Questions & Answers about C'est stupide de partir maintenant.
Why do we use C'est here instead of Il est?
In spoken and everyday French, C'est is the standard way to make a general statement or express an opinion like this. You might see Il est stupide de in very formal written French, but C'est is much more common and natural here. Because this is a general statement, is the adjective always invariable?
Yes. After C'est used for a general statement, the adjective is always masculine singular. Here, stupide happens to end in an 'e' for both masculine and feminine anyway, but if you used a word like dangereux, it would remain masculine regardless of the situation you are describing. Why is there a de before the verb partir?
When you use the structure C'est + adjective followed by an infinitive verb like partir, you must connect them with de. It acts as a bridge that is grammatically required for this specific sentence pattern. Could I reword this to put the action first, like Partir maintenant, c'est stupide?
Yes, putting the infinitive first is very common in spoken French to emphasize the action. Notice that when you flip the sentence order like that, you drop the de entirely because the verb no longer follows the adjective. Learn C'est stupide de partir maintenant and more in French
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