A small but extremely useful corner of the French verbal system: impersonal verbs. These are verbs whose grammatical subject is the dummy pronoun il — an il that doesn't refer to any specific person or thing. Il pleut (it's raining): the il is not "he" or "it." It's a placeholder, a syntactic stand-in, required because French sentences need a subject. The English equivalent is the dummy it in it's raining, it's necessary to leave, it seems that... — same logic, same emptiness of meaning.
This page maps the impersonal verb system as a whole. There are roughly five families: weather (il pleut, il neige, il fait beau), existence (il y a), necessity (il faut), time (il est dix heures), and a productive pattern of impersonalizing ordinary verbs to put new information in focus (il manque trois personnes — three people are missing). Each family is detailed below, with cross-references to the focused subpages.
What "impersonal" means here
In every sentence, French requires an explicit grammatical subject. With a verb like pleuvoir (to rain), there's no real-world entity doing the raining — but a sentence still needs a subject. French solves this with a dummy il: a third-person-singular masculine pronoun that exists only to fill the subject slot. Morphologically, the verb still inflects as 3sg (il pleut, il pleuvait, il pleuvra), but semantically, the il points to nothing.
The same dummy il appears in:
- Weather verbs: il pleut, il neige, il gèle, il tonne, il grêle.
- The existence verb il y a: il y a des nuages, il y a un problème.
- The necessity verb il faut: il faut partir, il faut que tu viennes.
- Time expressions: il est huit heures, il est tard.
- A handful of formal/idiomatic impersonals: il s'agit de, il vaut mieux, il convient de, il importe de.
- Impersonalized versions of ordinary verbs: il arrive que..., il manque trois étudiants, il reste cinq euros, il existe une solution.
In all of these, the il never refers to a person or thing. Test: try replacing it with cet homme or ce truc — and the sentence becomes nonsense.
Family 1: Weather
The weather verbs are the textbook case of impersonal verbs. The vast majority are used only in the third person singular with dummy il — they have no other persons. This makes verbs like pleuvoir (to rain) and neiger (to snow) defective: they exist only as il + verb.
Il pleut depuis ce matin, j'en ai assez.
It's been raining since this morning — I've had enough.
Il neige beaucoup à Montréal en hiver.
It snows a lot in Montreal in winter.
Il fait beau aujourd'hui, on devrait aller au parc.
The weather's nice today — we should go to the park.
Il y a du brouillard sur l'autoroute, conduisez prudemment.
There's fog on the highway — drive carefully.
Three sub-patterns of weather expressions:
- Bare verb: il pleut, il neige, il gèle, il tonne, il grêle.
- Faire + adjective/noun: il fait beau, il fait froid, il fait chaud, il fait gris, il fait mauvais, il fait lourd.
- Y a + noun: il y a du soleil, il y a du vent, il y a du brouillard, il y a des nuages.
The full inventory and conjugation of weather verbs (including the highly defective pleuvoir and the spelling change in geler → il gèle) is on meteo.
Family 2: Existence — il y a
Il y a = there is / there are. Possibly the highest-frequency impersonal expression in French, used in countless contexts: existence, presence, time-since, lists, descriptions.
Il y a un problème avec ma commande, je peux parler au manager ?
There's a problem with my order — can I speak to the manager?
Il y a beaucoup de monde au marché aujourd'hui.
There are a lot of people at the market today.
Il y a trois ans que je n'ai pas vu mes parents.
It's been three years since I last saw my parents.
Il y a des choses qu'on ne dit pas.
There are things one doesn't say.
The structure is rigid: il (dummy) + y (locative pronoun) + a (3sg of avoir) + indefinite/quantified noun phrase. The y is etymologically the locative there, but it has fused with il a into a single set expression. In speech, il y a is often pronounced y'a (/ja/): y'a un problème.
Note the contrast with English:
- English distinguishes there is (singular) from there are (plural). French does not — il y a is invariant: il y a une personne, il y a dix personnes.
- English there is/are takes any tense via the auxiliary; French il y a takes any tense via avoir: il y avait (there was), il y aura (there will be), il y a eu (there has been), il y aurait (there would be).
Il y avait beaucoup de neige hier soir.
There was a lot of snow last night.
Il y aura une fête samedi soir.
There will be a party Saturday night.
Il y a + a duration also means X time ago: il y a deux jours (two days ago), il y a longtemps (a long time ago).
Je l'ai vue il y a deux semaines au cinéma.
I saw her two weeks ago at the cinema.
Family 3: Necessity — il faut
Il faut = it is necessary / one must. The verb is falloir, and like pleuvoir, it is defective: it exists only in the impersonal il form.
Il faut partir maintenant, sinon on va rater le train.
We need to leave now, or we'll miss the train.
Il faut que tu finisses ce rapport avant vendredi.
You need to finish this report before Friday.
Il faut beaucoup de patience pour apprendre une langue.
It takes a lot of patience to learn a language.
Il a fallu trois heures pour réparer la voiture.
It took three hours to fix the car.
Three constructions:
- Il faut + infinitive: il faut partir — generic, applies to anyone (one must leave).
