[Originally posted on 12/18/18 on the Duolingo French for English speakers forum by Sitesurf]
Refresher: C’est or Il Est?
You learned in U05: Gallicism that you must often use the impersonal pronoun ce when describing people and things with être followed by a modified noun. In general, use ce whenever être is followed by any determiner—for instance, an article or a possessive adjective. Remember that ce is invariable, so use c’est for singulars and ce sont for plurals.
- C’est ma soeur. — She’s my sister.
- Ce sont ses parents. — They’re his/her parents.
- C’est ce pauvre chien. — It’s this poor dog.
This rule applies everywhere, including in questions, inversions, and subordinate clauses.
- C’est un animal ? — That’s an animal?
- Est-ce votre petit-fils ? — Is he your grandson?
- Vous l’aimez parce que c’est votre fils. — You love him because he is your son.
The personal pronoun il should only be used with être when followed by an adjective and/or adverb.
- Il est fort. — He is strong.
- Est-elle vraiment forte ? — Is she really strong?
- Est-ce qu’il est content ? — Is he happy?
In the last example, note that est-ce still appears because est-ce que is a fixed impersonal phrase.
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