Some verbs are used only in third-person singular, i.e., “il” form. For example, some weather expressions such as “il pleut” (it is raining) and “il neige” (it is snowing) are always in the third-person singular form. We call such verbs impersonal verbs.
In addition to impersonal verbs, there are impersonal expressions. These are often expressed in English using statements that start with “it is.”
In French, “il est” or “c’est” is often used, e.g., “C’est vrai que la situation est mauvaise” (It is true that the situation is bad). Remember that some impersonal expressions require the use of the subjunctive.
Impersonal Expressions using “Il s’agit de”
One common impersonal expression in French is “il s’agit de,” which often translates as “it is about” or “it is a matter of.” Here are some examples:
| Il s’agit de priorités. | It is about priorities. |
| Il ne s’agit pas seulement de financement. | It is not only about funding. |
| Ce livre, il s’agit d’une histoire réelle. | This book is about a real story. |
| De quoi s’agit-il? | What is it about? |
Personal vs. Impersonal Meaning
Some verbs can only be in the third-person singular, that is, in impersonal form, such as “falloir” (to be necessary) and “valoir” (to be worth).
On the other hand, there are verbs that have a personal meaning, but can also be used in impersonal form, in which case the meaning is different.
For example, when the verb “arriver” (to arrive) is used in impersonal form, it means “to happen,” e.g., “Je ne sais pas ce qui va arriver” (I don’t know what will happen).
Examples
Here is a list of some common impersonal verbs that may or may not have a personal meaning:
| arriver to happen | Il arrive rarement que l’expédition soit retardée. It rarely happens that the shipment is delayed. |
| falloir to be necessary | Il faut d’abord que vous prépariez les documents. It is necessary that you first prepare the documents. |
| importer to be important | Peu importe qui ils sont. It doesn’t matter who they are. |
| manquer to be missing | Il manque deux reçus aux documents. Two receipts are missing from the documents. |
| rester to remain | Il reste cinq minutes jusqu’à la fin. There remains five minutes until the end. |
| se trouver to happen to be | Il se trouve que cette fois le résultat est le même. It happens that this time the result is the same. |
| se passer to happen | Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé? What happened? |
| se pouvoir to be possible | Il se peut que certains détails nous échappent. It is possible that we miss out on some details. |
| sembler to seem | Ça semble à première vue difficile à prévoir. It seems hard to predict at first. |
| suffire to be enough | Ça suffit pour moi. That is enough for me. |
| valoir le coup to be worth it | C’est un peu cher mais ça vaut le coup. It is a bit pricey but it is worth it. |
| valoir le mieux to be better | Il vaut mieux préserver votre vie privée. It is better to preserve your privacy. |
| venir to come | Il vient un moment où il faut prendre une décision. There comes a time when you have to make a decision. |
Other lessons in Level IV:
Level IV – Intermediate
4. Expressions Using “Avoir” & “Faire”
5. Present Subjunctive Tense I
