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Il/Elle Est by Bruce Sallee and David Hebert

In English, we often use the phrase “it is” to describe things. In French, this can be done using either il/elle est or c'est. Both il/elle est and c'est mean the same thing — “he is,” “she is,” or “it is,” depending on the construction of the sentence. Il/elle est and c'est are used in different situations.

Il/elle est is the correct choice in the following circumstances. Il est is used when the subject of the sentence is male, either a male person or a male noun. Similarly, elle est is used for a female subject.

Using a Single Adjective

When using a single adjective that refers to a specific person or a specific thing, il/elle est is the proper construction. The adjective will agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.

<tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>J'aime ce café. Il est très agréable</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>I love this café. It is very nice.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>La fille s'appelle Sophie</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>The girl's name is Sophie.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>J'ai lu ce livre. Il est intéressant</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>I read this book. It is interesting.</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Referring to a Profession</h2> <p>When simply stating that a person is of a certain profession, the phrase <emphasis>il est</emphasis> or <emphasis>elle est</emphasis> is used, and the noun appears with no article. (Note that in English, we use an indefinite article with the noun.)</p> <table frame="none" width="100%"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Elle est médecin</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>She is a doctor.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Il est pharmacien</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>He is a pharmacist.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Il est policier</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>He is a police officer.</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Referring to Nationalities</h2> <p>When stating that a person is of a certain nationality, <emphasis>il est</emphasis> or <emphasis>elle est</emphasis> is used with the adjective, without any article. When a nationality is used in this fashion, it is not capitalized, because the word acts as an adjective. Only when a nationality is used as a noun is it capitalized.</p> <table frame="none" width="100%"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Elle est française</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>She is French.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Il est anglais</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>He is English.</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Referring to Religious Beliefs</h2> <p>When you wish to state that a person is of a certain religious belief or denomination, <emphasis>il est</emphasis> or <emphasis>elle est</emphasis> is used with an adjective, which also appears without an article, like the previous constructions. English normally capitalizes these words, but French does not.</p> <table frame="none" width="100%"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Elle est catholique</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>She is Catholic</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Il est protestant</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>He is Protestant.</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/french/developing-a-basic-vocabulary/gender-and-number.htm" title="Gender and Number">Gender and Number</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/french/developing-a-basic-vocabulary/cest.htm" title="C'est">C'est</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a 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Words to Memorize</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/french/developing-a-basic-vocabulary/the-french-definite-and-indefinite-articles.htm">The French Definite and Indefinite Articles</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/french/developing-a-basic-vocabulary/gender-and-number.htm">Gender and Number</a></li> <li class="btO">Il/Elle Est</li> </ul><ul class="col2"><li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/french/developing-a-basic-vocabulary/cest.htm">C'est</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/french/developing-a-basic-vocabulary/il-y-a.htm">Il Y A</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/french/developing-a-basic-vocabulary/voil.htm">Voilà</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/french/developing-a-basic-vocabulary/activit-3.htm">Activité 3</a></li> </ul></ul></div> </div> <script>if(zSbL<1)zSbL=3;zSB(2);zSbL=0</script> </div> <div id="widgets"><script type="text/javascript">if(z336>0){w('<div 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