Adjective

Je parle lentement parce que lesnouveauxtudiants sont la tableI am speaking slowly because thenewstudents are at the table

Adverd

Je parlelentementparce que les nouveaux tudiants sont la tableI am speakingslowlybecause the new students are at the table

Article

Je parle lentement parce quelesnouveaux tudiants sont latableI am speaking slowly becausethenew students are atthetable

Conjuction

Je parle lentementparce queles nouveaux tudiants sont la tableI am speaking slowlybecausethe new students are at the table

Noun

Je parle lentement parce que les nouveauxtudiantssont latableI am speaking slowly because the newstudentsare at thetable

Preposition

Je parle lentement parce que les nouveaux tudiants sontla tableI am speaking slowly because the new students areatthe table

Pronoun

Jeparle lentement parce que les nouveaux tudiants sont la tableIam speaking slowly because the new students are at the table

Verb

Jeparlelentement parce que les nouveaux tudiantssont la tableIam speakingslowly because the new studentsareat the table

PASSE COMPOSE

I. An action completed in the pastAs-tu tudi ce weekend?Did you study this weekend?Ils ont dj mang.

II. An action repeated a number of times in the pastOui, j'ai mang cinq fois hier.Yes, I did eat five times yesterday.Nous avons visit Paris plusieurs fois.We've visited Paris several times

III. A series of actions completed in the pastQuand je suis arriv, j'ai vu les fleurs.When I arrived, I saw the flowers.Samedi, il a vu sa mre, a parl au mdicin et a trouv un chat.Saturday he saw his mother, talked to the doctor, and found a cat.

Thepass composhas three possible English equivalents. For example,j'ai danscan mean

1. I danced (simple past)

2. I have danced (present perfect)

3. I did dance (past emphatic)

Thepass composis acompound conjugation, which means it has two parts:

1. present tenseof theauxiliary verb(eitheravoirortre)

2. past participleof the main verb

Note:Like all compound conjugations, thepass composmay be subject to grammaticalagreement:

When the auxiliary verb istre, the past participle must agree with the subject

When the auxiliary verb isavoir, the past participle may have to agree with its direct object

French pass compos conjugations

AIMER(auxiliary verb isavoir)

j'

ai aim

nous

avons aim

tu

as aim

vous

avez aim

il,elle

a aim

ils,elles

ont aim

DEVENIR(tre verb)

je

suis devenu(e)

nous

sommes devenu(e)s

tu

es devenu(e)

vous

tes devenu(e)(s)

il

est devenu

ils

sont devenus

elle

est devenue

elles

sont devenues

SE LAVER(pronominal verb)

je

me suis lav(e)

nous

nous sommes lav(e)s

tu

t'es lav(e)

vous

vous tes lav(e)(s)

il

s'est lav

ils

se sont lavs

elle

s'est lave

elles

se sont laves

French past participle usually ends in-,-i, or-u, while its English equivalent usually ends in -ed or -en. The past participle has three main uses in French:1.With anauxiliary verb, the past participle formscompound tensessuch as thepass compos:J'ai travaill hier.I worked yesterday.Il est arriv midi.He arrived at noon.2.Withtre, the past participle is used to conjugate the Frenchpassive voice.Le mnage est fait tous les jours.The housework is done every day.Ce film sera suivi d'une discussion.This movie will be followed by a discussion.3.Standing alone or withtre, the French past participle may be anadjective. Note that in some instances, theparticipe passmust be translated by the English present participle.Fatigu, je suis rentr minuit.Tired, I went home at midnight.Le garon du a pleur.The disappointed boy cried.

