Learn French: Il paraît que le chef est en retard.

Il paraît que le chef est en retard.

It seems that the boss is late.

Breakdown of Il paraît que le chef est en retard.

être

to be

le chef

the boss / the manager

it (impersonal subject)

him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)

Questions & Answers about Il paraît que le chef est en retard.

Can I drop the word que like we often drop "that" in English?

No, you can never drop que in French when it links two parts of a sentence. In English, we can say "It seems the boss is late," but in French, you must always include que (Il paraît que...).

Does the il in il paraît refer to a specific man ("he")?

Not in this sentence. Here, il is used as an impersonal pronoun, similar to the "it" in "it is raining" (il pleut). The phrase il paraît simply means "it seems" or "it appears."

Why use en retard instead of just tard for "late"?

In French, en retard is the phrase used when a person or a scheduled event (like a train) is running behind time. Tard is used to describe the time of day being late, as in Il est tard (It is late in the evening).

Does chef mean an office boss, or a chef in a kitchen?

It can be both! Un chef can mean a boss, manager, or chief in a general workplace, as well as a head cook in a restaurant. You have to rely on the context of the conversation to know which one it is.