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Course / Leçon 11 of 40

Ce, c'est and il est

After this lesson you can point at things with ce, cet, cette, ces, choose correctly between c'est and il est, and introduce yourself at work: job, company, sector and responsibilities.

52 core words · 15 bonus cognates · 15 phrases

Pronunciation

The letters s and c: when [s], when [z], when [k]

The letter s

Position Sound Examples
at the start of a word /s/ six /sis/, salle /sal/, sœur /sœʁ/
between two vowels /z/ maison /mɛ.zɔ̃/, rose /ʁoz/, désolé /de.zɔ.le/, analyser /a.na.li.ze/
double ss /s/ passer /pa.se/, classe /klas/, intéressant /ɛ̃.te.ʁɛ.sɑ̃/
after a consonant /s/ penser /pɑ̃.se/, conversation /kɔ̃.vɛʁ.sa.sjɔ̃/
at the end silent trois /tʁwa/, plusieurs /ply.zjœʁ/

Good news for Germans: s between vowels is voiced exactly like in German Rose or lesen. The difference: at the start of a word French s is always voiceless /s/, like English sun, never like German Sonne /z/. So six is /sis/, not /zis/.

This is why the double ss matters. It changes meaning:

  • le poison /pwa.zɔ̃/ (poison) vs le poisson /pwa.sɔ̃/ (fish)
  • le désert /de.zɛʁ/ (desert) vs le dessert /de.sɛʁ/ (dessert)
  • nous visons /vi.zɔ̃/ vs nous vissons /vi.sɔ̃/

The letter c

Spelling Sound Examples
c + a, o, u or consonant /k/ café /ka.fe/, comment /kɔ.mɑ̃/, couleur /ku.lœʁ/, classe /klas/
c + e, i, y /s/ ce /sə/, cette /sɛt/, ici /i.si/, merci /mɛʁ.si/, célébrité /se.le.bʁi.te/
ç + a, o, u /s/ ça /sa/, français /fʁɑ̃.sɛ/, garçon /gaʁ.sɔ̃/, reçu /ʁə.sy/
cc + e, i /ks/ accepter /ak.sɛp.te/, accident /ak.si.dɑ̃/

The cédille (ç) exists for one reason: to keep the /s/ sound before a, o, u. Compare commencer /kɔ.mɑ̃.se/ and nous commençons /kɔ.mɑ̃.sɔ̃/: without the cedilla it would read /kɔ̃/.

The same rule works for g: before e, i it is soft /ʒ/ (manger), before a, o, u hard /g/ (garçon), so nous mangeons keeps an e.

Practise

  • Ce garçon français est désolé. /sə gaʁ.sɔ̃ fʁɑ̃.sɛ ɛ de.zɔ.le/
  • Cette maison a six salles. /sɛt mɛ.zɔ̃ a si sal/

Tip: liaison s is always /z/: les amis /le.za.mi/, ces hôtels /se.zo.tɛl/, six ans /si.zɑ̃/.

Grammar

Ce, cet, cette, ces and c'est vs il est

1. Demonstratives: this / that

French has one set of words for both this and that (German dieser / der da):

Form Example
masc. sing. ce ce rapport (this / that report)
masc. before vowel or silent h cet cet hôtel, cet arbre, cet homme
fem. sing. cette cette dame, cette image
plural (both genders) ces ces fleurs, ces touristes

cet and cette sound the same: /sɛt/. cet exists for the same reason as bel, nouvel, vieil: no vowel clash.

In time expressions, ce means this (current): ce matin (this morning), ce soir (tonight), cette semaine (this week), cet après-midi (this afternoon), cette année (this year).

-ci and -là: making the distinction

If you need to contrast this one here with that one there, add -ci (near) or -là (far) to the noun:

  • Je préfère ce bureau-ci. I prefer this office (here).
  • Cette couleur-là est plus jolie. That colour (there) is prettier.

