French Grammar: Impersonal Expressions with the Infinitive
French Grammar: Impersonal Expressions with the Infinitive
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French Grammar: Impersonal Expressions with the Infinitive
la grammaire française : les expressions impersonnelles avec l’infinitif
Grammatically speaking, the word “impersonal” in the phrase “impersonal expressions” does not mean disinterested or cold; rather, impersonal expressions are those expressions which do not have a personal subject such as I, you, Johnny, he/she, we, they, the students, etc.
In French – as in English – impersonal expressions are often used to give advice or opinions. French impersonal expressions are followed by an infinitive verb when making generalizations.
Study:
In French – as in English – impersonal expressions are often used to give advice or opinions. French impersonal expressions are followed by an infinitive verb when making generalizations.
In English, the impersonal subject is “it”. The French impersonal subject can be either il or ce. When used in impersonal expressions, both il and ce mean ‘it’. (Note that ce becomes c’ before a vowel or silent ‘h’.) When used in impersonal expressions, both Il est and C’est mean “It is”. Il est is more formal than C’est and is almost always used when writing. C’est is more commonly used in spoken French. (Note that in constructions other than impersonal expressions, there IS a difference in meaning between Il est and C’est. For a detailed explanation of that difference, see C’est vs. Il / Elle est)
One of the most common French impersonal expressions is Il faut (from the verb falloir). This expression conveys the sense of obligation or necessity. Its English translations include “It is necessary”, “One must”, “One should”, and “One has to”. Il ne faut pas means “One must not” or “One should not”. To say “It is not necessary”, use Il n’est pas nécessaire de.
Here is a list of common impersonal expressions:
Il est amusant de …
It is fun to …
Il est bon de …
It is good to …
C’est bien de …
It is good to …
Il est essentiel de …
It is essential to …
Il est facile de …
It is easy to …
Il est difficile de …
It is difficult to …
Il faut …
It is necessary …
One must …
One ought to …
One should …
One has to …
Il ne faut pas …
One must not …
One should not …
Il est important de …
It is important to …
Il est impossible de …
It is impossible to …
Il est juste de …
It is right to …
Il est injuste de …
It is unfair to …
Il est utile de …
It is useful to …
Il est inutile de …
It is useless to …
Il est mauvais de …
It is bad to …
Il est naturel de …
It is natural to …
Il est nécessaire de …
It is necessary to …
Il n’est pas nécessaire de …
It is not necessary to …
Il est normal de …
It is normal to …
Il est obligatoire de …
It is mandatory to …
Il est possible de …
It is possible to …
Il suffit de …
It is enough to …
Il vaut mieux …
It is better to …
Adapt:
Il faut faire les devoirs pour réussir.
One must do the homework in order to succeed.
Il est bon d’étudier le français.
It is good to study French.
Il est obligatoire de payer les impôts.
It is mandatory to pay taxes.
C’est bien de manger sainement.
It is good to eat healthily.
Il n’est pas nécessaire de laisser un pourboire.
It is not necessary to leave a tip.
Il vaut mieux faire une réservation à ce restaurant.
It is better to make a reservation at this restaurant.
Il est important de regarder de deux côtés avant de traverser la rue.
It is important to look both ways before crossing the street.
Il est amusant de sortir avec des amis.
It is fun to go out with friends.
Explore:
- YouTube/Rachèle DeMéo: Il faut + l’infinitif
- YouTube/Radio Lingua: Learn French with Walk, Talk and Learn French – 03
- YouTube/Sylvain Bilhaud: Il faut
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