C'est vs Il est in French: How to Choose

Both c'est and il est / elle est can mean "it is", "he is" or "she is". The choice almost always depends on the word that comes next. Look at it, and you'll know which one to use.

The quick table

Next word	Use	Example
Article or determiner + noun	c'est	C'est un médecin. (He's a doctor.)
A name	c'est	C'est Marie. (It's Marie.)
A stressed pronoun	c'est	C'est moi. (It's me.)
Adjective about a specific person or thing	il / elle est	Elle est sympa. (She's nice.)
Bare job, nationality or religion	il / elle est	Il est médecin. (He's a doctor.)
The time	il est	Il est trois heures. (It's three o'clock.)
Adjective about an idea or situation	c'est	C'est difficile. (That's hard.)

Use c'est before a noun with a determiner

As soon as there's un, une, le, la, mon, ce and so on before the noun, use c'est:

• C'est un bon livre. (It's a good book.)
• C'est mon frère. (He's my brother.)
• C'est une actrice célèbre. (She's a famous actress.)

In the plural, c'est becomes ce sont: Ce sont mes amis. (They're my friends.) In casual speech you'll also hear c'est mes amis.

Use il est / elle est before a bare adjective

When you describe a specific person or thing that's already been mentioned, use il or elle to match its gender:

• Tu as vu mon nouveau vélo ? Il est rapide. (Have you seen my new bike? It's fast.)
• J'adore cette ville. Elle est magnifique. (I love this city. It's beautiful.)

Jobs and nationalities: two ways to say it

A job, nationality or religion on its own, with no article, works like an adjective, so it takes il est / elle est:

• Il est professeur. (He's a teacher.)
• Elle est canadienne. (She's Canadian.)

Add an article or an adjective, and it becomes a noun, so you switch to c'est:

• C'est un professeur. (He's a teacher.)
• C'est un excellent professeur. (He's an excellent teacher.)

Never mix the two: il est un professeur is a classic learner mistake.

C'est + adjective for ideas and situations

When "it" means a situation, an idea or something just said, rather than a specific noun, use c'est with a masculine adjective:

• Apprendre le russe ? C'est difficile, mais c'est passionnant. (Learning Russian? It's hard, but it's fascinating.)
• Merci beaucoup ! — C'est gentil. (Thanks a lot! That's kind.)

Compare: Cette robe ? Elle est belle. (This dress? It's beautiful: a specific dress) and Paris au printemps, c'est beau. (Paris in spring is beautiful: the whole idea).

Il est + adjective + de

At the start of a general statement, formal French uses il est + adjective + de + infinitive. Everyday speech uses c'est:

• Il est important de dormir. (formal)
• C'est important de dormir. (everyday)

Both mean "It's important to sleep."

Test yourself

Choose c'est or il / elle est, then check below.

1. ___ ma meilleure amie.
2. ___ quelle heure ? ___ midi.
3. Ton frère ? ___ très drôle.
4. ___ un bon restaurant.
5. Marc ? ___ ingénieur.
6. Voyager seul ? ___ génial !

Answers: 1. C'est (determiner + noun). 2. Il est, Il est (time). 3. Il est (adjective about a specific person). 4. C'est (article + noun). 5. Il est (bare job). 6. C'est (an idea).

Keep going

Our French subject pronouns lesson and French articles lesson cover the words on each side of this choice, each with a quiz. For the other everyday pair, see Tu vs Vous.

The pattern sinks in quickly once you start noticing it in what you read. Our Learn French app takes you from vocabulary and grammar through graded reading to full classics with a translation under every line. It's free to download, though some books and extra content need diamonds you earn while learning, or Premium.