- Il faut que + subjunctive: il faut que tu partes — directed at a specific subject.
- Il faut + noun: il faut du temps — it requires/takes [the noun].
The conjugation across tenses: present il faut, imparfait il fallait, futur il faudra, conditionnel il faudrait, passé composé il a fallu, subjonctif qu'il faille. All in the dummy-il form only — there is no je faux or nous fallons. Full coverage on falloir-and-il-faut.
The conditionnel il faudrait is the politely softened version: il faudrait que tu partes (you should probably leave). And the present il faut que + subjunctive is the canonical subjunctive trigger that learners meet first.
Family 4: Time — il est X heures
The clock-time construction. Il est + the hour = it is [X] o'clock.
Il est huit heures et demie, il faut y aller.
It's eight thirty — we have to go.
Quelle heure est-il ? — Il est presque midi.
What time is it? — It's almost noon.
Il est tard, je devrais rentrer.
It's late, I should go home.
Il est trop tôt pour appeler, attends une heure.
It's too early to call — wait an hour.
The same pattern handles general time-of-day predicates: il est tard, il est tôt, il est l'heure de partir, il est temps que tu te lèves. Note that the verb here is être, not avoir — and it's invariably 3sg.
This is a different construction from c'est huit heures — which exists but is informal and less common in this exact context. Standard French clock time: il est + heure.
Family 5: Impersonalized ordinary verbs
This is the most productive part of the system. Many ordinary verbs can be impersonalized — fronted with a dummy il, with the logical subject demoted to after the verb. The effect is to put new information at the end of the sentence (a French preference for end-focus).
Il manque, il reste, il existe
Three verbs you'll meet constantly in their impersonal form.
Il manque trois étudiants, on attend ou on commence ?
Three students are missing — should we wait or start?
Il reste cinq euros dans la caisse.
There are five euros left in the till.
Il existe plusieurs solutions à ce problème.
There are several solutions to this problem.
The non-impersonal versions exist too — trois étudiants manquent, cinq euros restent, plusieurs solutions existent — but the impersonal form is much more frequent in spoken French because it lets the subject (the new information) come at the end.
Il arrive que, il se peut que, il semble que
A small set of impersonal verbs that introduce subordinate clauses, often with subjunctive triggers.
Il arrive qu'on se trompe, ce n'est pas grave.
Sometimes we make mistakes — it's not a big deal.
Il se peut qu'il pleuve cet après-midi.
It might rain this afternoon.
Il semble que tu aies raison.
It seems you're right.
These constructions all trigger the subjunctive in the embedded clause (qu'on se trompe, qu'il pleuve, que tu aies raison). Compare to English it happens that, it might be that, it seems that. In English, the embedded verb is normally indicative; in French, the subjunctive shows up because of the doubt or non-factuality these introducers carry.
Il vaut mieux, il convient de
Two formal/elevated impersonals.
Il vaut mieux + infinitive (or que + subjunctive) = it is better to / one had better.
Il vaut mieux partir tôt pour éviter les embouteillages.
It's better to leave early to avoid traffic.
Il vaut mieux que tu lui parles directement.
You'd better speak to him directly.
Il convient de + infinitive = it is fitting / appropriate to. (formal)
Il convient de remercier les organisateurs pour leur travail.
It is appropriate to thank the organizers for their work. (formal)
Il importe de = it is important to (formal); il suffit de = it is enough to / one only has to; il s'agit de = it is about / it is a question of.
Il s'agit de comprendre le problème avant de proposer une solution.
It's a question of understanding the problem before suggesting a solution.
Il suffit d'appuyer sur le bouton vert pour démarrer la machine.
You just have to press the green button to start the machine.
Il s'agit de is one of the highest-frequency formal expressions in written French and academic discourse — every learner meets it.
Il y a + ordinary verbs (impersonal il)
Many ordinary verbs slide into the impersonal frame with the same end-focus effect.
Il est arrivé un drôle de phénomène hier soir.
A strange thing happened last night. (impersonal: focus on the new event)
Il a été décidé que la réunion sera reportée.
It has been decided that the meeting will be postponed. (impersonal passive — formal)
The pattern is highly productive in formal/written French and feels stilted in casual speech. Use sparingly until you have a feel for register.
Notes on agreement
When an ordinary verb is impersonalized, the verb stays in 3sg even if the logical subject is plural. This trips up English speakers who would expect agreement.
Il manque trois étudiants.
Three students are missing. (verb is singular: il manque, not il manquent)
Il reste cinq personnes dans la salle.
Five people remain in the room.
Il est arrivé deux paquets ce matin.
Two packages arrived this morning.
The subject of the verb is the dummy il (singular), so the verb is singular. The plural noun phrase that follows is technically the logical subject but grammatical complement. This is identical to English there is/are construction — except English allows the verb to agree with the post-verbal noun, while French does not.
Avoiding the impersonal: when not to
The impersonal frame is useful, but not always the right choice.
