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French

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

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C’est / Ce sont

C’est (singular) and ce sont (plural) are used to identify or highlight something. They’re often followed by a noun, pronoun, or a stressed element (like a name or a disjunctive pronoun).
Example*:
  • C’est Paul qui a gagné.* — It’s Paul who won.
  • Ce sont mes amis qui arrivent.* — It’s my friends who are coming.

Il y a

Il y a means “there is” or “there are” and is used to state the existence of something. It can also be used in cleft sentences to introduce a time or a particular element that you want to emphasize.
Example*:
  • Il y a un problème que je dois régler.* — There is a problem that I need to solve.
  • Il y a quelqu’un à la porte.* — There’s someone at the door.

Other Cleft Constructions

French also uses relative clauses introduced by qui, que, où, etc., to create cleft sentences. These clauses provide more information about the emphasized element.

. Using “C’est / Ce sont ... qui/que ...”

  • qui* is used when the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause.
  • que* is used when the relative pronoun is the direct object.
Examples:
  • C’est Sophie qui parle.* — It’s Sophie who is speaking.
  • Ce sont les livres que j’ai lus.* — These are the books that I read.

It’s Sophie who is speaking.


C’est Sophie qui parle.

'C’est' is used for the singular noun 'Sophie,' and 'qui' is correct because Sophie is the subject of 'parle.'

. Using “Voilà ... qui/que ...”

Voilà can also be used for emphasis, similar to c’est/ce sont.
Examples:
  • Voilà ce que je voulais dire.* — That’s what I wanted to say.
  • Voilà le moment où tout a changé.* — That’s the moment when everything changed.

That’s the moment when everything changed.


Voilà le moment où tout a changé.

'Voilà le moment où...' emphasizes the specific point in time when something happened.

Summary

  • Use c’est (singular) or ce sont (plural) + noun/pronoun + qui/que to highlight or identify something.
  • Use il y a to state the existence of something, sometimes introducing a time or a specific element.
  • Use qui when the relative pronoun is the subject, and que when it is the direct object.
  • Use voilà for a more formal or literary emphasis.

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

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