c'est
The French phrase for "is that" is c'est.
c'est is used to identify a person or a thing when you are asking for confirmation.
Which one should you use?
While c'est is used for singular identification, you should use ce sont when you are identifying a plural noun (meaning "are those" or "are they"). For a formal way to ask "Is that correct?" or "Is that right?", use Est-ce bien cela.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are identifying a plural noun, the form changes to ce sont.
Did you know?
- While schoolbooks teach that you must use ce sont for plural objects, you will constantly hear native speakers use c'est even when talking about many things. In casual spoken French, the singular form is often used as a universal identifier.
- The word est within the contraction c'est is a perfect homophone for the French word est, which means 'east'. This means the phrase sounds exactly like 'this east' if spoken without context.
- In spoken French, c'est is frequently used to introduce a thought as a filler, similar to how an English speaker might start a sentence with 'the thing is'.
Examples in context
- C'est ta mère ?Is that your mother?This sentence shows how to use c'est to identify a person.Tatoeba #7372259 by tras, translation #1869241 by CM
- C'est un zèbre ?Is that a zebra?This sentence shows how to use c'est to identify an animal.Tatoeba #10756112 by TheSnail, translation #6011538 by zumley
- C'est ton stylo ?Is that your pen?This sentence shows how to use c'est to identify an object.Tatoeba #428885 by Archibald, translation #9464541 by sundown
- Est-ce que c'est votre maison?Is that your house?
- Est-ce bien cela que vous recherchez?Is that what you are looking for?
- C'est ta voiture?Is that your car?
- Ça, c'est ton frère?Is that your brother?
- Est-ce que ça, c'est à toi?Is this yours?
- 236 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are looking at a photo in an album.
- GabrielC'est ton frère sur la photo ?Is that your brother in the photo?
- LéaNon, c'est mon cousin.No, it is my cousin.
- GabrielAh, je vois.Ah, I see.
- LéaIl est très grand, n'est-ce pas ?He is very tall, isn't he?
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
