C’est and Il y a
Two popular French expressions you can use
In French language, there are two simple expressions you need to have learned. They are quite generic in nature and can be used to point out objects or show that something is available. They are C’est and Il y a.
C’est
This typically means “it is”, “this is”.
For example
C’est une grande bouteille (It is a big bottle)
C’est un nouveau livre (It is a new book)
C’est can also be used to mean “he/she is” in certain contexts. This is when you are trying to point out someone or responding to the “Qui” question.
For example
C’est mon frère (He is my brother)
Qui est Jessica? — C’est ma camarade (Who is Jessica? — She is my friend)
The negative form is Ce n’est pas
For example
Ce n’est pas mon frere (He is not my brother)
Qui est Bruno? — Ce n’est pas mon chien (Who is Bruno? — It is not my dog)
Il y a
This means “there is or there are”. It is a very useful expression for indicating that something is available. It is also popularly used
For example
Il y a un livre dans mon sac (There is a book in my bag)
A Nice, il y a une plage (In Nice, there is a beach)
Sur la table, il y a des robes. (On the table, there are dresses)
In the negative, it is “il n’y a pas”
For example
Il n’y a pas de lait dans le supermarché (There is no milk in the supermarket)
Il n’y a pas de livre dans mon sac (There is no book in my bag)
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