Le chien assis sur le canap est mignon.The dog sitting (seated) on the couch is cute.Je ne vois pas d'homme agenouill.I don't see a kneeling man.Ce livre est crit en espagnol.This book is written in Spanish.Sais-tu si le dbat est termin?Do you know if the debate is finished?Note:When used in the passive voice or as an adjective, the past participle needs to agree in gender and number with the word it modifies, following the normal rules ofadjective agreement. In the compound tenses, it may or may not need to agree, depending on certain factors -learn more.La voiture est lave par mon fils.The car is washed by my son.Les solutions proposes sont parfaites.The proposed solutions are perfect.Elles sont alles la banque.They went to the bank.O est Lise? Je l'ai vue ce matin.Where is Lise? I saw her this morning

Tout Adjective

Toutas an adjective has four forms (tout,toute,tous,toutes) and various meanings. It can be used to modify all of the following:Nouns tout geat any ageavoir toute libertto be completely free

en tout casin any casetout enfantevery childtoutes taxes compriseswith tax

Definite articlestous les enfantsall the childrentout le tempsall the timetous les joursevery daytous les deux joursevery other daytoute la journeall day (jour vs journe)tous les 36 du moisonce in a blue moonPossessive adjectivesprendre tout son tempsto take one's timetous mes amisall my friendstoute ma famillemy whole familytoutes nos affairesall of our thingsDemonstrative adjectivestous ces gensall these peopletoute cette tristesseall this sadnesstout ce tempsall this timetoutes ces idesall of these ideasPronunciationThe different forms of adjectives are pronounced as follows:tout- [tu]tous- [tu]toute- [tut]toutes- [tut]

Adverb

tout doucementvery quietlytout droitstraight aheadtout hautvery loudlytout loin d'icivery far from heretout prsvery near

AdjectivesNormally French adverbs are invariable, buttoutis a special case. It sometimes requires agreement, depending on the gender and first letter of the adjective it modifies.1)With all masculine adjectives, singular and plural,toutis invariable:Il est tout seul.He's all alone.Ils sont tout seuls.They are all alone.Nous sommes tout tonns.We are very surprised.2)With feminine adjectives, singular and plural, that begin withh muetor a vowel,toutis invariable:J'ai mang la tarte tout entire.I ate the whole pie.J'ai mang les tartes tout entires.I ate the whole pies.Elle est tout heureuse.She is very happy.Elles sont tout heureuses.They are very happy.C'est une tout autre histoire.That's a whole other story.3)*With feminine adjectives that begin withh aspiror consonant,toutneeds agreement: it must be feminine as well as singular or plural, depending on the number of the adjective:Elle est toute petite.She is very small.Elles sont toutes petites.They are very small.Elle est toute honteuse.She is very ashamed.Elles sont toutes honteuses.They are very ashamed.Les toutes premires annes.The very first years.Prepositions:anddetout coupall of a suddentout faitabsolutelytout l'heureshortly, right awaytout au contraireon the contrarytout de suiteimmediatelytout de mmeall the same, anywaytout d'un coupall at oncePronunciationThe different adverbs are pronounced as follows:tout- [tu]toute- [tut]toutes- [tut]

Noun

Le toutis a noun meaning "whole" or "all," and is invariable in terms of gender and number, though thedefinite articlelemay contract or be replaced as usual.Les lments forment un tout.The elements make a whole.le grand Toutthe Great Whole (the universe)mon toutmy whole(in the French gamecharades)

pas du toutnot at allrien du toutnothing at allLe tout, c'est de faire vite.The main thing is to be quick about it.PronunciationThe nountoutis pronounced [tu].

Pronoun

Toutcan be two different kinds of pronouns.Neuter pronounWhen it's a neuter pronoun,toutis invariable and means "all" or "everything":avant toutabove allmalgr toutin spite of everythingc'est toutthat's alltout va bieneverything is finetout est en rgleeverything is in orderTout ce qui brille n'est pas orAll that glitters isn't goldPlural pronounAs a plural pronoun, there are two forms,tousandtoutes, which mean "everyone" or "all" and usually have anantecedent.O sont mes amis? Tous sont ici. Ils sont tous ici.Where are my friends? Everyone is here. They're all here.Je ne vois pas les filles. Elles sont parties toutes ensemble.I don't see the girls. They all left together.PronunciationThe different pronouns are pronounced as follows:tout- [tu]tous- [tus]toutes- [tut]

