disjunctive pronoun.
| Jennifer | C’est Jennifer. C’est elle. | It’s Jennifer. It’s her. |
| François | C’est François. C’est lui. | It’s François. It’s him. |
| Tristan et Charlotte | Ce sont Tristan et Charlotte. Ce sont eux. | It’s Tristan and Charlotte. It’s them. |
DISJUNCTIVE PRONOUNS
| JE | C’est MOI – It’s me |
| TE | C’est TOI – It’s you |
| IL | C’est LUI – It’s him |
| ELLE | C’est ELLE – It’s her |
| NOUS | C’est NOUS – It’s us |
| VOUS | C’est VOUS – It’s you |
| ILS | Ce sont EUX – It’s them |
| ELLES | Ce sont ELLES – It’s them |
C’EST and CE SONT are followed by dates
| Mon anniversaire? | My birthday? | C’est le 23 mars. | It’s March 23. |
| La fête? | The party? | C’est le week-end prochain. | It’s next weekend. |
C’EST and CE SONT are followed by adjectives for non-specific things, and the adjective will always be masculine and singular.
Comments in general, personal opinions, collective opinions
Descriptions of people and things in general
| Beau | beautiful | C’est beau! | It’s beautiful! |
| Chaud | hot | C’est chaud! | It’s hot. *Note that this is not in reference to the weather which would be Il fait chaud. |
IL / ELLE EST and ILS / ELLES SONT are followed by an adjective when you refer to a specific person or thing.
| sympa | nice | Elle est sympa. | She is nice. |
| triste | sad | Il est triste. | He is sad. |
| marrant | fun / funny | Ils sont marrants. | They are fun / funny. |
| Français | French | Il est Français. | He is French |
IL / ELLE EST and ILS / ELLES SONT are followed by professions
*Note that in French you don’t need UN or UNE before a profession in French.
| professeur | teacher | Elle est professeur. | She is a teacher. |
| médecin | doctor | Il est médecin. | He is a doctor. |
| musicien | musician | Ils sont musiciens. | They are musicians. |
Determiners: Possessive adjectives
Determiners: Definite, indefinite, and partitive articles
Determiners: Demonstrative adjectives
Here’s what’s included in the full course:
⭐Video tutorial – 5 minutes
⭐Video support guide – PDF
⭐Practice exercise – 27 sentences – multiple choice
⭐Challenge exercise – 50 sentences – multiple choice
⭐Challenge cards for printing – the same sentences as in the exercise
⭐Challenge cards for online use – one per page – the same as in the exercise
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