C'est vs Il Est

At its heart, the choice depends on what comes next. Are you putting a label on something? Or are you describing a specific quality? C'est is your go-to for identifying people or things. It is like pointing your finger at something and giving it a name. Il est (or Elle est) is for describing things you have already identified. Imagine you are at a party. You point to a guy and say, "That's my brother." That is a C'est moment. Then you say, "He is tall." That is an Il est moment. It is all about the transition from "what is it?" to "how is it?"

1. 1Using these phrases follows a very specific logic. Follow these steps to get it right every time:
2. 2Identify if you are using a noun or an adjective.
3. 3If you use a noun with an article (un, une, le, la), use C'est.
4. 4If you use a standalone adjective to describe someone, use Il est or Elle est.
5. 5For plural nouns with articles, switch C'est to Ce sont.
6. 6For plural adjectives, switch Il est to Ils sont or Elles sont.

Use C'est in these specific real-world scenarios:

• To identify people: C'est Marie. (It's Marie.)
• To identify things: C'est un café. (It's a coffee.)
• With modified nouns: C'est un bon avocat. (He is a good lawyer.)
• For general comments: C'est magnifique! (It's magnificent!)
• For dates and days: C'est lundi. (It's Monday.)
• To emphasize something: C'est moi qui ai fait ça. (It's me who did that.)

Use Il est (or Elle est) for these situations:

• With adjectives alone: Il est intelligent. (He is intelligent.)
• For professions without articles: Elle est médecin. (She is a doctor.)
• For nationalities: Il est français. (He is French.)
• For religions: Elle est catholique. (She is Catholic.)
• To tell the specific time: Il est huit heures. (It is eight o'clock.)

Do not use Il est with a noun that has an article. This is the golden rule. You cannot say Il est un prof. It sounds like you are still learning the ropes. Also, avoid using C'est when you are describing a specific person's physical trait without a noun. For example, don't say C'est grand when talking about your tall friend Marc. Say Il est grand. Using C'est for people's traits makes them sound like objects. Unless your friend is actually a skyscraper, stick to Il est!

The "Profession Trap" is the biggest mistake. In English, we say "He is a doctor." In French, you have two choices. You can say Il est médecin (no article). Or you can say C'est un médecin (with an article). Mixing them into Il est un médecin is a classic error. Another mistake is using C'est for the time. While we say "It is 5 PM" in English, French requires Il est. Saying C'est cinq heures sounds like you are identifying a specific time slot on a schedule, not telling the current time.

You might wonder about Ce sont vs Ils sont. These are just the plural versions of our main characters. Use Ce sont when pointing at a group of students: Ce sont des étudiants. Use Ils sont when describing them: Ils sont fatigués. Think of C'est as the "Labeler" and Il est as the "Painter." The Labeler gives the name, and the Painter adds the color and details. Also, remember that C'est is often used for generalities. C'est bon means "This is good" (in general). Il est bon usually refers to a specific food item you just mentioned, like a cake.