AVOIR

Avoiris one of the most common French verbs. It is irregular in conjugation and literally means "to have." In addition, it is used in numerous idiomatic expressions and as an auxiliary verb.To HaveAvoirmeans "to have" in most senses, including having in one's possession and currently experiencing.J'ai deux stylosI have two pensJ'ai trois frresI have three brothersJ'ai mal la tteI have a headacheJ'ai une ideI have an ideaJ'ai t euI've been had (tricked)Note:Avoir can mean "to have to," but that expression is more commonly translated bydevoir.Expressions with AvoirAvoiris used in a number ofidiomatic expressions, many of which are translated by the English verb "to be":J'ai 30 ansI am 30 years oldJ'ai soifI am thirstyJ'ai froidI am coldIl y a...There is/are...Auxiliary VerbAvoiris the auxiliary for most French verbs in the compound tenses (exceptions):J'ai dj tudiI have already studied.J'aurai mang avant ton arriveI will have eaten before you arriveSi j'avais su, je t'aurais tlphonIf I had known, I would have called youConjugationsPresent tensej'aituasilanousavonsvousavezilsontavoir ___ ansto be ___ years oldavoir + infinitiveto have to do somethingavoir beau+ infinitivedespite doing, however much (one) doesavoir besoin deto needavoir chaudto be hotavoir confiance ento trustavoir de la chanceto be luckyavoir du charmeto have charmavoir du chien(informal)to be attractive, have a certain somethingavoir du pain sur la planche(informal)to have a lot to do, have a lot on one's plateavoir du pot(informal)to be luckyavoir envie deto wantavoir faimto be hungryavoir froidto be coldavoir honte deto be ashamed of/aboutavoir horreur deto detest/loatheavoir l'air (de)to look (like)avoir la friteto feel greatavoir la gueule de boisto have a hangover, to be hungoveravoir la patateto feel greatavoir le beurre et l'argent du beurreto have one's cake and eat it tooavoir le cafard(informal)to feel low/blue/down in the dumpsavoir l'esprit de l'escalierto be unable to think of witty comebacks in timeavoir le fou rireto have the gigglesavoir le mal de merto be seasickavoir les chevilles qui enflent(informal)to be full of oneselfavoir l'habitude deto be used to, in the habit ofavoir l'heureto have (know) the timeavoir lieuto take placeavoir l'intention deto intend/plan toavoir mal la tte, aux yeux, l'estomacto have a headache, eye ache, stomachacheavoir mal au curto be sick to one's stomachavoir peur deto be afraidavoir raisonto be rightavoir soifto be thirstyavoir sommeilto be sleepyavoir tortto be wrongavoir un chat dans la gorgeto have a frog in one's throatavoir un cheveu (sur la langue)(informal)to lispavoir un petit creux(informal)to be a little hungry/peckishavoir un poil dans la main(informal)to be lazyavoir un trou (de mmoire)to have a memory loss, to have one's mind go blankavoir une dent contre quelqu'un(informal)to hold a grudge against someoneavoir une faim de loup(informal)to be ravenous, famishedchacun a son gotto each his ownen avoir(familiar)to have gutsen avoir ras le bol(informal)to be fed upil y ail y a+ nounthere is, there are ___il y a+ period of time___ agon'avoir qu'+ infinitiveto just/only have to do somethingQuand les poules auront des dents!When pigs fly!Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras.A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.vendre la peau de l'ours (avant de l'avoir tu)to count one's chickens (before they're hatched

QUOTES

Quand le vin est tir, il faut le boire, mme s'il est bon.

Marcel PAGNOL,Csar

When the wine is poured, you have to drink it, even if it's good.

La vie sans plaisir est une mort hideuse...

Marc de PAPILLON DE LASPHRISE,Amours de Thophile, XI

Life without pleasure is a hideous death....

Le langage est le seuil du silence que je ne puis franchir. Il est l'preuve de l'infini.

Brice PARAIN,Recherches sur la nature et les fonctions du langage, conclusion

Language is the threshold of silence that I cannot step across. It is the test of infinity.

La bouche sourit mal quand les yeux sont en pleurs.

variste-Dsir de Forges, vicomte de PARNY,La Rechute

The mouth smiles poorly when the eyes are full of tears.

