Questions & Answers about C'est cet adversaire que je peux battre.
Why do we use que instead of qui in this sentence?
We use que because it replaces the direct object of the verb. In this sentence, je is the subject (the person doing the beating), and cet adversaire is the object (the person being beaten). If the emphasized word were the one doing the action, we would use the structure c'est ... qui. Does using c'est ... que change the meaning compared to just saying je peux battre cet adversaire?
It changes the focus. The simple sentence je peux battre cet adversaire just states a fact. By wrapping the object in c'est ... que, you add strong emphasis to it. It translates to It is this opponent that I can beat, which often implies a contrast, such as ...but not the other ones. Why is the word for this cet instead of ce?
Adversaire is a masculine noun here. Normally, the word for this or that with a masculine singular noun is ce. However, because adversaire starts with a vowel, ce changes to cet to make the pronunciation flow better. Because adversaire ends in an e, could it also be a feminine noun?
Yes! Adversaire is one of those nouns that can be masculine or feminine depending on the person it refers to. If the opponent were female, the sentence would use the feminine demonstrative adjective instead, becoming C'est cette adversaire que je peux battre. Learn C'est cet adversaire que je peux battre and more in French
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