Breakdown of C'est un renseignement utile en dépit de sa méfiance.
un
a / an (masculine)
son
his/her/its (son, sa, ses)
c'est
it is, that is
utile
useful
en dépit de
in spite of
le renseignement
the intelligence
la méfiance
the distrust
Questions & Answers about C'est un renseignement utile en dépit de sa méfiance.
How does en dépit de work here, and is it interchangeable with malgré?
Why is un renseignement translated as "a piece of information" rather than just "an information"?
In English, "information" is an uncountable noun, so we must say "a piece of information" to express a singular item. In French, un renseignement is perfectly countable. It usually refers to a specific, practical detail (like a tip, an address, or a fact you requested), whereas une information is broader and often refers to news.
Why do we start this sentence with c'est instead of il est?
We use c'est because it is followed by a modified noun phrase (un renseignement utile). You would use il est if it were followed by an adjective alone (for example, il est utile meaning "it is useful"). But the moment you introduce an article and a noun (un renseignement), French grammar requires c'est.
The translation says "his distrust," but could sa méfiance also mean "her distrust"?
Yes, absolutely! French possessive adjectives agree with the gender of the noun being owned, not the gender of the owner. Because méfiance is a feminine noun, you must use sa, whether the distrust belongs to a man, a woman, or a company. You can only determine whose distrust it is from the wider context.
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