Dans une grande me tout est grand.

Blaise PASCAL,Discours sur les passions de l'amour

In a great mind everything is great.

Les rivires sont des chemins qui marchent, et qui portent o l'on veut aller.

Blaise PASCAL,Penses I, 17

Rivers are moving paths that take you where you want to go.

Mieux vaut la chasse en amour que la prise.

tienne PASQUIER,Jeux potiques

In love, the chase is better than the catch.

Je ne m'asservis pas aux livres, mais les livres moi.

tienne PASQUIER,Recherche de la France, XXII, 9

I'm not enslaved to books; rather, books to me.

En ce monde n'a du plaisirQui ne s'en donne.

Jean PASSERAT,Ode du premier jour de mai

In this world, he who gives no pleasureHas none.

La science n'a pas de patrie.

Louis PASTEUR,Discours du 14 novembre 1888 pour l'inauguration de l'Institut Pasteur

Science has no homeland.

Tout commence en mystique et finit en politique.

Charles PGUY,Notre jeunesse

Everything begins mystically and ends politically.

Je ne cherche pas, je trouve.

Pablo PICASSO,tude de femme

I don't seek, I find.

La posie est une salve contre l'habitude.

Henri PICHETTE,Apomes

Poetry is a cry out against habit.

La posie, comme l'art, est insparable de la merveille.

Andr PIEYRE DE MANDIARGUES,L'ge de craie, introduction

Poetry, like art, is inseparable from marvel.

tous nos successeurs ne laissons rien dire.

Alexis PIRON,La Mtromanie, acte III, scne 7

Let's not leave any of our successors anything to say.

Philosophes, potes et moralistes et la liste en serait bien longue , tous semblent parler d'une mme voix pour conclure que la femme est foncirement mauvause et porte au vice.

Christine de PISAN,Le Livre de la Cit des Dames

Philosophers, poets, and moralistesa long listall seem to speak with a single voice to conclude that woman is fundamentally bad and predisposed toward vice.

La libert est pour la Science ce que l'air est pour l'animal.

Henri POINCAR,Dernires penses, appendice III

Libery is to Knowledge what air is to animals.

La grande dcouverte du XVIIIe sicle, c'est [...] celle du phnomne de la mmoire.

Georges POULET,tudes sur le temps humain, introduction

The great discovery of the 18th century is ... that of the phenomenon of memory.

Ce qui vaut la peine d'tre fait vaut la peine d'tre bien fait.

Nicolas POUSSIN,Devise de Nicolas Poussin

That which is worth doing is worth doing well.

Tout est perdu sauf le bonheur.

Jacques PRVERT,Spectacle, Intermde

All but happiness is lost.

L'homme est principalement une puissance d'action, la femme, une puissance defascination.

Pierre Joseph PROUDHON,La Pornocratie ou les femmes dans les temps modernes, chap 2

Man is essentially the power ofaction, woman, the power offascination.

Le bonheur est dans l'amour un tat anormal.

Marcel PROUST, la recherche du temps perdu, l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleur

In love, happiness is an abnormal state.

Mort jamais? Qui peut le dire?

Marcel PROUST, la recherche du temps perdu, La prisionnire

Dead forever? Who can say?

