Learn French: Elle écoute parce que c'est important. - She listens because it is important.

Elle écoute parce que c'est important.

She listens because it is important.

Breakdown of Elle écoute parce que c'est important.

it / this (with être)

important

Questions & Answers about Elle écoute parce que c'est important.

How would I ask the question that leads to this answer using the structure from this lesson?

To ask "Why is she listening?", you start with the question word pourquoi (why), then add est-ce que. The full question is Pourquoi est-ce qu'elle écoute ? Notice that que drops its "e" and becomes qu' before the vowel in elle.

Why does "because" take two words (parce que) here?

Parce que is a fixed phrase in French that means "because". It's made of two words, but it is best to memorize it as a single chunk. Note that if the very next word started with a vowel, que would shorten to qu' (for example, parce qu'il).

Can Elle écoute also mean "She is listening"?

Yes! French does not have a direct equivalent to the English "is doing" form (the present continuous tense). Elle écoute covers both "She listens" regularly and "She is listening" right now.

Why do we use c'est here instead of il est for "it is"?

We use c'est to describe general situations, ideas, or statements. If "it" referred to a specific masculine noun (like le message, the message), you would use il est important. But since "it" refers to the general idea of what she is listening to, we use c'est.