Impersonal Use of Il
11.5.1. The Main Idea
French often uses il in expressions where il does not mean he. This is called impersonal il.
Il faut étudier. | It is necessary to study. / You have to study. |
Il fait froid. | It is cold. |
Il est important de dormir. | It is important to sleep. |
Il y a un problème. | There is a problem. |
In these expressions, il is a grammar placeholder, not a person.
11.5.2. Il Faut
Il faut means it is necessary or one must. In everyday English, it often means you have to.
Il faut partir. | It is necessary to leave. / We have to leave. |
Il faut étudier. | You have to study. |
Il faut attendre. | We have to wait. |
Il faut écouter. | You have to listen. |
Il faut prendre le bus. | We have to take the bus. |
Use:
Il faut + infinitive | it is necessary to ___ |
Il faut dormir. | You have to sleep. |
11.5.3. Il Faut + Noun
Il faut can also be used with a noun to say that something is needed.
Il faut une carte. | A card is needed. / You need a card. |
Il faut un billet. | You need a ticket. |
Il faut un cadeau. | You need a gift. |
Il faut de l’argent. | You need money. |
Il faut du temps. | You need time. |
11.5.4. Il Ne Faut Pas
Il ne faut pas means one must not, you must not, or do not.
Il ne faut pas partir. | You must not leave. |
Il ne faut pas attendre ici. | You must not wait here. |
Il ne faut pas oublier. | You must not forget. |
Il ne faut pas parler trop vite. | You must not speak too fast. |
Il ne faut pas dormir en classe. | You must not sleep in class. |
11.5.5. Il Est + Adjective + De + Infinitive
Use il est + adjective + de + infinitive to make general comments.
Il est important de dormir. | It is important to sleep. |
Il est nécessaire d’étudier. | It is necessary to study. |
Il est difficile de comprendre. | It is difficult to understand. |
Il est facile de répondre. | It is easy to answer. |
Il est possible de voyager. | It is possible to travel. |
Before a vowel sound, de becomes d’.
de + étudier | d’étudier |
de + attendre | d’attendre |
11.5.6. Common Impersonal Expressions
il faut | it is necessary / you have to |
il ne faut pas | you must not / do not |
il est important de | it is important to |
il est nécessaire de | it is necessary to |
il est possible de | it is possible to |
il est difficile de | it is difficult to |
il est facile de | it is easy to |
il est temps de | it is time to |
il vaut mieux | it is better to |
11.5.7. Weather with Il
Weather expressions often use impersonal il.
Il fait beau. | The weather is nice. |
Il fait froid. | It is cold. |
Il fait chaud. | It is hot. |
Il fait mauvais. | The weather is bad. |
Il pleut. | It is raining. |
Il neige. | It is snowing. |
Il y a du vent. | It is windy. / There is wind. |
Il y a du soleil. | It is sunny. / There is sun. |
11.5.8. Il Y A
Il y a means there is or there are.
Il y a un café ici. | There is a café here. |
Il y a une fête ce soir. | There is a party tonight. |
Il y a des invités. | There are guests. |
Il y a beaucoup de monde. | There are a lot of people. |
Il y a un problème. | There is a problem. |
In the past, use il y avait.
Il y avait un café ici. | There was a café here. |
Il y avait beaucoup de monde. | There were a lot of people. |
11.5.9. Il Est Temps De
Il est temps de means it is time to.
Il est temps de partir. | It is time to leave. |
Il est temps d’étudier. | It is time to study. |
Il est temps de rentrer. | It is time to go home. |
Il est temps de dormir. | It is time to sleep. |
11.5.10. Core Patterns
Il faut + infinitive. | You have to ___. |
Il faut + noun. | You need ___. |
Il ne faut pas + infinitive. | You must not ___. |
Il est + adjective + de + infinitive. | It is ___ to ___. |
Il fait + weather expression. | The weather is ___. |
Il y a + noun. | There is / there are ___. |
Il est temps de + infinitive. | It is time to ___. |
11.5.11. Practice
You have to study. |
You need a ticket. |
You must not speak too fast. |
It is important to sleep. |
It is difficult to understand. |
It is cold. |
It is raining. |
There is a problem. |
There were a lot of people. |
It is time to leave. |
11.5.12. Answers
You have to study. | Il faut étudier. |
You need a ticket. | Il faut un billet. |
You must not speak too fast. | Il ne faut pas parler trop vite. |
It is important to sleep. | Il est important de dormir. |
It is difficult to understand. | Il est difficile de comprendre. |
It is cold. | Il fait froid. |
It is raining. | Il pleut. |
There is a problem. | Il y a un problème. |
There were a lot of people. | Il y avait beaucoup de monde. |
It is time to leave. | Il est temps de partir. |
11.5.13. Short Dialogue
A : Il faut partir maintenant ? | A: Do we have to leave now? |
B : Oui, il est temps de partir. | B: Yes, it is time to leave. |
A : Il fait froid dehors ? | A: Is it cold outside? |
B : Oui, il fait froid et il y a du vent. | B: Yes, it is cold and windy. |
11.5.14. Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to recognize and use impersonal il in common expressions such as il faut, il ne faut pas, il est important de, il fait froid, il y a, and il est temps de.
11.5.15. Try It Out
Try saying this in French:
You have to study.
It is cold today.