Question 1

Why do we use C'est un romancier doué instead of Il est romancier?

Accepted Answer

Because we are adding the adjective doué (gifted). When stating a person's profession alone, you use Il/Elle est + profession with no article, like Il est romancier. But as soon as you modify the profession with an adjective, you must switch to C'est un(e) + modified noun.

Question 2

Why is dont used here instead of que for the word "which"?

Accepted Answer

The choice of relative pronoun depends on the verb that follows it. The French expression is être sûr de (to be sure of). Because the verb requires the preposition de, we must use dont to mean "of which."

Question 3

What is the purpose of the word ce in ce dont?

Accepted Answer

Here, "which" refers to the entire preceding idea (the fact that he is a gifted novelist), not just a single noun. When a relative pronoun refers back to a whole clause rather than a specific word, French requires the neutral pronoun ce as an anchor. Together, ce dont translates to "that of which" or "a fact of which."

Question 4

If a woman is speaking, does anything in this sentence change?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The adjective sûr must agree with the subject je. If the speaker identifies as female, she would write ce dont je suis sûre with an extra "e" at the end.

C'est un romancier doué, ce dont je suis sûr.

Breakdown of C'est un romancier doué, ce dont je suis sûr.

Questions & Answers about C'est un romancier doué, ce dont je suis sûr.

Learn C'est un romancier doué, ce dont je suis sûr and more in French