In everyday speech -là is used much more often, even for things that are close: ce jour-là (that day), à ce moment-là (at that moment).

2. C'est or il / elle est?

Both translate as he is, she is, it is, this is. The choice depends on what follows.

C'est + determiner + noun

When a noun with an article or possessive follows, use c'est:

  • C'est mon patron. That's / He's my boss.
  • C'est une bonne idée. It's a good idea.
  • C'est un ingénieur allemand. He's a German engineer.
  • Ce sont mes collègues. These are my colleagues. (plural; in speech often c'est mes collègues)

Also with names and stressed pronouns: C'est Marc. C'est moi. C'est lui.

Il / elle est + adjective

To describe a specific person or thing already mentioned, use il est / elle est + adjective:

  • Marc ? Il est très gentil. Marc? He's very nice.
  • La réunion ? Elle est difficile. The meeting? It's difficult.
  • Ce livre ? Il est drôle. This book? It's funny.

Professions, nationalities, religions: no article

Like German (Er ist Ingenieur) and unlike English (He's an engineer), French drops the article after il est:

  • Il est ingénieur. He's an engineer.
  • Elle est dentiste. She's a dentist.
  • Il est allemand. He's German. (adjective, lowercase)

As soon as there is an article or an adjective, switch to c'est:

  • C'est un dentiste. / C'est un bon dentiste.
  • C'est un Allemand. (noun, capital letter)

C'est + masculine adjective: general comment

To comment on a situation, an idea or a whole topic, use c'est + adjective, always masculine singular:

  • Paris ? C'est beau ! (Paris in general)
  • Le français, c'est difficile. French is hard.
  • C'est impossible. That's impossible.

Compare: La ville est belle. (this particular city, feminine) vs La ville, c'est beau. (city life in general).

Quick test: article, possessive, name or pronoun after it → c'est. Bare adjective or job about a specific person → il / elle est. General comment → c'est + masc. adjective.

3. Formal writing: il est + adjective + de

In news and business texts you will read Il est difficile de prévoir… (It is difficult to predict…). In speech people say C'est difficile de…. Same meaning, different register.

Cognate pattern

-iste / -isme = -ist / -ism / -ismus

The rule

French -iste = English -ist = German -ist; French -isme = English -ism = German -ismus. The -iste words are both nouns and adjectives, and the form is the same for men and women: un touriste, une touriste; il est optimiste, elle est optimiste. All -isme words are masculine: le tourisme.

French English German
le / la touriste tourist Tourist(in)
le tourisme tourism Tourismus
le / la journaliste journalist Journalist(in)
le journalisme journalism Journalismus
le / la spécialiste specialist Spezialist(in)
le / la dentiste dentist Zahnarzt, Zahnärztin
réaliste realistic, realist realistisch
le réalisme realism Realismus
optimiste optimistic optimistisch
l'optimisme optimism Optimismus
pessimiste pessimistic pessimistisch
le / la terroriste terrorist Terrorist(in)
le terrorisme terrorism Terrorismus
le capitalisme capitalism Kapitalismus
le / la socialiste socialist Sozialist(in)
l'artiste (m./f.) artist, performer Künstler(in)
le / la pianiste pianist Pianist(in)
le racisme racism Rassismus
le féminisme feminism Feminismus
l'égoïsme selfishness Egoismus
  • Elle est journaliste au Monde. She's a journalist at Le Monde.
  • Le tourisme est important pour l'économie. Tourism is important for the economy.

Traps

  • Note the article: l'artiste, l'optimisme (élision before vowels).
  • réaliste, optimiste are adjectives, where English uses -ic: un plan réaliste = a realistic plan.
  • Some -iste jobs have no -ist in English or German: le fleuriste (florist, Blumenhändler), le garagiste (car mechanic), le cycliste (cyclist, Radfahrer).
  • Pronunciation: -isme is /ism/ with a voiceless /s/, not /izm/ as in English: le tourisme /tu.ʁism/.