Aimer

Aimeris one of the most common French verbs. It is a regular -ER verb, requiresavoirin the compound tenses, and can mean "to like" or "to love." There is a little bit of a trick to usingaimercorrectly with people and direct object pronouns which you will learn about in this lesson.UsingaimerAimermeans "to like" or "to love" when followed by anounorinfinitive.J'aime Paris- I love ParisIl aime les chats- He likes catsAimes-tu voyager?- Do you like to travel?I love youWhenaimeris followed by a person, it means "to love" or "to be in love with." You can useaimerto mean simply "love" with your family, but with other people, it means "in love," so if that's not what you mean, you will need to qualify it (see below).J'aime Luc (mon frre).I love Luc (my brother).Il aime Chantal.He's in love with Chantal.Je t'aime!I love you!How to say "I love you"I like youTo say that you "like" or "are fond of" someone, qualifyaimerwith an adverb, such asassez,bien, orbeaucoup. These adverbs makeaimerless strong, so that it can be used with friends rather than family and lovers.J'aime assez Paul.I kind of like Paul.J'aime bien Ana.I like Ana.J'aime beaucoup tienne.I really like tienne.Je t'aime bien.I like you.Aimerwith direct objectsThedirect object pronounsle,la, andlescan only be used withaimerwhen they refer to people. The meaning ofaimerwith a direct object pronoun is the same as explained above.Je l'aime!I love him/her!Je l'aime bien.I like him/her.When the direct object means "it" (because you are replacing a non-human noun or a verb), you cannot use a direct object pronoun; instead, you must use theindefinite demonstrative pronouna.Aimes-tu le tennis? Oui, j'aime a.Do you like tennis? Yes, I like it.Nous voyageons beaucoup, nous aimons a.We travel a lot, we like it.Je t'ai crit un pome - tu aimes a?I wrote you a poem - do you like it?Aimerin the conditionalIn theconditional,aimeris a polite way to make a request or state a desireJ'aimerais partir midi.I would like to leave at noon.Aimeriez-vous manger avec nous?Would you like to eat with us?S'aimerThepronominal verbs'aimercan be reflexive or reciprocal.1.Reflexive: to like oneselfJe m'aime en bleu.I like myself (how I look) in blue.Il ne s'aime pas.He doesn't like himself (has low self-esteem).2.Reciprocal: to be in love, to love one anotherNous nous aimons.We are in love.Penses-tu qu'ils s'aiment?Do you think they love one another?Expressions withaimeraimer la folie- to be madly in loveaimer autant- to be just as happy (with, that), to preferaimer mieux- to preferIl m'aime un peu, beaucoup, passionnment, la folie, pas du tout-He loves me, he loves me notQui aime bien chtie bien(proverb) - Spare the rod and spoil the childQui m'aime aime mon chien(proverb) - Love me, love my dogConjugationsPresent tensej'aimetuaimesilaimenousaimonsvousaimezilsaiment

aimer

Present

Future

Imperfect

Present participle

j'

aime

aimerai

aimais

aimant

tu

aimes

aimeras

aimais

il

aime

aimera

aimait

Pass compos

nous

aimons

aimerons

aimions

Auxiliary verb

avoir

vous

aimez

aimerez

aimiez

Past participle

aim

ils

aiment

aimeront

aimaient

Subjunctive

Conditional

Pass simple

Imperfect subjunctive

j'

aime

aimerais

aimai

aimasse

tu

aimes

aimerais

aimas

aimasses

il

aime

aimerait

aima

aimt

nous

aimions

aimerions

aimmes

aimassions

vous

aimiez

aimeriez

aimtes

aimassiez

ils

aiment

aimeraient

aimrent

aimassent

Imperative

(tu)

aime

Verb conjugation patternAimeris aregular -ER verbUsing aimer

(nous)

aimons

(vous)

aimez

Comparative and superlative

1. Superiority:plus... (deorque)more... than, _____er thanLaure est plus sportive (qu'Anne).Laure is more athletic (than Anne).2. Inferiority:moins... (deorque)less.... thanRouen est moins cher (que Paris).Rouen is less expensive (than Paris).3. Equality:a.aussi.... (deorque)as... asTu es aussi sympathique que Chantal.You're as nice as Chantal.b.autant (deorque)as much/many asJe travaille autant qu'elle.I work as much as she does.For detailed information about how to use comparatives, including whether to usedeorqueand the difference betweenaussiandautant, please see mylesson on French comparatives.Introduction to French SuperlativesSuperlatives express ultimate superiority or inferiority, claiming that one thing is the most or least of all. There are two types of French superlatives:1. Superiority:le plusthe most, the _____estC'est le livre le plus intressant du monde.It's the most interesting book in the world.2. Inferiority:le moinsthe leastNous avons achet la voiture la moins chre.We bought the least expensive car.For detailed information about superlatives, including word order and the use of articles, please see mylesson on French superlatives.

