Breakdown of C'est un point essentiel.
Questions & Answers about C'est un point essentiel.
Why do we use c'est instead of il est in this sentence?
When stating "It is a..." or "That is a..." followed by a noun phrase (a noun with an article like un or une), you must use c'est. You only use il est for impersonal expressions when it is followed directly by an adjective, like in il est essentiel de... (it is essential to...). Could I say Il est un point essentiel?
No, that would be grammatically incorrect in French. You cannot use il est directly before a modified noun (a noun with an article like un or une plus an adjective). You must always switch to c'est when a noun phrase follows. Why is the adjective essentiel placed after point?
In French, most adjectives are placed after the noun they describe. Only a small group of common adjectives describing Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, and Size (often remembered as BANGS) go before the noun. Since essentiel does not fall into those categories, it follows the noun. How would the spelling of essentiel change if it described a feminine noun?
The word point is masculine, which we can tell from the article un. If you used a feminine noun instead, like une chose (a thing), the adjective would double its final consonant and add an e, becoming essentielle. You would say C'est une chose essentielle. Learn C'est un point essentiel and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free