Learn French: Cette roche est certes cassante, mais elle est belle. - This rock is admittedly brittle, but it is beautiful.

Cette roche est certes cassante, mais elle est belle.

This rock is admittedly brittle, but it is beautiful.

Breakdown of Cette roche est certes cassante, mais elle est belle.

Questions & Answers about Cette roche est certes cassante, mais elle est belle.

The current lesson is about using c'est with an invariable adjective. Why do we use elle est belle here instead of c'est beau?

The phrase c'est beau is used for general statements, like if you were saying "Rock in general is beautiful" (La roche, c'est beau). However, in this sentence, we are pointing out one specific rock (cette roche). When describing a specific noun, you use il/elle est and make the adjectives agree. Since roche is feminine, we use elle est, cassante, and belle.

How exactly is certes used here? Does it just mean "certainly"?

While certes can translate to "certainly," it is most often used to concede a point before introducing a counter-argument, similar to "admittedly," "granted," or "to be sure." The structure certes [A], mais [B] is very common in B2-level French and translates perfectly to "admittedly [A], but [B]."

I know casser means "to break." Does cassant always mean "brittle"?

When referring to physical objects like rocks, glass, or hair, cassant (and its feminine form cassante) means "brittle" or "easily broken." You might also see it used figuratively to describe a person's tone of voice as "curt," "harsh," or "snappy" (for example, un ton cassant).

Could I put certes at the beginning of the sentence instead?

Absolutely! Saying Certes, cette roche est cassante... is very natural and arguably even more common in written French. Placing it right after the verb, as in this example, is also perfectly correct and adds a nice rhythmic emphasis to the concession.