This grammar in French can be a problem for many learners because it is so common but so untranslatable. Even neighboring languages don’t have the exact same grammar distinction. How can you know if you should choose c’est or il est?
C’est is USUALLY dedicated to nouns
The rule of thumb that I use is that if you see a determiner (un, une, ce, cette, mon, leur, etc), you probably should use c’est.
C’est un homme. (determiner + noun)
= It’s a man.
Cet homme-là, c’est la première personne qui m’a appris cette grammaire. (determiner + noun + extra stuff)
= That man is the first person who taught me that grammar.
Il est is USUALLY dedicated to adjectives
Elle est très jolie. (adjective)
= She is very pretty.
Quand on lui parle, on sait qu’il est drôle. (adjective)
= When we talk to him, we know he is funny.
Il est can be used for nouns about someone’s profession, nationality, religion, etc. WITHOUT a determiner
Elle est traductrice.
= She is a translator.
Il était président depuis deux années.
= He has been a president for two years.
Because you must drop the determiner, it already looks like an adjective. However, these are still nouns. Notice how it appears like adjectives, which add to the meaning that il est is dedicated to descriptions.
C’est + profession, nationality, religion, etc. IS possible, but it is about identifying a person and not about describing them
Tu la vois? C’est une traductrice.
= You see her? That’s a translator.
A: Tu sais cette femme-là?
B: Ouais, c’est notre pharmacienne.
=
A: You know that woman?
B: Yeah, that’s our pharmacist.
You can make comments about general things using both c’est or il est, but c’est is about general comments, and il est is about a specific comment
Est-ce que tu as vu quelque chose dans les arbustes? C’est très bizarre.
= Did you see something in the bushes? This situation is very strange.
Est-ce que tu as vu quelque chose dans les arbustes? Il est très bizarre.
= Did you see something in the bushes? That moving thing is very strange.
Time expressions are fixed expressions without any obvious logic:
Il est 2 heures maintenant.
= It’s 2 o’clock.
Il est midi.
= It’s noon.
C’est mercredi aujourd’hui.
= Today is Wednesday.
In summary:
C’est is for:
- nouns (with determiners)
- general comments about the current situation
- some time expressions, like the name of the day, month, etc.
Il est is for:
- adjectives
- professions, nationalities, religions, intrinsic characteristics, etc.
- specific comment about a specific thing
- some time expressions, like the curent time, time of day, etc.
Hopefully, that clears up the differences between the two. It is a complex difference, and it may seem like French people break their own rules sometimes, but these general rules should guide you in most situations.
You can read more French explanations or explanations for other language differences on my blog. I make YouTube videos about language learning that could be useful if you are learning French.
Keep on learning French! Bonne chance!
