Professions and Nationalities: Il est / Elle est
In English, we say "He is a teacher." In French, when simply stating someone's profession or nationality, you leave out the article (un or une). The noun essentially acts as an adjective describing the person.
Use il est (he is) or elle est (she is) followed directly by the profession or nationality.
| He is a teacher. | Il est enseignant. |
| She is a surgeon. | Elle est chirurgienne. |
| He is Mexican. | Il est mexicain. |
Adding Details: C'est un / C'est une
The rule changes the moment you add a descriptive detail to the profession, such as an adjective (e.g., "a gifted novelist" or "a Mexican teacher").
Because you are now describing a specific noun rather than just stating a general category, you must bring back the article (un or une). Whenever you use an article with a profession or nationality, il est and elle est must change to c'est.
| He is a Mexican teacher. | C'est un enseignant mexicain. |
| She is a gifted novelist. | C'est une romancière douée. |
You use this c'est un(e) structure regardless of how many adjectives or details you add to the noun.
| He is a renowned Swedish surgeon. | C'est un chirurgien suédois réputé. |
