Learn French: C'est une ville fantôme avec des ruelles très sinistres. - It is a ghost town with very eerie alleys.

When "it is" is followed by a modified noun (a noun with an article like une, le, or mon), French uses c'est. You would only use elle est if it were followed by an adjective alone, like elle est sinistre (it is eerie).

How does the phrase ville fantôme work? Is fantôme an adjective here?

Fantôme is actually a noun meaning "ghost," but here it acts like an adjective describing ville. In French, when you combine two nouns to create a single concept, the descriptive noun usually comes second.

Is there a difference between a rue and a ruelle?

Yes! The suffix -elle is a diminutive, meaning it makes the root word smaller. While a rue is a standard street, a ruelle is a small street, narrow lane, or alley.

Why is très sinistres placed after the noun ruelles?

In French, most descriptive adjectives go after the noun they describe. The adverb très (very) must stay right next to the adjective it modifies, so the entire block très sinistres follows the noun.