C'est or Il est??
____est japonais. ____est etudiante. ____est un personne calme et sociable.
I don't know when to use which...can anybody explain? thanks.
Similar question...a or est?
Elle ____ un ami sympathique.
I do not know much French and shall await SraJMcGin with the definitive answer.
In the meantime, let me suggest this web site with rules for making the selection:
http://www.languageguide.org/francais/grammar/pronouns/cest_vs_il.html
Use C'est for the first one
Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. Let's look at your first question first! It doesn't seem to be a big difference between C'est and Il est. Here is as easy as I can make it:
Before a modified noun: C'est
C'est un garçon intelligent. = He is an intelligent boy.
Ce sont mes cousins. = They are my cousins.
BUT unmodified: Il est
Il est professeur. = He is a teacher.
In addition, other uses of C'est (ce / c' = it, he, she, this, that, they, these, those - used only with the verb être. Then "Ce" replaces "il, elle, ils, and elles" with the modified noun. (see above)
Before a proper noun. = C'est
Qui frappe? C'est André. = Who is knocking? It is Andres.
Quelle est cette ville? C'est Paris. = What (Which) city is that? That is Paris.
Before a pronoun: C'est
Qui parle? C'est moi. = Who is speaking? It is I (I'm the one).
C'est celui de mon père. = It is my father's.
Ce sont les miens. = They (These, Those) are mine.
Before a superlative: C'est
C'est le meilleur du monde. = It is the best in the world.
C'est le plus beau de la classe. = He is the most handsome in the class.
Hopefully that will clarify it for you.
Mme
Ijust read drwls' response and that website is excellent. You won't even need my response!
Mme
In French, "c'est" and "il est" are both used to express qualities or characteristics about a specific person or thing. The main difference between the two is that "c'est" is used with nouns and "il est" is used with adjectives.
Let's look at your examples:
1. ____est japonais.
Here, we are describing someone's nationality, which is a noun. Therefore, we would use "c'est." The correct sentence would be: "C'est japonais."
2. ____est etudiante.
This sentence is describing someone's occupation, which is a noun. So again, we would use "c'est." The correct sentence would be: "C'est étudiante."
3. ____est un personne calme et sociable.
In this case, we are using adjectives to describe the person, so we would use "il est." The correct sentence would be: "Il est une personne calme et sociable."
Now, let's move on to your second question:
In French, "a" and "est" are used to express different things. "A" is used to express possession, while "est" is used to express a state or condition.
Let's look at your example sentence:
Elle ____ un ami sympathique.
Here, we are expressing possession, as in having a friend. Therefore, we would use "a." The correct sentence would be: "Elle a un ami sympathique."
Remember, learning a language takes practice, so keep using these expressions and paying attention to their usage in different contexts.