C'est AND Il/Elle est can both be correct in some situations?

Stewart H.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

C'est AND Il/Elle est can both be correct in some situations?

In this weeks Weekend Workout 28-09-2018 'Mrs Durand's Menagerie' we are asked to translate:

'Mrs Durand lives in the countryside, its perfect for animals.'

There are two correct answers given for 'its perfect for animals':

C'est parfait pour les animaux! AND Elle est parfaite pour les animaux!

The lesson, however, shows how to choose between the use of C'est and the use of 'Il/Elle est' ... implying that only one of these two options is correct in any given situation. 

Could you please explain why both options are correct in this particular instance.

Thank you

Asked 6 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Bonjour Stewart !

In "Mrs Durand's Menagerie", the text is actually:

Mrs Durand lives in the countryside, in a beautiful blue house with a big garden! It's perfect for animals.

What the lesson states is that you use either c'est or il/elle est, and it's valid for most cases. But it also explains that you use c'est for general statements.

So in this particular situation, depending on what "it" represents, you could indeed use either:
C'est parfait ... Here you're considering the whole general situation as perfect for animals
- Elle est parfaite ... Here you're referring specifically to the house (la maison) as being perfect for animals.
I hope that's helpful!
Bonne journée !

C'est AND Il/Elle est can both be correct in some situations?

In this weeks Weekend Workout 28-09-2018 'Mrs Durand's Menagerie' we are asked to translate:

'Mrs Durand lives in the countryside, its perfect for animals.'

There are two correct answers given for 'its perfect for animals':

C'est parfait pour les animaux! AND Elle est parfaite pour les animaux!

The lesson, however, shows how to choose between the use of C'est and the use of 'Il/Elle est' ... implying that only one of these two options is correct in any given situation. 

Could you please explain why both options are correct in this particular instance.

Thank you

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Clever stuff happening!