Welcome to "French Made Simple". This blog is meant for those interested in the French Language. Why French ? French is a beautiful language. It is an international languages with rich literature. France has made several contributions to human civilization. There are many countries where French is spoken. Knowing an additional language always helps. A new language is a window to another culture and civilization. It opens up fresh vistas. Wish you all a very useful session here!
Wednesday 31 December 2014
Tuesday 30 December 2014
French Note 2 " Il est " vs C'est .
French Note 2. Il est vs C'est
There are certain impersonal expressions which use, " Il est " . Observe the following .
1. Il est douteux que mon père aille en France ce mois.
2. Il est possible qu'un écrivain japonais gagne le prix Nobel l'année prochain.
3. Il est difficile d'écrire en arabe.
4. Il est facile de parler anglais.
Note that the above sentences have two parts. The first part with " il est " with a complement followed by statements / infinitive of verbs which are the actual subjects of the sentences. Now the above sentences can be rewritten using ," c'est " in the following manner.
1. Que mon père aille en France ce mois,c'est douteux.
2. Qu'un écrivain gagne le prix Nobel l'année prochaine, c'est possible.
3. Écrire en arab, c'est difficile .
4. Parler anglais, c'est facile.
Therefore the rule is:
Use " il est " when the subject proposition is at the end.
Use " c' est " when the subject proposition is in the beginning.
The following English version may help you.
1. It is doubtful that my father will go to France this month.
That my father will go to France , that is doubtful .
2. It is possible that a Japanese writer may win the Nobel prize next year.
That a Japanese writer may win the none prize, that is possible.
3. It is difficult to write in Arabic.
Writing in Arabic, that is difficult .
4. It is easy to speak English .
Speaking English, that is easy.
Hope the point made in this note is clear to you.
Sayee Jayaraman
30/12/2014
To be continued..
There are certain impersonal expressions which use, " Il est " . Observe the following .
1. Il est douteux que mon père aille en France ce mois.
2. Il est possible qu'un écrivain japonais gagne le prix Nobel l'année prochain.
3. Il est difficile d'écrire en arabe.
4. Il est facile de parler anglais.
Note that the above sentences have two parts. The first part with " il est " with a complement followed by statements / infinitive of verbs which are the actual subjects of the sentences. Now the above sentences can be rewritten using ," c'est " in the following manner.
1. Que mon père aille en France ce mois,c'est douteux.
2. Qu'un écrivain gagne le prix Nobel l'année prochaine, c'est possible.
3. Écrire en arab, c'est difficile .
4. Parler anglais, c'est facile.
Therefore the rule is:
Use " il est " when the subject proposition is at the end.
Use " c' est " when the subject proposition is in the beginning.
The following English version may help you.
1. It is doubtful that my father will go to France this month.
That my father will go to France , that is doubtful .
2. It is possible that a Japanese writer may win the Nobel prize next year.
That a Japanese writer may win the none prize, that is possible.
3. It is difficult to write in Arabic.
Writing in Arabic, that is difficult .
4. It is easy to speak English .
Speaking English, that is easy.
Hope the point made in this note is clear to you.
Sayee Jayaraman
30/12/2014
To be continued..
Note:
We look forward to your comments and suggestions. Please do post them below as it will be an encouragement to improve our daily presentation of topics.
French Note 1. " c'est"
French Note 1
Bonjour à tous et à toutes !
Je vous souhaite une bonne année !
Today I am going to deal with the use of the expression, " C'est " in various ways.
Remember," C'est " is known as "présentatif" in French Grammar. It is very useful in introducing nouns, adjectives, pronouns, infinitive forms, adverbs or other statements.
Study the following sentences using " C'est ". In English you may say , " this is".
C'est un roman. -This is a novel.
C'est mon père . - This is my father.
C'est une maison. - This is a house.
C'est un résultat imprévu . - This is an unexpected result.
C'est une grande découverte . - This is a great discovery.
In all the above examples, " C'est " is followed by a noun , of course preceded by articles, adjectives etc.
Now go through the following examples
C'est facile. - This is easy.
C'est difficile . - This is difficult .
C'est génial . - This is nice.
C'est sympa. - This is cool.
C'est super. - This is super.
In the above examples, "C'est" is followed by adjectives.
Observe the following sentences.
C'est moi. - This is me.
C'est lui. - This is him.
C'est elle. - This is her.
C'est eux./ ce sont eux - It is them.
