Learn Hardcore French: C'est une occasion rare pour notre famille.

Because occasion is a noun and it has an article (une), C'est is the natural choice: C'est une occasion rare… not Il est une occasion rare…

Why is occasion feminine (une occasion) and not masculine (un occasion)?

In French, every noun has a grammatical gender that you must memorize; it’s not always logical from an English point of view.

une occasion – feminine
The article une shows that occasion is feminine.
Adjectives describing it must also be feminine: une occasion rare (not rare vs rares; here rare has the same form in masculine and feminine singular, but it still agrees in gender and number in theory).

There is no rule that lets you guess that occasion is feminine; it’s just a vocabulary item to learn as une occasion (f.).

Why is the adjective rare placed after occasion instead of before it?

The normal position for most French adjectives is after the noun:

une voiture rouge – a red car
une occasion rare – a rare opportunity

Some very common, short adjectives go before the noun (often remembered with the acronym BANGS or BAGS: Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, Size), like beau, joli, jeune, vieux, bon, mauvais, grand, petit, etc.

Rare is not in that group, so the default is:

une occasion rare, not une rare occasion (though une rare occasion is possible with a slight stylistic/emotional nuance, see another question below).

Is there a difference between C'est une occasion rare and C'est une rare occasion?

Yes, mainly in style and emphasis.

C'est une occasion rare is the neutral, most common order. It simply states that the opportunity is rare, like standard descriptive information.
C'est une rare occasion sounds more expressive, a bit literary or emphatic. It highlights how unusually rare it is, almost like saying “This is such a rare opportunity” or “This is one of those rare occasions”.

In everyday speech, learners are safer and more natural with une occasion rare. Native speakers might choose une rare occasion for stylistic effect or in more elevated writing.

Why is it pour notre famille and not à notre famille or de notre famille?

The preposition pour often means for in the sense of intended for / beneficial to:

une occasion rare pour notre famille – a rare opportunity for our family (something that benefits or concerns the family)

À after occasion would usually feel odd here. Une occasion à notre famille is not idiomatic.

De would change the meaning:

une occasion rare de notre famille would sound like a rare occasion of our family (as if the family somehow possesses or produces the occasion), which is not the intended sense.

So pour is the natural choice to express for our family with occasion in this context.

Why is it notre famille and not nos famille?

Notre vs nos depends on whether the noun is singular or plural:

notre = our (before a singular noun, any gender)
- notre famille – our family
- notre maison – our house
- notre ami – our (male) friend
nos = our (before a plural noun)
- nos familles – our families
- nos amis – our friends

Since famille here is singular (one family as a unit), you must use notre:
C'est une occasion rare pour notre famille.

Could we say pour la famille instead of pour notre famille?

Yes, but it would change the nuance.

pour notre famille – clearly refers to our specific family (mine + the speaker’s family).
pour la famille – more general; it could mean “for the family” as a concept, or “for the family” in context (e.g. the family we’re talking about), without explicitly saying it’s our family.

If you want to mirror the English “for our family”, stick with pour notre famille.

Is famille always feminine in French?

Yes, famille is a feminine noun:

la famille
une grande famille
cette famille est heureuse

However, the members of the family can be masculine or feminine individually, but the word famille itself is grammatically feminine and always uses la / une / cette, etc.

How would this sentence change if there were several rare opportunities instead of just one?

You would make the noun and adjective plural, and you’d normally switch from C'est to Ce sont:

Singular: C'est une occasion rare pour notre famille.
Plural: Ce sont des occasions rares pour notre famille.

Changes:

une → des
occasion → occasions
rare → rares
C'est → Ce sont (more grammatically precise)

In casual speech, many natives still say C'est des occasions rares…, but in careful or written French Ce sont des occasions rares… is preferred.

What is the difference between occasion, opportunité, and chance?

They can all translate as opportunity, but they’re not identical:

une occasion
- Very common for chance to do something, opportunity:
  - C'est une occasion rare pour notre famille.
  - J'ai une occasion de voyager.
- Also means second-hand, used in a shopping context:
  - une voiture d'occasion – a used car.
une opportunité
- Borrowed from English; used a lot in business/sales/marketing language.
- Can sometimes sound a bit formal or “buzzword-y” in French:
  - C'est une opportunité professionnelle.
une chance
- Often means luck; with avoir de la chance = to be lucky.
- As opportunity, it often carries an idea of good luck or a fortunate opportunity:
  - C'est une chance pour notre famille. – This is a (great) chance for our family.

In this sentence, occasion is the most neutral and idiomatic choice for a rare opportunity.

Could we say C'est une occasion unique pour notre famille instead of rare? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can, but the meaning shifts slightly:

une occasion rare – a rare opportunity; it doesn’t happen often, but not necessarily only once in a lifetime.
une occasion unique – a unique opportunity; it strongly suggests it will never come again, or is one of a kind.

Both are natural. Use rare for uncommon, and unique when you want to emphasise the idea of once-in-a-lifetime.

Why not say Il y a une occasion rare pour notre famille?

Il y a… means there is / there are, and it’s used to state existence:

Il y a une occasion rare pour notre famille. – There is a rare opportunity for our family.

This is grammatically correct but less direct and less natural if you want to point at or present this particular opportunity.

C'est une occasion rare pour notre famille. means:

This/It is a rare opportunity for our family.

It focuses on the specific situation (often something already known or visible), while Il y a… simply introduces the existence of such an opportunity in a more neutral way. In many real contexts, C'est… is what you want.

How is the whole sentence pronounced, and are there any liaisons?

Pronunciation (approximate, in IPA):

C'est une occasion rare pour notre famille.
/sɛ tyn ɔka.zjɔ̃ ʁaʁ puʁ nɔtʁ famij/

Key points:

C'est: /sɛ/ (like seh). No liaison into une in standard careful speech here; you usually hear [sɛ tyn], not [sɛ.tyn].
une: /yn/ – the u is a rounded front vowel, different from English oo.
occasion: /ɔka.zjɔ̃/ – nasal vowel at the end: -tion / -sion → /sjɔ̃/ or /zjɔ̃/ depending on the word; here /zjɔ̃/.
rare: /ʁaʁ/ – final e is silent; two guttural r sounds.
pour: /puʁ/ – similar to English poor but with French ou /u/ and French r.
notre: often pronounced /nɔtʁ/ in standard French (the final e is very weak or almost gone).
famille: /famij/ – -ille is /ij/, roughly like fa-MEE-y.

Spoken smoothly: [sɛ tyn ɔka.zjɔ̃ ʁaʁ puʁ nɔtʁ famij].