How to Say "He Is" in French - How To Say Guide

il est

In French, "he is" is translated as il est.

The phrase il est is used to describe a male person or thing using the third-person singular present tense of the verb to be.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Canadian French, particularly in Quebec, the contraction Y'est is used instead of il est in informal conversations.

When using il est to state someone's profession, do not use an article. For example, say Il est médecin (He is a doctor).

Avoid adding an article before a profession when using il est. For instance, do not say il est un médecin instead of the correct il est médecin.

While il est refers to a male person, it is also used for the impersonal 'it is' when talking about time or weather, such as il est midi for 'it is noon'.
The word est comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ésti, which is a distant ancestor to the English word 'is'.
If you decide to add an article after il est, such as saying il est un médecin, you are no longer just stating his job. You are actually implying that he is one specific, particular doctor from a group.

Il est ici !
Here he is!
Tatoeba #10192 by sacredceltic, translation #71715 by CK
Il est à sec.
He is out of pocket.
Tatoeba #15339 by Julien_PDC, translation #288230 by sacredceltic
Il est à vélo.
He is riding a bicycle.
Tatoeba #3642430 by sacredceltic, translation #298480 by CK
Il est français.
He is French.
Il est médecin.
He is a doctor.
Il est avocat.
He is a lawyer.
C'est un mec sympa.
He is a nice guy.
Il est mécano.
He is a mechanic.
Il est cool.
He is cool.
Il est mon ami.
He is my friend.
1403 more sentences on Tatoeba

Léa and Nathan are talking about a new neighbor.

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