Breakdown of Elle est ici.
Questions & Answers about Elle est ici.
Why is the verb est used here instead of suis or es?
The word est means "is". It is the form of the verb être (to be) that matches the third-person pronouns il (he), elle (she), and on (one/we). You only use suis for je (I) and es for tu (you). Does elle always mean "she"?
Not always! In French, all nouns have a gender (masculine or feminine), even objects. If you are talking about a feminine thing, like a chair (la chaise), you also use elle to mean "it". So Elle est ici can mean "She is here" or "It is here", depending on context. Do I pronounce the 't' at the end of est?
Normally, the 't' in est is completely silent. However, because the next word (ici) starts with a vowel sound, French speakers often pronounce the 't' to link the two words together smoothly. This is called a liaison, and it makes est ici sound a bit like "eh-tee-see". How would I change this sentence to say "He is here"?
You would simply change the feminine pronoun elle to the masculine pronoun il, making the sentence Il est ici. The verb est stays exactly the same! Learn Elle est ici and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free