Breakdown of Ce dont je suis conscient, c'est de son angoisse.
je
I
être
to be
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
son
his/her/its
c'est
it is, that is
ce dont
what / that which (of which)
conscient
aware / conscious
l'angoisse
the anxiety (f)
Questions & Answers about Ce dont je suis conscient, c'est de son angoisse.
Why do we use ce dont here instead of ce que?
We use ce dont (meaning "what" when it involves the preposition de) because the phrase is être conscient de (to be aware of). Since the expression requires de, we must use the relative pronoun dont instead of que to connect the ideas.
Why is there a de after c'est? Wouldn't c'est son angoisse make more sense?
In English, we just say "...is his anxiety." But in French, when you use the structure ce dont... c'est... to emphasize a point, you usually repeat the preposition de in the second half of the sentence. Because the underlying idea is je suis conscient de son angoisse, that de stays firmly attached to the noun.
Why do we say c'est in the middle of the sentence instead of just est?
Angoisse is a feminine noun. Why do we use the masculine possessive son?
Because angoisse starts with a vowel. As a quick reminder from earlier levels, you must use the masculine possessive adjectives (mon, ton, son) before any feminine singular noun that begins with a vowel or a mute H. This makes the pronunciation flow better by avoiding the vowel clash of sa angoisse.
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