- For a specific, definite subject, use the personal construction: Marie est arrivée (Marie arrived) — not il est arrivé Marie. The impersonal frame is preferred for indefinite or quantified subjects (trois personnes, beaucoup de monde).
- In casual speech, many impersonals (il convient de, il importe de) feel formal. Substitute il faut or rephrase.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Conjugating the verb with the post-verbal noun.
❌ Il manquent trois étudiants.
The verb agrees with the dummy 'il' (3sg), not the noun phrase.
✅ Il manque trois étudiants.
Three students are missing.
The dummy il is grammatically singular. Always 3sg.
Mistake 2: Using c'est + clock time.
❌ C'est huit heures.
For clock time, French uses il est, not c'est.
✅ Il est huit heures.
It's eight o'clock.
C'est is for identification (c'est Marie); for time, il est.
Mistake 3: Translating there is as là est or il y est.
❌ Là est un problème. / Il y est un problème.
The construction is fixed: il y a + noun.
✅ Il y a un problème.
There is a problem.
Il y a is one unit. The y and a don't separate.
Mistake 4: Forgetting the subjunctive after il faut que.
❌ Il faut que tu pars.
Il faut que triggers the subjunctive.
✅ Il faut que tu partes.
You need to leave.
Once you internalize il faut que as a subjunctive trigger, the rest of the trigger system follows the same logic. See subjunctive triggers: falloir.
Mistake 5: Using il a instead of il y a for there is.
❌ Il a beaucoup de monde.
Without 'y,' the sentence is ambiguous (could mean 'he has many people'). The expression is fixed: il y a.
✅ Il y a beaucoup de monde.
There are a lot of people.
The y is mandatory.
Mistake 6: Conjugating il faut in non-3sg forms.
❌ Nous fallons partir. / Je faux étudier.
Falloir is defective — only the impersonal il-form exists.
✅ Il faut qu'on parte. / Il faut que j'étudie.
We need to leave. / I need to study.
For specific subjects, use il faut que + subjunctive — never try to conjugate falloir directly.
Mistake 7: Confusing dummy il with referential il.
❌ — Il pleut. — Qui ? — Pierre ?
In 'il pleut,' the il refers to nothing. Don't try to identify it.
✅ Il pleut depuis ce matin.
It's been raining since this morning.
The dummy il is the same form as referential il, but they are completely different elements. Context tells you which is which: an impersonal verb forces the dummy reading.
Key takeaways
French impersonal verbs use a dummy il as the syntactic subject — an il that doesn't refer to anything, parallel to English dummy it in it's raining and it's necessary. The verb stays in 3sg regardless of any post-verbal noun.
The five families: weather (il pleut, il neige, il fait beau), existence (il y a), necessity (il faut), time (il est huit heures), and the productive pattern of impersonalizing ordinary verbs for end-focus (il manque trois étudiants, il reste du pain, il arrive que..., il s'agit de...).
Two of the impersonals are defective: pleuvoir (to rain) and falloir (to be necessary) exist only in the impersonal il-form. Il pleuvait, il pleuvra, il a plu, qu'il pleuve — but never je pleux, never nous pleuvons. Same for falloir: il faut, il fallait, il faudra, qu'il faille.
The impersonal frame is one of the most productive engines of French syntax. Internalize it and you unlock the natural rhythm of French sentences — where new information lands at the end and the dummy il opens the way.
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Start learning French→Related Topics
- Weather Verbs and ExpressionsA1 — How French talks about the weather. The dummy 'il' as subject (il pleut, il neige), three structural patterns (bare verb, faire + adjective, il y a + noun), the highly defective verb pleuvoir (only il-forms exist), and the spelling trap of geler (il gèle, with grave è before silent e). English speakers also need to unlearn the progressive: French has no 'it is raining' vs 'it rains' distinction — il pleut covers both.
- Il faut: l'impersonnel d'obligationA1 — Falloir is the impersonal verb of necessity in French — 'il faut' alone covers must, have to, need to, and it's necessary. Defective and used only in the third-person singular, it's also the most productive trigger of the subjunctive in everyday speech.
- Le Présent: Falloir and Pleuvoir (impersonal verbs)A1 — Two verbs that exist only in the third-person singular, with a dummy il subject — falloir for necessity (il faut) and pleuvoir for rain (il pleut), plus the family of weather verbs that share their impersonal logic.
- Il Impersonnel vs PersonnelA2 — The pronoun il does double duty in French — sometimes it refers to a real masculine entity, sometimes it's just a grammatical placeholder. Learn to tell them apart.
- Il Faut Que + Subjunctive: The Most Common Subjunctive TriggerB1 — Il faut que is the workhorse subjunctive trigger of everyday French — used dozens of times a day to express necessity, obligation, and 'have to' for a specific person.
- Subjunctive After Impersonal Judgment Expressions: Il est important / nécessaire / possible queB1 — Impersonal expressions of judgment, evaluation, necessity, possibility, and emotion — il est important que, il est dommage que, il vaut mieux que, il semble que — trigger the subjunctive in their que-clauses. They are everywhere in French, and mastering them unlocks a huge swath of natural speech.