#Valette (ou Val)

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

normal plazaBOT
#
Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

flat silo
#

Could you give an example?

harsh valley
#

I'll give you a few.

It's a French book
It's my friend John
It's hot outside
It's very dark in the house

flat silo
#

C'est un livre français
C'est mon ami John
Il fait chaud dehors
Il fait très sombre dans la maison

#

"il" in these sentences is an "impersonal pronoun". Meaning that "il" does not refer to anything or anyone in particular. In English, "it" is used for this purpose.

Take for example, "it rains". It rains, sure, but what rains? You can't point to a thing or a person that does the action of raining. It just rains, such is the state of the weather. It's the same way in French, that's why it's "il pleut".

#

Let's look at a few more examples:
It is snowing = il neige
It is important that we go = il est important que nous y allions

#

I close with a quote from this article: "However, be aware that native speakers might not always stick to these rules. So, for example, you may hear them use c’est when, according to what we’ve seen here, il est seems more appropriate. The best thing to do is to keep your ears open and copy what native French speakers say – because when learning a foreign language, that is almost always your best guide."

So, it indeed can seem random, despite there being a fairly clear set of rules.

frail carbon
#

I’m not a native speaker, but it seems that ça can often just refer to the topic - whatever the new or focused information is in a conversation.