Dummy Subject - Le sujet apparent - French Grammar + Pronunciation Glossary

Definition:

Subject pronouns usually replace a noun, as in "I bought a car. It's green." In the second sentence, "it" is replacing "car" from the first sentence, which makes "it" a real subject.

In contrast, the "it" in a sentence like "it's raining" is not referring to or replacing a person, place, or thing. Both English and French need subjects for their verbs, but sometimes, as with impersonal verbs and expressions, there isn't a real subject. Therefore, dummy pronouns ("it" in English and il in French) provide a subject for those verbs:

   It's raining. / Il pleut.

   It's hot out. / Il fait chaud.

   It's important to study. / Il est important d'étudier.

Grammar + Pronunciation Glossary Index

Pronunciation: [dum ee sub jekt] - [su zhay ah pah ra(n)]

Also Known As: (French translation) un sujet apparent