In the above examples, " C'est" is followed by pronouns. Remember they are , " pronom tonique or disjonctif ". You can't say , " c' est Je ". When the pronoun is in plural we can use " ce sont ". But it is not obligatory.
Now observe the following examples.
Partir, c'est mourir. - Leaving , it is dying.
Vivre, c'est agir - Living, it is acting.
In the above examples, " C'est" is followed by an infinitive form of a verb.
C'est bien. This is good.
C'est pire. - This is worse.
In the above examples, " c'est " is followed by an adverb.
C'est ce qui m'intéresse. This is what interests me.
C'est ce que je veux. This is what I want.
C'est ce dont on a besoin. This is what we are in need of.
In the above examples, " C'est " is followed by a statement . Observe the use of " ce qui, ce que and ce dont".
When you read a French text or listen to French programmes, observe how the expression , " C'est " is used in each context.
To be continued.
T K Jayaraman
29/12/2014
Note:
Bonjour à tous et à toutes !
Je vous souhaite une bonne année !
Today I am going to deal with the use of the expression, " C'est " in various ways.
Remember," C'est " is known as "présentatif" in French Grammar. It is very useful in introducing nouns, adjectives, pronouns, infinitive forms, adverbs or other statements.
Study the following sentences using " C'est ". In English you may say , " this is".
C'est un roman. -This is a novel.
C'est mon père . - This is my father.
C'est une maison. - This is a house.
C'est un résultat imprévu . - This is an unexpected result.
C'est une grande découverte . - This is a great discovery.
In all the above examples, " C'est " is followed by a noun , of course preceded by articles, adjectives etc.
Now go through the following examples
C'est facile. - This is easy.
C'est difficile . - This is difficult .
C'est génial . - This is nice.
C'est sympa. - This is cool.
C'est super. - This is super.
In the above examples, "C'est" is followed by adjectives.
Observe the following sentences.
C'est moi. - This is me.
C'est lui. - This is him.
C'est elle. - This is her.
C'est eux./ ce sont eux - It is them.
In the above examples, " C'est" is followed by pronouns. Remember they are , " pronom tonique or disjonctif ". You can't say , " c' est Je ". When the pronoun is in plural we can use " ce sont ". But it is not obligatory.
Now observe the following examples.
Partir, c'est mourir. - Leaving , it is dying.
Vivre, c'est agir - Living, it is acting.
In the above examples, " C'est" is followed by an infinitive form of a verb.
C'est bien. This is good.
C'est pire. - This is worse.
In the above examples, " c'est " is followed by an adverb.
C'est ce qui m'intéresse. This is what interests me.
C'est ce que je veux. This is what I want.
C'est ce dont on a besoin. This is what we are in need of.
In the above examples, " C'est " is followed by a statement . Observe the use of " ce qui, ce que and ce dont".
When you read a French text or listen to French programmes, observe how the expression , " C'est " is used in each context.
To be continued.
T K Jayaraman
29/12/2014
Note:
We look forward to your comments and
suggestions. Please do post them below as it will be an encouragement to improve our
daily presentation of topics.
Sunday 28 December 2014
Welcome to "French Made Simple"
Welcome to my blog "French Made Simple".
This blog is meant for those interested in the French Language having some acquaintance with it but could not pursue the same wholeheartedly for one reason or other..
My love affair with French started when I was 35. Till now I have been pursuing the study of French and its literature . After my retirement in 2009 , I started teaching French to school/ college students.
A couple of months back, I started posting my " French Notes" in my Facebook page and also in the page of a group called "Duo Lingo". People from various parts of the world are following these notes and requested me cover certain grammatical points in French Language. A close friend of mine, Ramesh suggested to me an idea of a French blog. That much for the genesis of this blog.
The contents will be on the nuances of the French language. This is not a systematic French course from A,B,C.There are many learners who are struggling with French grammar. This language has many traps. In this blog , I shall try my best to elucidate all grammar/usage points.
For every rule , there are exceptions. Hence to acquire writing competence in the language, one has to take pains. My intention is to share my own insights with others in learning this language. Since I explain in English, everyone who knows English can benefit from my notes. I compare often these two languages.
Why French ? French is a beautiful language. It is also one of the international languages. French literature is very rich. France has made several contributions to human civilization. There are many countries where French is spoken. Knowing an additional language always helps. A new language is a window to another culture and civilization. It opens up fresh vistas. Wish you all a very useful session here!
Sayee Jayaraman
Bangalore
Monday, 29th December 2014
Sayee Jayaraman
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