You usually express the superior comparative "___er" withplusand the superlative "___est" withle plus, but there are a few French words with special comparative and superlative forms.Bonin comparatives and superlativesJust like its English equivalent "good," the French adjectivebonis irregular in the comparative and superlative. You can't say "gooder" or "more good" in English, and you can't say"plus bon"in French. The French comparative form ofbonismeilleur(better):meilleur(masculine singular)meilleure(feminine singular)meilleurs(masculine plural)meilleures(feminine plural)Mes ides sont meilleures que tes ides.My ideas are better than your ideas.The same rule applies to the superlative. Just as you can't say "the goodest" in English, you can't say"le plus bon"in French - the French superlative forbonisle meilleur(the best):le meilleur(masculine singular)la meilleure(feminine singular)les meilleurs(masculine plural)les meilleures(feminine plural)Son ide est la meilleure.His idea is the best.Note:Bonis only irregular in the superior comparative and superlative. In the inferior, it follows the normal rules:Leurs ides sont moins bonnes.Their ideas are less good / aren't as good.Bienin comparatives and superlativesThe French adverbbien(well) also has special comparative and superlative forms. The comparative ismieux(better):Elle explique mieux ses ides.She explains her ideas better.In the superlative,bienbecomesle mieux(the best):Il comprend nos ides le mieux.He understands our ideas the best. (He's the best at understanding our ideas.)Bienis only irregular in the superior comparative and superlative. In the inferior, it follows the normal rules:Tu expliques moins bien tes ides.You don't explain your ideas as well.Note:meilleurandmieuxare both equivalent to "better" in English, andle meilleurandle mieuxboth mean "the best." I have a lesson that can help you decide between them:meilleur vs mieux.Mauvaisin comparatives and superlativesThe French adjectivemauvais(bad) has both regular and irregular forms for the comparative:plus mauvais(masculine)plus mauvaise(feminine singular)plus mauvaises(feminine plural)orpire(singular)pires(plural)Leurs ides sont pires / plus mauvaises.Their ideas are worse.And the superlativele plus mauvais(masculine singular)la plus mauvaise(feminine singular)les plus mauvais(masculine plural)les plus mauvaises(feminine plural)orle pire(masculine singular)la pire(feminine singular)les pires(plural)Nos ides sont les pires / les plus mauvaises.Our ideas are the worst.

The French expressionsc'estandil estare extremely important impersonal expressions. They can mean things likethis is,that is,it is,they are, and evenhe/she is.

Paris? C'est magnifique !

Paris? It's magnificent!

Il est facile d'apprendre le franais.

It's easy to learn French.

C'est une fille sympa, Lise.

Lise? She's a nice girl.

O est Paul? Il est en retard.

Where's Paul? He's late.

C'estandil estare the root forms, used for impersonal expressions and general comments: It's interesting, It's nice, It's fortunate, It's too bad, etc.

When talking about specific people, things, or ideas,c'estandil estmay change.

C'estbecomesce sontwhen followed by a plural noun. In spoken French, though,c'estis often used anyway.

Il estbecomeselle est,ils sont, orelles sont, as appropriate depending on the gender and number of the noun that it is replacing or modifying.

Ce sont des Franais? Non, des Italiens.

Are they French? No, Italian.

Voici Alice - elle est professeur.

This is Alice - she's a teacher.

Despite their similar meanings, the expressionsc'estandil estare not interchangeable - there are rules for using each one. The following table summarizes the different things that can be used after each of them. Click the links in the red box below for detailed information about each of these uses ofc'estandil est.

IL EST

C'EST

Adjectivedescribing a personIl est fort, cet homme.(That man is strong.)Elle est intelligente.(She is smart.)

vs

Adjectivedescribing a situationJ'entends sa voix, c'est bizarre.(I hear his voice, it's weird.)C'est normal !(That's normal!)

UnmodifiedadverbIl est tard.(It's late.)Elles sont ici.(They are here)

vs

ModifiedadverbC'est trop tard.(It's too late.)C'est trs loin d'ici.(It's very far from here.)

