Word
C'est l'unique comédien qui ait du talent.
Meaning
He is the unique actor who has talent.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of C'est l'unique comédien qui ait du talent.
être
to be
ce
it / this (with être)
qui
who
avoir
to have
Questions & Answers about C'est l'unique comédien qui ait du talent.
Why do we use ait instead of a here?
Ait is the subjunctive form of avoir. We use the subjunctive here because of the absolute term l'unique (the only). In French, superlatives (like le meilleur) and absolutes (like l'unique or le seul) often trigger the subjunctive to express a strong personal opinion or highlight rarity, rather than just stating a flat fact.
Would it be wrong to say qui a du talent instead?
Not necessarily! Using the indicative (a) makes it sound like a cold, undeniable fact. However, using the subjunctive (ait) is much more natural here because it adds a layer of subjective judgment. The speaker is emphasizing their personal feeling that no one else has talent.
Does comédien mean 'comedian' or 'actor'?
It is a bit of a false friend! While it can occasionally translate to 'comedian,' un comédien usually means 'an actor,' especially a stage actor. For a stand-up comedian, you would use un humoriste, and for a general film actor, un acteur.
The translation says 'He is'. Why does the sentence use C'est instead of Il est?