Grammar: Verbs - Impersonal Verbs

Grammar: Verbs - Impersonal Verbs

Section: Understanding Impersonal Verbs

• Impersonal verbs are a unique feature of the French language. They are called ‘impersonal’ because these verbs don’t have a specific person or thing as the subject.

• The most common impersonal verb in French is il faut, which can be translated as ‘it is necessary’ or ‘one must’.

• Other examples of impersonal verbs include il y a (‘there is’ or ‘there are’), il s’agit de (‘it’s about’ or ‘it refers to’) and il reste (‘there remains’ or ‘there is left’).

Section: Usage of the Impersonal Verb ‘Il Faut’

• Il faut is used to express necessity or obligation. For example, ‘Il faut étudier pour l’examen’ translates to ‘One must study for the test’.

• To denote a particular person’s obligation, use il faut with the infinitive form of the verb and a reflexive pronoun. For instance, ‘Il me faut partir’ would translate as ‘I have to leave’.

Section: Using ‘Il y a’ for Time Expressions

• When expressing how much time has passed since a certain event, use il y a. For example, ‘Il y a trois semaines que je n’ai pas vu Jean’ means ‘I haven’t seen Jean for three weeks’.

Section: Significance of ‘Il S’agit de’

• ‘Il s’agit de’ precedes a noun to mean ‘it’s about’. In a movie review, you might say “Dans ce film, il s’agit d’un homme qui…” meaning ‘In this movie, it’s about a man who…’.

Section: Exploring ‘Il reste’

• Use il reste when you want to express what remains or is left of something. For example, ‘Il reste du pain’ means ‘There is bread left’.

Remember to practise these impersonal verbs in various contexts to solidify your understanding and improve your French grammar proficiency.