Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

Does elle mean 'she' or 'her'?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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).

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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'.

Elle, c'est une sœur pour moi.

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