Breakdown of Il est nécessaire de parler de ce problème.
être
to be
le problème
the problem
ce
this (before a noun)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
parler
to speak
il
it (impersonal subject)
nécessaire
necessary
Questions & Answers about Il est nécessaire de parler de ce problème.
Why do we say Il est nécessaire instead of C'est nécessaire?
In written or formal French, when you want to say "It is [adjective] to [do something]", the standard grammatical rule is to use Il est + adjective + de + infinitive. You will often hear French speakers say C'est nécessaire de... in casual, everyday speech, but Il est... is the proper structure you are learning here.
Why do we need the first de after nécessaire?
In French, impersonal expressions (phrases starting with "It is..." that don't refer to a specific person, thing, or situation previously mentioned) require the preposition de right before the infinitive verb. Following the pattern Il est + adjective + de + infinitive gives us Il est nécessaire de parler.
Why is there a second de in the sentence before ce problème?
The word problème ends in an "e". Why is the masculine ce used instead of the feminine cette?
Even though it ends in an "e", problème is actually a masculine noun (un problème). Because of this, you must use the masculine demonstrative adjective ce (meaning "this" or "that") rather than the feminine cette.
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