“C’est” and “il/elle est” can be quite confusing sometimes for French learners. So here are some explanation:
Il/elle est, ils/elles sont
“Il/elle est” or “ils/elles sont” are often followed by an adjective, like for examples:
- Il/elle est intelligent.e. He/she is clever.
- Ils/elles sont amoureux.ses. They are in love.
“Il/elle est” or “ils/elles sont” can also be followed by a profession without an article, like:
- Il est médecin. He’s a doctor.
- Ils/elles sont agriculteurs.trices. They’re farmers.
We also use “Il est” to tell the time but sometimes we use “c’est” too such as:
- Il est huit heures. It’s 8am.
- Il est midi. It is noon.
- C’est midi. It is noon.
C’est, ce sont
“C’est” or “ce sont” are neutral and often followed by an article and a noun, for examples:
- C’est mon téléphone. That’s/it’s my phone.
- C’est une pomme. That’s/it’s an apple.
- Ce sont mes amis. They’re my friends.
“C’est” is also used with the masculine form of an adjective, like:
- C’est sympa. It’s nice.
- C’est beau. It’s beautiful.
Find my other post about French grammar here.
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