C’EST vs IL EST

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.

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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.

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Determiners: Forms of TOUT

Determiners:  Possessive adjectives

Determiners:  Definite, indefinite, and partitive articles

Determiners:  Demonstrative adjectives

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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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