Question 1

Why do we use C'est instead of Il est in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Both C'est and Il est can be used for impersonal expressions like "It is [adjective] to [do something]". In everyday spoken French, C'est is much more common, while Il est is more formal and mostly used in writing. So, Il est utile de consulter... would also be correct, just more formal.

Question 2

Why is there a de before consulter?

Accepted Answer

When you use the structure C'est + adjective to evaluate an action, you must connect the adjective to the infinitive verb with de. In English, we just say "It is useful to consult", but in French, the set formula is C'est [adjective] de [infinitive].

Question 3

Could I use que instead of qui for "who"?

Accepted Answer

No, you need qui here because the psychologist is the subject of the action (they are the one doing the listening). You use que when the word it replaces is the object of the verb (for example, "the psychologist that I am consulting").

Question 4

Why use bien instead of bon here?

Accepted Answer

Bien means "well" and is an adverb, meaning it describes an action. Here, it describes the verb écoute (listens well). Bon means "good" and is an adjective used to describe nouns (like un bon psychologue - a good psychologist).

C'est utile de consulter un psychologue qui écoute bien.

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