c'est un livre
The English phrase "this is a book" is translated into French as c'est un livre.
You use c'est un livre to identify an object and explain what it is. The word livre is a masculine noun meaning "book". You can use it to specify types of books, such as un livre de cuisine for "a cookbook" or un livre d'histoire for "a history book".
Meaning: a sample phrase to indicate an object (here: a book) and explain what it is (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase c'est is a contraction of ce (this/it) and est (is), which literally means "it is".
Which one should you use?
Note the difference between identifying a book and pointing to a specific one: c'est un livre means "this is a book", whereas ce livre means "this book" (for example, "this book is good").
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes when you are no longer talking about a single object. To say "these are books", you change c'est un livre to ce sont des livres.
Did you know?
- The French word livre can refer to a 'book', a unit of weight, or the former British currency, depending entirely on the context.
- While livre is the standard word for 'book', French speakers often use the slang term bouquin to describe one in a more casual or affectionate way.
- The word livre traces back to the Latin 'liber', which originally referred to the 'bark' of a tree used for writing.
Examples in context
- C'est un livre sur la Géorgie.This is a book about Georgia.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe the subject of the book using c'est un livre.Tatoeba #9934162 by codl, translation #2764030 by Ricardo14
- C'est un livre sur les animaux.This is a book about animals.This sentence shows how to use c'est un livre to state a book is about animals.Tatoeba #9547779 by Aiji, translation #10718882 by sundown
- C'est un livre sur l'Angleterre.This is a book about England.This sentence demonstrates the use of c'est un livre when discussing a book about a specific country.Tatoeba #1716164 by sacredceltic, translation #55804 by CN
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa shows a gift to Nathan in a living room.
- LéaRegarde ce que j'ai trouvé pour toi, Nathan.Look what I found for you, Nathan.
- NathanOh, merci ! C'est quoi ?Oh, thanks! What is it?
- LéaC'est un livre sur l'histoire de France.It is a book about French history.
- NathanC'est parfait, merci beaucoup Léa !It is perfect, thank you very much, Léa!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “this is a book” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries c'est, livre, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
