French Impersonal Expressions ~ Expressions impersonnelles
General information about French impersonal expressions and a list of the most common ones
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 either il or ce, whereas
the English impersonal subject is "it."
- All of the French impersonal expressions can begin with
il est or c'est
with no difference in meaning; however, c'est is less formal
than il est. Therefore, c'est
is more common in spoken French, while il est is more common in
written French.
(I often use c'est in my French blog, preferring to write the way I would speak to friends. Because native speakers sometimes correct me, I had thought that certain constructions with impersonal expressions required il est. In fact, it's simply that they feel one should always use il est in writing.)
There are different types of constructions with impersonal expressions. If the expression is followed by que, you need to decide between the indicative or subjunctive, depending on the meaning of the impersonal expression:
(a1) impersonal expression + que + subject + indicative or
(a2) impersonal expression + que + subject + subjunctive
In expressions with il est or c'est + adjective, the choice of preposition depends on what the subject is:
When the impersonal subject is a dummy subject, you need the preposition de:
(b1) il est / c'est + adjective + de + intransitive infinitive or
(b2) il est / c'est + adjective + de + transitive infinitive + direct object
When the impersonal subject is a real subject and the infinitive is used intransitively / as a passive infinitive, you must use the preposition à:
(c) il est / c'est + adjective + à + infinitive
Examples
| (a1) | Il est probable que David le fait - It's probable that
David is doing it. C'est probable que David le fait - It's probable that David is doing it. |
| (a2) | Il est possible que David le fasse - It's possible that
David is doing it. C'est possible que David le fasse - It's possible that David is doing it. |
| (b1) | Il est difficile de parler - It's hard to speak. (Speaking is
hard) C'est difficile de parler - It's hard to speak. (Speaking is hard) |
| (b2) | Il est important de dire la vérité - It's important to tell the
truth. C'est important de dire la vérité - It's important to tell the truth. |
| (c) | Il est bon à savoir - It / That is good to know. C'est bon à savoir - It / That is good to know. |
| Grammar Glossary
Infinitive |
Il est bizarre It's odd Il est bon It's good Il est certain It's certain Il est clair It's clear/obvious Il est convenable It's proper/fitting Il est difficile It's difficult Il est dommage It's too bad Il est douteux It's doubtful Il est essentiel It's essential Il est étonnant It's amazing Il est étrange It's strange Il est évident It's obvious Il est facile It's easy Il est faux It's false Il est heureux It's fortunate Il est honteux It's shameful Il est important It's important Il est impossible It's impossible Il est improbable It's improbable Il est indispensable It's essential Il est injuste It's unfair Il est inutile It's useless Il est juste It's right/fair Il est naturel It's natural Il est nécessaire It's necessary Il est normal It's normal Il est obligatoire It's necessary Il est peu probable It's not likely Il est possible It's possible Il est probable It's probable Il est rare It's rare Il est regrettable It's regrettable Il est sûr It's sure/certain Il est surprenant It's surprising Il est temps It's time Il est triste It's sad Il est urgent It's urgent Il est utile It's useful Il est vrai It's true
|
C'est vs Il est Subjunctive The Subjunctivator! |
The free, twice-weekly About French newsletter keeps you informed about changes to this site, including new lessons, articles, and forum discussions. Subscribe today!
|