UnmodifiednounIl est avocat.(He's a lawyer.)Elle est actrice.(She's an actress.)

vs

ModifiednounC'est un avocat.(He's a lawyer.)C'est une bonne actrice.(She's a good actress.)

Prepositional phrase (people)Il est la banque.(He's at the bank.)Elle est en France.(She's in France.)

Proper nameC'est Luc.(That's Luc.)

Stressed pronounC'est moi.(That's me.)

Despite their similar meanings, the expressionsc'estandil estare not interchangeable - there are rules for using each one.

Note:When followed by a plural noun,c'estis supposed to becomece sont, but in spoken Frenchc'estis often used.

C'estis used with

I.

Modified nouns(article and/or adjective + noun)

Tu vois cet homme-l? C'est mon pre.

You see that man? That's my father.

C'est la vie !

That's life!

C'est une trs bonne ide.

It's a very good idea.

C'est une vraie histoire.

It's a true story.

II.

Adjectivesthat describe the general situation or something already mentioned or implied in the conversation

- Tu as vu ce film?- Oui, c'est incroyable !

- Have you seen this movie?- Yes, it's incredible!

C'est compltement fou !

That's utterly insane!

III.

Impersonal expressions-In impersonal expressions,c'estis less formal thanil est.

C'est important faire.

It's important to do.

C'est difficile comprendre.

It's hard to understand.

IV.

Names

Qui est-ce? C'est Luc.

Who is it/that? It's Luc.

C'est Pierre qui a menti.

Pierre is the one who lied.

V.

Stressed pronouns(accent tonique) - note that the verb conjugates to the pronoun, notc'est(learn more)

C'est moi qui t'ai dit la verit.

I'm the one who told you the truth.

C'est nous qui avons dcid.

We're the ones who decided.

VI.

Modified adverbs

C'est trop tard.

It's too late.

C'est par ici.

It's over here.

C'est trs loin.

It's very far.

Despite their similar meanings, the expressionsc'estandil estare not interchangeable - there are rules for using each one.

Note:Il estbecomeselle est,ils sont, orelles sont, as appropriate depending on the gender and number of the noun that it is replacing or modifying.

Il estcan be followed by a(n)

I.

Unmodified*nounof profession, religion, or nationality (*no article, adjective, or other modifier)

Voici mon frre - il est mdecin.

This is my brother - he's a doctor.

Il est catholique.

He's a Catholic.

II.

Adjective, usually referring to a person

Tu as parl au prof? Est-il intelligent?

You talked to the teacher? Is he smart?

Cette fille, elle est trs gentille.

This girl (she) is very kind.

III.

Impersonal expressions- In impersonal expression,il estis more formal thanc'est.

Il est bon de partir.

It's good to leave.

Il est facile de jouer au tennis.

It's easy to play tennis (playing tennis is easy).

IV.

Prepositional phrase

O est Luc? Il est la banque.

Where is Luc? He's at the bank.

Nos voisins, ils sont d'Irelande.

Our neighbors (they) are from Ireland.

V.

Adverb

Quelle heure est-il? Il est tard.

What time is it? It's late.

O est Jean? Il est ici.

Where is Jean? He's here.

Impersonal expressions

Impersonal expressions are those which do not have a specific subject. In grammatical terms, "impersonal" does not mean cold, but rather invariable by grammatical person. There are a few things you need to know about French impersonal expressions:

The French impersonal subject is eitherilorce, whereas the English impersonal subject is "it."

All of theFrench impersonal expressionscan begin withil estorc'estwith no difference in meaning; however,c'estis less formal thanil est. Therefore,c'estis more common in spoken French, whileil estis more common in written French. (Note: this applies toilestandc'estonlyin impersonal expressions; in other constructions, there is a difference:c'est vs il est)

