L'attribut en tête

Normally, French follows a strict order. You have the Subject, then the Verb, then the Adjective. Marie est heureuse is your standard sentence. To use this rule, we move heureuse to the start. The adjective becomes the star of the show. You might say Heureuse est Marie. Or you might say Heureuse, elle l'est. The second version uses a small word like l' to repeat the idea. It sounds more natural in spoken French. The first version sounds like a classic book. Both versions put the emphasis on the description. It changes the rhythm of your speech. It catches the listener's attention immediately. It is like starting a song with the chorus. You give the main message first. Then you provide the details. This structure is very flexible. It works with most descriptive adjectives. You just need to be brave. Do not be afraid to flip your words.

1. 1There are two main ways to do this.
2. 2The Formal Inversion:
3. 3Start with the Adjective: Grand.
4. 4Add the Verb être: est.
5. 5End with the Subject: le défi.
6. 6Result: Grand est le défi.
7. 7The Emphatic Dislocation (More common):
8. 8Start with the Adjective: Fatigué.
9. 9Add a comma for a pause: ,.
10. 10Add the Subject: il.
11. 11Add the pronoun l' (which stands for the adjective): l'.
12. 12Add the Verb être: est.
13. 13Result: Fatigué, il l'est.
14. 14Remember the agreement rule! If the subject is feminine, the adjective must be feminine. If the subject is plural, the adjective must be plural. Even if the adjective is at the start, it still belongs to the subject. It is like a leash. The adjective is tied to the noun it describes. No matter where it moves, the connection stays.

Use this when you want to be dramatic. It works well in a romantic letter. Belle, tu l'es sounds much more passionate than Tu es belle. Use it when you are telling a story to friends. Triste, il était sets a moody tone. It is also great for short exclamations. Imagine you are at a museum. You see a huge painting. You can say Grande, elle l'est !. It shows you are impressed. In a job interview, you might use it to emphasize a skill. Sérieux, je le suis. It shows confidence. It tells the employer you mean business. Use it in poetry or songs. French singers love this structure. It helps them fit the rhyme and the rhythm. Use it when the adjective is the most important part of your thought. If the color is more important than the object, put the color first.

Do not use this for basic facts. If you are ordering food, keep it simple. Do not say Délicieuse, la soupe est. The waiter might think you are a time traveler from the 1700s. Avoid it in technical manuals. It is not for giving directions. À droite, le tournant est will just confuse people. It is like wearing a tuxedo to the gym. It is too much for the situation. Do not use it if you are not sure about adjective agreement. If you mess up the ending, the whole effect is lost. It is better to be simple and correct than fancy and wrong. Avoid using it in every sentence. If everything is emphasized, nothing is emphasized. It loses its power. Save it for the 'big moments' in your conversation. It is a spice, not the main ingredient.

The biggest mistake is forgetting the pronoun le or l'. In the spoken version, you need that little link. People often say Heureux, il est. This is technically incomplete. You should say Heureux, il l'est. The l' represents the word Heureux. Another mistake is forgetting the comma. In writing, that pause is vital. It tells the reader to breathe. Native speakers sometimes forget to agree the adjective. They might say Prête, ils le sont. This is wrong. It should be Prêts, ils le sont. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes! Do not let the distance between the words trick you. Always look back at your subject. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Red means stop and check your endings. Green means you are ready to speak. Another mistake is using it with verbs other than être. It usually only works with 'state' verbs. Do not try it with manger or courir yet.

Do not confuse this with simple questions. In a question, we often flip the subject and verb. Est-il grand ? is a question. Grand, il l'est is a statement. One asks for information. The other gives information with style. It is also different from C'est... que. You could say C'est beau. That is a simple observation. Beau, ça l'est is a reaction to something someone else said. It is like an echo with extra energy. Think of C'est as the default setting. Think of fronting as the 'extra' setting. One is a plain t-shirt. The other is a t-shirt with a neon logo. They both cover the same ground. But they send very different messages to the world.