The impersonal expression "il s'agit de"
Welcome to the newsroom! When presenting a story or summarizing a situation, French speakers frequently use the expression il s'agit de (it is about / it is a matter of).
Like il pleut (it is raining), this expression is impersonal: the il doesn't refer to a specific person or thing. Because the expression ends with the preposition de, remember to make mandatory contractions if the following noun uses the definite articles le or les (de + le = du, de + les = des).
| The presenter says that it is about an important piece of news. | Le présentateur dit qu'il s'agit d'une information importante. |
| We are live for a scoop because it is about the president. | Nous sommes en direct pour un scoop parce qu'il s'agit du président. |
| It is about a scoop on the economy. | Il s'agit d'un scoop sur l'économie. |
Using "il s'agit de" with infinitives and "dont"
You can also use il s'agit de followed by an infinitive verb to mean "it is a matter of" doing something.
| It is a matter of checking this information before publishing it. | Il s'agit de vérifier cette information avant de la publier. |
Since this expression is built around the preposition de, it pairs perfectly with the relative pronoun dont. You can use dont il s'agit to refer back to a noun, meaning "in question" or "which it is about".
| The news report in question reveals a big scandal. | Le reportage dont il s'agit révèle un grand scandale. |
Live broadcasts and succeeding at an action
When breaking news on a live broadcast (en direct), you might talk about a journalist or presenter who manages to uncover a scoop. To say that someone "succeeds in" or "manages to" do something, use the verb réussir followed by the preposition à and an infinitive.
| Since the program is live, we give the information immediately. | Puisque l'émission est en direct, nous donnons l'information tout de suite. |
| The presenter succeeds in explaining politics live. | Le présentateur réussit à expliquer la politique en direct. |
