Learn French: Il s'agit de vérifier cette information avant de la publier. - It is a matter of checking this information before publishing it.

Il s'agit de vérifier cette information avant de la publier.

It is a matter of checking this information before publishing it.

Breakdown of Il s'agit de vérifier cette information avant de la publier.

this (before a noun)

it (impersonal subject)

her, it (feminine direct object pronoun)

publier

to publish

Questions & Answers about Il s'agit de vérifier cette information avant de la publier.

How does the expression il s'agit de work in this sentence?

Il s'agit de is an impersonal expression meaning "it is a matter of" or "the main point is". It tells us the core issue or necessary action. The il is impersonal and doesn't represent a specific person or thing, just like the "it" in "it is raining".

Why is the verb vérifier in the infinitive form?

The expression il s'agit de ends with the preposition de. In French, whenever a verb directly follows a preposition like de, it must be left in the infinitive (unconjugated) form.

Why is it avant de instead of just avant?

To say "before doing something" in French, you must use the phrase avant de followed by an infinitive verb. While English uses an "-ing" word ("before publishing"), French requires avant de plus the infinitive publier.

Why is the pronoun la placed right before publier?

The pronoun la means "it" and replaces the feminine noun cette information. When a pronoun is the object of an infinitive verb, it is placed directly in front of that infinitive, which puts it right between de and publier.