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Cleft Sentences (c’est/ce sont, il y a, etc.)

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Cleft sentences in French, how to use structures like c’est, ce sont, il y a, and more to emphasize parts of a sentence.

Cleft sentences are special sentence structures that break a simple statement into two parts to highlight or emphasize a particular element. In French, common cleft sentence forms include c’est… qui/que, ce sont… qui/que, il y a, and voici/voilà. These constructions help draw attention to people, things, times, or reasons — making your meaning clearer and more expressive.

C’est / Ce sont … qui / que

The c’est… qui/que (singular) and ce sont… qui/que (plural) structures place emphasis on a specific noun or subject. They “split” the sentence and add a relative clause introduced by qui (subject) or que (object).
  • Use qui if the emphasized noun is the subject of the relative clause.
  • Use que if the emphasized noun is the object of the relative clause.
Example:
  • C’est Marie qui a gagné le prix.
(It’s Marie who won the prize.)
  • Ce sont les étudiants que j’ai invités.
(They are the students whom I invited.)

Donner la raison

You can also use c’est… qui to emphasize the reason for something, especially when the clause explains why.
Example:
  • C’est à cause du retard qu’il a raté le train.
(It’s because of the delay that he missed the train.)
  • C’est pour toi que j’ai préparé ce gâteau.
(It’s for you that I made this cake.)

C’est / Ce sont … que (emphasis on object)

When the object — not the subject — needs emphasis, use que instead of qui.
Example:
  • C’est le livre que j’ai choisi.
(It’s the book that I chose.)
  • Ce sont les clés que tu cherches.
(They are the keys that you’re looking for.)

When do you use que instead of qui in c’est/ce sont … que constructions?


Use que when the emphasized noun is the object of the verb.
'Que' introduces a relative clause where the antecedent is the object, distinguishing it from 'qui' which signals a subject.

Il y a … que (time expressions)

Use il y a … que to say how long something has been happening («It’s been [time] that…»).
Example:
  • Il y a six mois que j’étudie le français.
(I’ve been studying French for six months.)
  • Il y a deux heures qu’il attend dehors.
(He’s been waiting outside for two hours.)

Voici / Voilà

While not technically cleft sentences, voici (here is/are) and voilà (there is/are/that’s) function similarly by introducing or drawing attention to someone or something.
Example:
  • Voici mon frère.
(Here is my brother.)
  • Voilà le problème.
(There’s the problem.)

Ce qui / Ce que (neutral emphasis)

Ce qui (subject) and ce que (object) are neutral relative pronouns meaning “what” or “that which.” They introduce clauses without specifying a particular noun.
Example:
  • Ce qui me plaît, c’est la musique.
(What pleases me is music.)
  • Ce que je veux, c’est voyager.
(What I want is to travel.)

Translate to English: Ce que je préfère, c’est le chocolat.


What I prefer is chocolate.
‘Ce que’ introduces the object of preference (‘je préfère’), and the sentence equates this preference to chocolate.

Summary

Cleft sentences rearrange information to highlight important details.
  • C’est/ce sont … qui = emphasis on subject (use qui).
  • C’est/ce sont … que = emphasis on object (use que).
  • Il y a … que = indicates duration («It’s been…»).
  • Voici/voilà = introduces or points out something.
  • Ce qui / Ce que = neutral “what” clauses.
Mastering these will make your French more precise and expressive!
Next Up: Agreement Rules (Past participle, adjectives, etc.)

Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025

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