Breakdown of Ce dont l'esprit souffre, c'est la tristesse.
c'est
it is, that is
ce dont
what / that which (of which)
souffrir de
to suffer from
l'esprit
the mind (m)
la tristesse
the sadness
Questions & Answers about Ce dont l'esprit souffre, c'est la tristesse.
Why do we use ce dont here instead of ce que or ce qui?
We use ce dont because the verb souffrir (to suffer) pairs with the preposition de (souffrir de quelque chose means to suffer from something). When translating "what" as "the thing of which" or "the thing from which", you must use ce dont.
Why is there a c' before est? Couldn't we just say ...souffre, est la tristesse?
Does l'esprit always mean the mind?
Not always! While it translates to the mind here, l'esprit can also mean a spirit, a ghost, or even wit depending on the context.
Why does sadness have the article la in front of it?
In French, abstract nouns and general concepts require a definite article (le, la, or les). Since sadness is a general concept here, it must be written as la tristesse, unlike in English where we drop the article.
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