Learn French: Elle, c'est une sœur pour moi.

Elle, c'est une sœur pour moi.

Her, she is a sister to me.

Breakdown of Elle, c'est une sœur pour moi.

it / this (with être)

moi

Questions & Answers about Elle, c'est une sœur pour moi.

Why is there an extra Elle at the beginning of the sentence?

In French, we often use a stressed pronoun like elle at the start of a sentence to add emphasis. It is like saying 'As for her...' or simply 'Her,' to highlight who we are talking about before stating the main point.

Does elle mean 'she' or 'her'?

It can be both! Unlike je (I) which changes to moi (me), the word elle is used for both the regular subject pronoun ('she') and the stressed pronoun ('her'). In this sentence, the first word is the stressed pronoun.

Why does the sentence say c'est instead of elle est for 'she is'?

This is a very common French rule. When you want to say 'she is' followed by a noun that has an article (like une sœur, meaning 'a sister'), you must use c'est. You only use elle est if it is followed by an adjective alone, like elle est gentille (she is nice).

Why do we use moi instead of me at the end of the sentence?

Moi is another stressed pronoun. In French, you must always use a stressed pronoun (like moi, toi, lui, elle) after a preposition. Since pour (for/to) is a preposition, we use moi to say 'to me' or 'for me'.