Lesson 7 - Grammar 3 - Subject Pronoun ce
Ce : subject pronoun occurs only as a third person subject of the verb être and can be translated by ‘it’, 'he', 'she’ , 'they', 'that'.
Ce is used instead of 'il, elle, etc.' if the verb 'être' is followed by either:
1. A noun marker (le, mon, etc.):
Examples: |
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C'est le numéro 19. |
C'est un très bon restaurant. |
C'est ma femme. |
(Notice the plural form 'ce sont' (See practice drills), the interrogative form in the singular 'est-ce', in the plural 'est-ce que ce sont')
2. A pronoun:
Example: |
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C'est ça. |
C'est tout ce qui reste. |
3. A clause:
Example: |
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C’est exactement ce qu'il me faut. |
In the three cases below, 'il' or 'elle' is the subject if the referent (the word to which it refers) has gender and number, i.e., il or elle replaces a subject. Otherwise the subject is ce.
These cases are:
1. Before an adjective:
French / Français | English / Anglais |
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Elle n'est pas mauvaise. | It’s not bad or she is not bad. |
Il n'est pas mauvais. | It’s not bad or he is not bad. |
Ce n'est pas mauvais. | It’s not bad or that’s not bad. |
In the first utterance, the speaker is signaling that what he is talking about is feminine and singular and in the second, masculine and singular. He is referring to a noun previously mentioned or pointed out. In the third sample, he is not giving that information.
Similarly,
2. Before an adverb:
French / Français | English / Anglais |
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Il est ici. | It's here or He's here. |
C'est ici. | It's here. |
3. Before a prepositional phrase:
French / Français | English / Anglais |
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Il est à Lyon. | It’s in Lyon or he is in Lyon. |
C'est à Lyon. | It’s in Lyon. |
Ce n'est pas mauvais. | It’s not bad or that’s not bad. |
Compare these two frames, both of which refer to a person's nationality, profession, religion, etc. :
French / Français | English / Anglais |
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C'est un Français. / Il est français. | He’s French. |
C'est une Française. / Elle est française. | She's French. |
Note: In some cases, only 'ce' can be used. The use of 'c'est' versus 'il est' will be discussed in another lesson.