There are essentially two different types of constructions with impersonal expressions - either they are followed byqueand asubordinate clause, or they are followed by a preposition and infinitive.1.Withque- When usingil estorc'est+ adjective followed byque, the verb in the subordinate clause may need to be in the indicative orsubjunctive, depending on the meaning of the impersonal expression:Il est probable que David le fait/C'est probable que David le fait.It's probable that David is doing it.Il est possible que David le fasse/C'est possible que David le fasse.It's possible that David is doing it.2.Withoutque- In expressions withil estorc'est+ adjective followed by a preposition and infinitive, the choice of preposition depends on the type of subject:a)When the impersonal subject is adummy subject, you need the prepositionde, and there are two possible constructions:impersonal expression +de+intransitiveinfinitiveIl est difficile de parler/C'est difficile de parler.It's hard to speak. (Speaking is hard)orimpersonal expression +de+transitiveinfinitive + direct objectIl est important de dire la vrit/C'est important de dire la vrit.It's important to tell the truth.b)When the impersonal subject is areal subjectand the infinitive is used intransitively as apassive infinitive, you must use the preposition:Il est bon savoir/C'est bon savoir.That's good to know.Il est difficile faire/C'est difficile faire.That's hard to do.There are dozens of French impersonal expressions; to learn how to use them, go back to page 1.Many impersonal expressions require the subjunctive. To find out which ones, checkThe Subjunctivator!Il est bizarre / C'est bizarreIt's oddIl est bon / C'est bonIt's goodIl est certain / C'est certainIt's certainIl est clair / C'est clairIt's clear/obviousIl est convenable / C'est convenableIt's proper/fittingIl est difficile / C'est difficileIt's difficultIl est dommage / C'est dommageIt's too badIl est douteux / C'est douteuxIt's doubtfulIl est essentiel / C'est essentielIt's essentialIl est tonnant / C'est tonnantIt's amazingIl est trange / C'est trangeIt's strangeIl est vident / C'est videntIt's obviousIl est facile / C'est facileIt's easyIl est faux / C'est fauxIt's falseIl est heureux / C'est heureuxIt's fortunateIl est honteux / C'est honteuxIt's shamefulIl est important / C'est importantIt's importantIl est impossible / C'est impossibleIt's impossibleIl est improbable / C'est improbableIt's improbableIl est indispensable/ C'est indispensableIt's essentialIl est injuste / C'est injusteIt's unfairIl est inutile / C'est inutileIt's uselessIl est juste / C'est justeIt's right/fairIl est naturel / C'est naturelIt's naturalIl est ncessaire / C'est ncessaireIt's necessaryIl est normal / C'est normalIt's normalIl est obligatoire / C'est obligatoireIt's necessaryIl est peu probable / C'est peu probableIt's not likelyIl est possible / C'est possibleIt's possibleIl est probable / C'est probableIt's probableIl est rare / C'est rareIt's rareIl est regrettable / C'est regrettableIt's regrettableIl est sr / C'est srIt's sure/certainIl est surprenant / C'est surprenantIt's surprisingIl est temps / C'est tempsIt's timeIl est triste / C'est tristeIt's sadIl est urgent / C'est urgentIt's urgentIl est utile / C'est utileIt's usefulIl est vrai / C'est vraiIt's true

Descriptive AdjectivesThe following descriptive adjectives have a special form that is used only in front of a masculine noun that begins with a vowel or mute H.

beau>belun beau garon > un bel hommefou>folun fou rire > un fol espoirmou>molun mou refus > un mol abandonnouveau>nouvelun nouveau livre > un nouvel articlevieux>vieilun vieux btiment > un vieil immeuble

Demonstrative AdjectivesWhen the demonstrative adjective is used with a masculine noun that begins with a vowel or mute H, it changes fromcetocet:

ce garon > cet homme

Possessive AdjectivesWhen a singular possessive adjective is used with a feminine noun that begins with a vowel or mute H, it changes from the feminine form (ma,ta,sa) to the masculine form (mon,ton,son):

ma mre > mon amieta femme > ton amantesa profession > son ducation

NoteThe special adjective forms are used only when followed immediately by a word that begins with a vowel or mute H. If a word which begins with a consonant is placed between the changeable adjective and the noun, the special form is not used.Compare:

cet hommevsce grand homme

mon amievsma meilleure amie

When there's an adjective, the special form is not used because the word that immediately follows the changeable adjective begins with a consonant.