Breakdown of C'est à elles de finir cet enchaînement gracieusement.
elles
they (feminine)
ce
this (before a noun)
finir
to finish
c'est
it is, that is
gracieusement
gracefully
de
to (introducing an infinitive after a verb)
à
up to (someone's turn/duty)
l'enchaînement
the sequence (m)
Questions & Answers about C'est à elles de finir cet enchaînement gracieusement.
Why does this sentence use C'est à elles de to say 'It is their turn to'?
This is a specific structure used to express whose turn or duty something is. You use C'est à followed by a stressed pronoun (like elles, moi, or lui) or a person's name, then the preposition de, and finally the infinitive of the action verb.
Could I use leur instead of elles here?
No, because leur is an indirect object pronoun. After a preposition like à in this turn-taking construction, you must use a stressed pronoun. For the third-person plural, the stressed pronouns are eux (masculine) and elles (feminine).
Why is it cet enchaînement and not ce enchaînement?
The noun enchaînement is masculine, so the demonstrative adjective ('this' or 'that') would normally be ce. However, because enchaînement starts with a vowel sound, ce changes to cet to make the pronunciation flow smoothly without a pause.
What kind of 'sequence' does enchaînement refer to here?
Un enchaînement comes from the verb enchaîner, meaning to link or chain together. In this context, coupled with the adverb gracieusement (gracefully), it most likely refers to a fluid sequence of physical movements, such as a dance choreography or a gymnastics routine.
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