Breakdown of Il est précisé que l'affichage sur la façade est interdit.
être
to be
sur
on
il
it (impersonal subject)
interdit
forbidden
Questions & Answers about Il est précisé que l'affichage sur la façade est interdit.
Why do we use Il est précisé instead of C'est précisé here?
Il is the standard dummy subject for impersonal passive constructions. While you might hear c'est in casual spoken French, il est [past participle] que is the grammatically correct way to state an official rule or fact, matching the English formal structure 'It is specified that'.
Could we use the active voice and say On précise que instead?
Yes, using on is a very common everyday alternative to avoid the passive voice. However, the impersonal passive (Il est précisé que) sounds much more formal, official, and detached. This makes it the perfect tone for legal notices, public signs, or building rules.
Why doesn't précisé change to match the feminine word façade or the action of the sentence?
Why is the indicative mood (est interdit) used after Il est précisé que rather than the subjunctive?